Are you a freediver looking for the best place to spend your next training season ? Or a fresh freediving addict trying to keep in touch with the freediving community as you travel ? Your time can be better spent at sea than googling, so here is all the information you need traveling to these freediving towns – from water conditions, budget, daily needs, to freediving communities. Keep reading because a prepared freediver is a cool freediver!
Freedive in Amed, Bali, Indonesia
Indonesia has so much to offer underwater, a paradise freediving lifestyle would be basing yourself in small town of Amed with breath-taking view of Agung Volcano, soaking in the local spiritual culture, accompanied by a solid freediving community, training daily right off-shore with Apneista freediving, or 70m+ depth training with the famous Apnea Bali.
You can also tick off your bucket list and plan yourself a freediving liveaboard trip to Raja Ampat or Komodo islands – they can be easily reached by a short domestic fly away.
Freedive spots & Season in Amed :
When is the best time to freedive in Amed?
The water temperature is generally warm (26° to 31°C) all year round, wearing a simple 3mm suits would do at the coldest season (October-November), Water can be murky and infectious during the rainy season(December-April) which wouldn’t be the best time to dive.
Where are the freediving spots in Amed ?
Too many – Liberty shipwreck, Jemeluk bay, Pyramid, Lipah bay. Or just a short boat trip away to nearby island Nusa Penida to swim with Manta ray!
Budget:
Daily: A minimum of 20 USD can get you simple bungalows + yummy food at local warung.
Monthly: An average private bungalow with kitchen would be 200 usd/mo, plus scooter rental (60 usd/mo)and food expenses, A minimum of 600 USD /mo would make a budget but comfortable lifestyle
Tips for freediving in Amed, Bali:
Got questions ? Amed Bali Community Facebook group is very active and friendly, ask away!
Last minute gear purchase ? Bali Dive Shop in Sanur is the place to buy equipment in stock.
Freediving communities in Amed, Bali:
Apneista freediving school & cafe is where most of the freedivers hang out in town, or join Apnea Bali in Tulumban for its solid coaching and cool vibes!
Freedive in Panglao, The Philipines
Yes, another country in SouthEast Asia, Panglao, Philippines is also one of the major freedive hubs in the world loved by both competitive and recreational freedivers – for its vibrant reefs, perfect temperature all year around and unlimited depth easily accessible. Read on if you are considering Panglao to be your next freediving tropical getaway!
Freediive spots & Season in Panglao, The Philipines:
The water condition of Panglao sets at a friendly 29°C and clean visibility all year around, however the typhoon season from June to December marks the low season for its unpredictable weather conditions.
Situated at the famous coral triangle which contains 75% of the world coral species, The home reef of the small island Panglao itself will have you spoiled, along with cool artificial sites of sunken plane (20m), also the nearby island of Balicasag is popular among marine lovers for shark sightings!
Budget:
Island life is simple – Monthly studio apartments start from 200 USD, and a meal can range from 2 USD to 10 USD depending if you are having it at local food stands or restaurants.
Tips for freediving in Panglao:
You can find almost everything at Alona, the town center, but if you are looking for quiet beaches, hop on a rental scooter and explore, ask around for more secluded beaches than the bar-crowded Alona beach.
Freediving communities in Panglao:
Freedive Panglao is a freediving training hotspot for a lot of Korean, Taiwanese freedivers and it used to host a lot of world freediving competitions pre-pandemic time, and community life is taking off slowly on the island…
Freedive in Dahab, Egypt
Does this hat look familiar ? yeah that’s right, everyone has a freediving friend who has this hat, good job on Freedive Dahab with this very successful promotion! And yes – in the land of pyramids where the endless desert meets the hypnotizing blue hole in the sea, resides a big freediving community, along with yogi and digital nomad communities just so you won’t be bored!
Freedive spots & Season in Dahab, Egypt:
Enjoy your Freediving lifestyle in Dahab with 20m visibility & sunny weather all year around,
In summer (July/August) reaches a high of 29 °C, whereas in winter (January/February) it goes as low as 19 °C in the winter.
There are two places to line-dive in Dahab: Lighthouse Bay, and the Blue Hole.
Lighthouse Bay is the main area of Dahab where you can find restaurants, cafes, and dive schools. It is a great place to hang out on dive days and rest days.
For diving in Lighthouse Bay, you can just head out from one of the restaurants and find 50 m depth within a ten-minute swim out from the shore
If you have your own equipment, you can attach to the permanent public buoys of 40m, 30m, and 15m depth, all within just a few minutes of swim time from the shore.
Budget:
Monthly life in Dahab ranges from the budget conscious side of 800USD to relaxed living style of 1500 USD / month. Expat information is very resourced online.
Tips for freediving in Dahab, Egypt:
It is very easy to buy equipment there in town with a good price, there are a lot of retail shops, or some locals handmade all kinds of freediving buoys or even fins!
So if you are worrying about the logistics of traveling with your own equipment, shopping it here would be an option in Dahab.
Freediving communities in Dahab, Egypt:
There are at least 10 freedive school/training center in Dahab including the famous Freedive Dahab – it won’t be difficult to find your tribe here.
If you are too shy to grab the first person walking down the street with long fins to say hi, the online Facebook community is also very active and useful in Dahab, type in the keywords and search away!
Freedive in Tulum, Mexico
“You have to do the cenotes in tulum. there’s no escape if you wanna be a real freediver..” I am sure you’ve seen the famous photo of light penetrating the water cave, spot lighting the hovering freediver creating a magical atmosphere.
Tulum, Mexico not only attracts cave explorers. freedivers, it is also a hyped beach club holiday destination, and home to new age spiritual practitioners and crypto entrepreneurs.
Freedive in the cenotes of Tulum, Mexico along with other diverse experiences the communities can offer you!
Freedive spots & Season in Tulum, Mexico:
Freedive at the freshwater of cenotes in the jungles, you are free from the concern of current or visibility conditions, and even annoying sea creatures like those stinging jellyfishes!
Dive season in Tulum, Mexico is generally all year round, however the best diving conditions are during dry season – from November to May.
Do note that cenotes are privately owned for safety reasons, so please contact the local freedive shops to know the ropes and rules!
Budget:
With a wide variety of expats living in Tulum, Mexico, the cost of living can range widely from 1500 USD to 4000 USD depending on your lifestyle plan.
Tips for freediving in Tulum, Mexico:
You will probably figure this out yourself after a while, however, freediving in the cenote deep in the jungle means one became a mosquito warrior as well, organic mosquito repellent will be your new best friend, thank me later!
Got questions? Ask away at the expats in Tulum Facebook groups as they are quite active!
Freediving communitiesin Tulum, Mexico:
Make your acquaintances at the several dive centers in Tulum, and there are also a lot of friendly outdoor goers in town. It’s not difficult to find your tribe here in Tulum!
Freedive in Long Island, The Bahamas
Want to dive in the Caribbean water that sets many freediving world records? freedive at Deans Blue Hole – The world’s deepest blue hole that hosts Vertical Blue Freediving World Competition along with other incredible freedive sites. And if you are a freediving digital nomad, then most likely you can get a 12 months digital nomad visa! Who is ready for dive, work, beach and repeat ?
Freedive spots & Season:
Bahamas is a coral-based archipelago. Housing more than 750 Islands filled with vibrant shallow reefs, shark points, shipwrecks as well as the blue hole.
Dean’s blue hole is gifted with inviting freediving conditions – just a short swim away from the nearby beach, sheltered from the wind, waves, and open ocean, resulting in almost zero current all the time, which translates to calm water and excellent water clarity.
The Water temperature at Dean’s blue hole is around 31°C in the summer months from June to August, and 24°C from December to March.
Budget:
The monthly living expenses in Long Island, The Bahamas definitely sits on the higher end in this list- with monthly rent of 1000$ minimum, 20$ / basic meal at a restaurant, it definitely rounds up to at least 4000$ / month.
Tips for freediving in Long island, The Bahamas:
Long island is long, you will definitely need to rent a car to get around. Apart from freediving at the blue hole, also check out shark diving at Tiger beach, James Bond wreck at the nearby islands…
Freediving communities in The Bahamas:
Dean’s blue hole in the Bahamas is definitely an eventful location, or even say, Mecca for freedivers, it hosts the famous Vertical Blue freediving comp as well as Deep Week – check before you go, or just travel with your dive buddies and share a memorable freediving vacation!
I know, all these look so good and dreamy, and believe me, it took me a long time to pick only 5 out of many freediving destinations to write about.
You can draw these 5 freediving destinations on a cardboard wheel and give it a spin and dart, then make sure to check out freedivers, travel smart! to check off a few things that make your sea-gypsy life easier!
Are you looking to get into freediving? ‘Which freediving equipment should I get first?’ you may ask. This is the most complete essential freediving equipment guide for beginners. We rank the priority of the equipment as you advance into your freediving lifestyle, so you can make step by step investment according to your needs. Freediving
Are you a freediver looking for the best place to spend your next training season ? Or a fresh freediving addict trying to keep in touch with the freediving community as you travel ? Your time can be better spent at sea than googling, so here is all the information you need traveling to these
Are you planning your freediving trip to Nusa Penida ? Freediving in Nusa Penida has been our team’s favorite adventurous getaway from Bali, and we are giving you this Nusa Penida freediving guide from our discoveries over the years – from its Penida’s diverse freedive spots, secret gems on land, to all the how-to logistics
Are you looking for the best place to freedive in Bali? Then no doubt it’s Amed – a quaint little town tucked right behind the biggest volcano in Bali, it’s home to one of the most stunning underwater scenery, as well as freediving conditions for both curious baby freedivers and freediving addicts who train everyday.
