Freediving equipment guide: masks, long fins vs monofin, wetsuits and weights

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Freediving needs very little gear compared with scuba, but each piece is designed differently from its snorkelling or scuba equivalent, and the differences matter. You can rent nearly all of it for a course, so it is worth trying things before you buy.

Mask

Freediving masks are low-volume: the glass sits close to your eyes and the air space inside is small. That matters because you have to breathe a little air into the mask as you descend to stop it squeezing your face, and every bit of air you put in it comes from your lungs.

Fit matters more than anything. Put it on your face without the strap, breathe in gently through your nose and see whether it stays on.
Look for a soft skirt that does not press on your nose, and a nose pocket you can pinch easily to equalise.
Mirrored or dark lenses look good but make it hard for your buddy to see your eyes, which they use to check you are well.

Snorkel

A simple, flexible snorkel without valves or splash guards is the usual choice. It is used at the surface during the breathe-up; most courses teach taking it out of your mouth before you dive.

Fins

Long bifins: a pair of fins with long blades, the standard for most recreational freedivers and for beginners. They are efficient with a slow, straight-leg kick and work well for exploring reefs. Blades come in plastic, fibreglass and carbon, with stiffness to match your weight and strength; softer is generally easier for beginners.
Monofin: one wide blade with both feet in it, swum with a dolphin-like body wave. It is fast and efficient in a straight line and used in competitive depth and pool disciplines, but it takes time to learn and is awkward for manoeuvring around a reef or getting in and out of a boat.
Short scuba or snorkelling fins: fine for a first pool session; you will notice the difference later.

Fit is important: a foot pocket that is too tight causes cramp and too loose loses power. Most people wear thin neoprene socks inside.

Wetsuit

Freedivers get cold quicker than swimmers or scuba divers: you spend long spells still at the surface between dives, and cold makes it harder to relax and hold your breath.

Open-cell suits, the type most freedivers use, have bare neoprene on the inside, which grips the skin and lets in very little water. They are warm and flexible but delicate, and usually need lubricating with diluted soap to put on.
Lined suits are tougher and easier to get into, and fine for starting out.
Two-piece suits with a hooded jacket are common, because a lot of heat is lost through the head.
Thickness depends on water temperature and how long you stay in. Thin suits suit warm water and pool sessions; thicker ones colder seas. Thicker neoprene is also more buoyant.

Weights

Neoprene floats, and so do your lungs full of air. Freedivers wear a little weight to offset that, on a soft rubber belt worn on the hips (or a neck weight in the pool), always with a quick release. The aim is not to sink but to be neutrally buoyant at a chosen depth, so you float back up from below it. Schools of thought differ on where that point should be, and it depends on how deep you dive and your suit, so let your instructor set your weighting. Being overweighted is a real hazard: it makes the last part of the ascent harder, which is where blackouts happen. Thicker suits need more weight, and the suit loses buoyancy as it compresses at depth.

Other useful items

Buoy and line: in open water, a surface buoy marks your position for boats and gives you a line to dive down and rest on.
Lanyard: attaches you to the line on deeper dives so a buddy or the safety team can bring you up.
Dive computer or watch: useful for tracking depth, time and surface intervals.
Nose clip: used by some divers in the pool or for more advanced equalising.

Spend first on a mask that fits and a suit that keeps you warm. Fins can wait until you know what kind of diving you will do. What kit are you diving with, and what would you buy differently? Share your questions and experiences in the comments below.