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Orange Garibaldi fish (top) are among the marine life that freedivers may encounter, often getting a closer look

than is possible with scuba equipment, which produces noise and bubbles that can startle fish away.

Taking the

Freedivers ditch the scuba gear to explore the ocean one lungful at a time.By Larry Urish

Orange Garibaldi, rainbow seaperch and opaleye dart and pirouette around a rocky reef, looking for a stray morsel. Streaks of filtered sunlight angle down through the

water’s surface, bathing a kelp forest and casting a swirling, churning pattern of light and shadows on the sandy bottom. A lively underwater garden beckons you to drop below for a closer look.

Welcome to Laguna Beach beneath the ocean surface. In the world of Southern California div-ing, the town is a mecca, with numerous dive spots attracting watersport enthusiasts from around the world. While most divers use scuba gear, the hard-ware can be cumbersome and noisy, disturbing the marine life. These days, a growing number of divers are opting for a more natural, less intrusive way of exploring the vibrant depths: freediving.

DRAWN BY THE DEPTHSDiving may be as old as swimming, but free-diving as a sport is relatively new—and catch-ing on rapidly. While it’s related to snorkeling, some divers maintain that the two are com-pletely different endeavors. Freediving, in which participants swim down to great—sometimes extraordinary—depths while holding their breath, involves consistent training, focus and dedication, while snorkeling typically consists of floating on the surface and occasionally ducking underwater for a few seconds.

A variety of factors are attracting both snor-kelers and scuba divers to this new sport. One is practical, especially when compared to scuba: “Less gear is required, so it’s not very expensive,” says Kristina Zalewski, a dive instructor at Beach Cities Scuba Laguna Sea Sports. Less equipment also gives freedivers greater mobility and speed both in and out of the water. Another reason is environmental: Disturbances such as the sound of scuba regulators and columns of bubbles often startle fish away. Most freedivers are able to approach and interact with marine life far more intimately. “And people just naturally feel con-nected to the water,” Zalewski says.

That mental effect is another major draw—some find the experience meditative, even spiri-tual. Over time, freedivers learn to become very relaxed under the waves. With the proper mind-set and technique, they eventually become at one with the water. “Freediving really reduces anxiety and stressors,” says Zalewski, who freedives in her spare time. “Sometimes, when I’m doing it, I forget that I can’t breathe. I can be down 50 feet or so, and I have to remind myself that I’m not wearing a tank. It’s almost a form of meditation, kind of like sensory deprivation; everything else in your life is canceled out.”

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Freediving as a sport is relatively new,

but it’s catching on quickly.

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Mark Lozano, owner of Oceanside, Calif.-based Lozano’s Freediving Instruction and the first West Coast resident to offer accredited freediving courses, notes that the sensation comes with expe-rience. “If you freedive consistently, you learn to remain calm underwater,” says Lozano, who was trained by renowned freediver Martin Stepanek of Freediving Instructors International. “You become completely present and in your body. When that happens, freediving can become a way of life.” But this calming effect doesn’t change the fact that diving deep can be a major adrenaline rush, some-thing that is attracting a younger demographic to the sport. “Among freedivers, scuba diving has become sort of an old man’s sport,” Lozano says. “In fact, a lot of Gen-Xers and millennials have taken up the sport.”

JUMPING INIt doesn’t take much to get started: a mask, snor-kel, fins, wet suit and a weight belt (used as a counterweight to the wet suit’s buoyancy). But, like most sports, the experience changes drasti-cally as you ascend from novice to pro.

Zalewski quickly discovered that she was a natural freediver. “About a year after I learned to scuba dive, I was in the water off Key Largo, when someone dared me to freedive down to a ship-wreck below,” she recalls. “The shallowest part was at 70 feet. This was my first time trying to dive down, and I made it.”

Zalewski’s experience was unique, however. Because freediving can pose serious risks—espe-cially for beginners—it’s important to seek out professional training before attempting your first dive. Many are taught the basics in a pool before going near the ocean; but wherever you’re diving, never go alone.

With proper instruction, a newcomer can easily submerge for 60 seconds, long enough to make it down to at least 50 feet and back. Since much of the ocean’s color and animal life resides within about 30 feet, some believe that there’s really no reason to go deeper; when they get more experience, they simply stay down longer. Others, however, train for years in order to reach extremes. “I’ve [swam] down to 150 feet,” says Lozano, who can hold his breath for

six minutes. “And the guy who trained me once held the world record: 402 feet.”

PICK YOUR PARADISELaguna Beach offers numerous top-notch dive sites. Crescent Bay, a large cove with a sandy beach and shallow reefs, features rocky points to the north and south. Seal Rock, located off the point on the northwest side of the cove, provides an opportunity for local beach divers to view sea lions on a regular basis—but be sure to keep a safe distance. “To me, this is probably the best overall spot in Laguna Beach for freediving,” Zalewski says. “Not too long ago, one sea lion in particu-lar was really friendly and became kind of a local mascot—but he never approached scuba divers.”

A large underwater passage leads directly to Shaw’s Cove; another great spot for beginners. On the western side, a crevice located about 20 feet below the surface cuts deep into the reef. It’s home to a stunning variety of sea life: yellow sponges, moray eels, Garibaldi fish and octopuses, among other creatures. If you dive around the eastern side, you can exit at Fisherman’s Cove. The place

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Clockwise from left: an underwater passage; Some

freedivers find the sport meditative; Sea lions play in

the ocean; A diver interacts with marine life.

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GET THE GEARCheck out Laguna Beach’s colorful

underwater world with these products.

U.S. Diver’s adult ANACAPA DIVE MASK, $14.99, at Big 5 Sporting

Goods, Lake Forest (949-951-6311; big5sportinggoods.com)

Henderson’s AQUA LOCK WOMEN’S BACK ZIP FULL JUMPSUIT 800 SERIES,

from $504.99, at Beach Cities Scuba Laguna Sea Sports (949-494-6965;

beachcitiesscuba.com)

Cressi’s CLIO FINS, $29.99, at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Laguna Hills (949-472-

8180; dickssportinggoods.com)

to visit when freediving at Fisherman’s Cove is a fascinating hole and series of cracks in the nearby reef called Mermaid’s Grotto, home to small rock-fish, sea stars, gobies, urchins, nudibranchs and more. The crevices and mini caves offer protection from silt stirred up by the surge. Beginners who freedive the shallow water above the cove’s main reef will find many opaleye and zebra perch.

Intermediate and advanced freedivers who enter the water at Fisherman’s Cove can swim around the point and exit the beach at nearby Diver’s Cove. Both of these popular areas can be explored on the same dive. “Although Fisherman’s Cove and Diver’s Cove are considered to be sepa-rate spots, I like to think of them as the same dive site, since they’re so close,” Zalewski says. The lat-ter is a great beginner spot that offers some of the most approachable fish—they’ll mug for the camera. In addition to the ubiquitous Garibaldi, divers regularly spot blacksmith, calico bass, rock wrasse, senoritas and more.

For more of a challenge, experienced freediv-ers love Deadman’s Reef. “It’s not a beginner’s spot,” Lozano says. “Since it’s a quarter mile

offshore [getting there can be quite a workout], it’s more exposed to the currents.” Those who opt for the water workout say diving there is worth the effort: Its impressive reef structure starts in about 50 feet of water and rises to within 15 feet of the surface.

For a change of pace, check out the Cleo Street wreck, located about 200 yards offshore. It’s the skeleton of the Foss 125, a barge that sank during a storm in 1958. The wreck attracts a vast array of fish and other marine life: Lobsters inhabit its many nooks, and occasionally a giant sea bass can be seen gliding over the rusted hulk. Since locating the wreck can be difficult, new visitors should go with someone who has found it before.

These popular dive spots are just a few of the many can’t-miss locales in Laguna Beach; others include Picnic Beach, Cress Street, Wood’s Cove and Treasure Island. But wherever your oceanic journeys take you, the visuals are only a portion of the freedive experience. Umberto Pelizzari, a world-renowned competitive freediver, puts it best: “The scuba diver dives to look around, the freediver dives to look within.” LBM

Laguna Beach’s numerous dive spots attract watersport enthusiasts from near and far.

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