Freediving El Hierro an experience filled with joy and meditation
El Hierro Island is a Paradise for apnea lovers. A very special experience can be lived while practicing this sport, just a few meters from the shore with the Freediving El Hierro school.
In my trekking route with the “Festival Cuento Vivo” I met Karsten Mohr. A German with a passion for apnea whom is the owner of theFreediving El Hierro. school. I contacted him through www.freediving-el-hiero.com and he quickly answered in order to leave the next day and train at the “Roque de La Bonanza” spot.
Thanks to my knowledge as a PADI alumni with my dear instructor and friend Iru Balic;; I was able to train in Atlantic waters with Karsten –instructor for SSI and AIDA international- and also with Markus, better known as “Momo”, whom was executing a course to reach the AIDA three stars.
The Experience:
Roque de La Bonanza is a beautiful place that appears in many of the post cards sold at the island. I had taken notice of this huge rock and when I got to the beach I understood that this was the “Roque” and I was very happy because I was able to train in this movie-worthy scenery.
When we arrived Karsten gave me a precise and very nice introduction about his philosophy for apnea. It is oriented towards meditation and enjoyment. He also explained that for him the numeric results are only the effect of a correct technique but that does not mean that he is attached to them. It is even interesting the fact that in his practice, students are not allowed to check their watches underwater. His explanation is that for him, it is important that you feel your body and be aware of all the signals it sends. When we are only thinking about the minutes or the meters, sometimes, we want to ignore the signals our body sends and the line between overcoming records and an accident is very thin.
I like this way of looking at apnea because it is absolutely committed to enjoyment and meditation. Karsten, also commented that he feels a deep respect for his teachers, such as: Tommy Reiner (German champion until 2013 of immersion and constant weight), Miguel Lozano (number 2 in the world in free immersion with 122 meters), Santiago Jakas (3 times champion in Spain for static apnea) and Omar Mourad (trainer and coach of the team of Miguel and Santiago). All of them have participated in important world records and have been of great inspiration for Karsten.
After our pleasant talk we walked a few meters to the shore in order to set the instruments, stretch, get dressed and take our buoy to the sea.
It was majestic swimming and seeing the “Roque” nearer by the second, knowing that I would train under this beautiful natural wonder. Here, the depth was about 45 meters and the visibility from the buoy, at the surface, was 30 meters. The blue was beautiful and crystalline, the water was “fresh” as they say here but for me –a Caribbean to the heart- it was cold: 24 degrees.
We started with free warm-up immersions and then a bit deeper. What I liked the most is that since Karsten has studied and he actually teaches meditation, he gave me a lot of tips to relax and also did a couple of guided meditations, before going under, which I liked a lot.
Once we finished our training “Momo” Karsten and I did snorkel around the Roque. I saw a lot of mackerel, thorny monkfish and abade. We also saw shoals of bream, sardines and fula fish. This is a very beautiful spot for apnea indeed, from all perspectives.
With all of this in mind it makes a lot of sense that their slogan is “Free Freediving”.
El Hierro is a paradise for apnea lovers:
- For those looking for incredible depths, a diverse flora and fauna with different species.
- Apnea practitioners that want to go under up to 40 meters.
- Athletes that want to learn apnea up to level 3 and son to level 4 with Freediving El Hierro.
- Those that want to learn more about the meditative type of apnea.
- Underwater photography fans. There is an annual course of this called “Open Fotosub”.
- Quienes quieren aprender más de la forma meditativa de la apnea.
- Para los fanáticos de la fotografía submarina. Hay un concurso anual de ésta que se llama “Open Fotosub”.
Important Information:
At the Marine Reserve at the “Mar de las Calmas”, south of the island, apnea is forbidden. Officially, the only legal way to enjoy the depths in “Tacorón”, at free lung, is with Karsten. Almost all diving operators are in the south, at La Restinga, but for apnea, you can only do it with Freediving El Hierro, and they talk with the watchers so that everything is done legally.
The topic of waves, overflow and currents is a serious matter. Karsten said “I don’t recommend getting into a place without knowing parameters and conditions, in order to know how to get into the water and, more importantly, how to get out”. It is very important to take this into consideration because this island is in the middle of the sea and you have to be very careful when practicing any sport in this ocean.
Our day ended eating fruits and seeds at a nearby shadow. Remembering the experience and watching the videos we recorded to have the memories of this day that will always be on my mind.
Thanks a lot for your support Karsten! I hope the good vibes keep flowing towards you and your beautiful wife Christina.
See you in the water!
