going on a vacation soon

hi guys! im going on a vacation to cuba soon (and yes, i know about the american thing) and i wanted to try free diving. You all have no idea how confused i am. I was reading thorugh some topics in here which got me more confused. if you have any reccomendations for which i should use open hell/closed and which companies? I was looking up the "cressi" company and i liked it, and then i read here thats it "cracks"?
and also do i have to go free diving in a special suit? can i just put on my swim suit, fins, mask and go diving? also i was sondering, a point of intrest, how do you "equilize" the preassure in a mask?

Thanks, any comments are appreciated
Alissa

EDIT
also, for the fins there are going to be reefs, and i think its called beach diving? so any reccomnedations for reef diving are good

Welcome to the board. Lots of freedivers here, someone will chime in soon.

thank you for the welcome, and hopefully

hello alissa, welcome to the board. can I ask how you found this place to ask snorkeling/freediving questions?
All you need for freediving is mask, fins, and snorkel. cressi fins are tough as nails.. if you're looking at getting a good pair of freediving fins they are tough to beat... look at closed heel fins.. the long freediving fins (like the cressi gara's) are tough to travel with sometimes as they are about 1 meter long.
You equalize the mask by exhaling through your nose.. a snorkeling/diving mask will house your nose and your eyes.. not like swim goggles that only house your eyes. you have got to be able to equalize your mask if you are going beyond a depth of say 6 meters or so (depends on the mask.. some mask require much less equalization then others).
You don't need a special suit.. and if this is a one time trip and one time freediving excursion you really don't need any of the pro type fins, masks, suits, weights and belts, depth gauge/computer.. all the gear that we just love to spend our money on.. my daughters do real well with an el cheapo wetsuit, good fitting masks, and they prefer the smaller fins too.. they are comfortable getting to 10 meters or so and do not really freedive very often. A wetsuit is nice as it allows you to stay in the water nearly forever, but depending on body type (fat, muscular, toned, soft) a wetsuit may or may not be necessary.. more fat equals more retained heat and less need for wetsuit. Another option that my wife likes for the warmer climates is a dive skin which is just a lycra type jump suit, but keeps the jellies or other little stingys and the sun from bothering her.
You don't say where you are from in canada.. but there are some very active freediving clubs up there that I'm aware of that I'm sure would love to give you good direction if you are near them..
Fred

thanks for the very thorough answer. I found this board by searching up difference between fins.
so the gara fin is a good fin or a bad fin? 1 meter fin sounds pretty cool to me....
more on the subject, is the longer or the shorter fin better for freediving? and what is the technical difference betweeb scuba diving and freediving fins? is the texture?

I would love to do freediving as a hobby, im just not sure if me and my parents can afford for me to go dive in a pool somewhere...
Im located in Richmond Hill, Canada. I have found a couple of clubs that offer scuba diving lessons, im not too sure about freediving. and some good directions to maybe clubs or stores would be lovely.
Im looking into the dive skin option.

Alissa

Richmond Hill, Canada....a Provence would help too...a anyway. the gara fin is good fin, but stiff. A longer fin with closed heel is better for freediving.. a scuba fin is generally a short fin, open heel (straps), may be split down the middle, and usually doesn't compare in efficiency to a freediving fin.. the composites that they are made of can be the same or similar. Lots of freediving fins to chose from that's for sure... Mares, Esclapez, OMER, Sporasub, Cressi, Picasso, just to name a few.

Hi Alissa...

Personal recommendations on Gear:

Cressi Minima Mask
Simple snorkel - no purge valves (I use a Picasso snorkel)
Fins - full foot pocket long blades - since you are new to this, get soft blades - I would recommend the Cressi 3000LD's - they seem to be resonably priced. Make sure you get the correct size and if needed, get a pair of 5mm neoprene socks if they are too big.

Wetsuit is only for extended periods in the water. Living in Canada, you will probably want a 7mm freedive suit - again, they can be had for a reasonable price. Take a look at Leisure Pro or diveINN as a source - the vast majority of LDS have no clue when it comes to freedive equipment.

Where is Richmond Hill??? If you're in BC, you have alot of resources available.

Thanks 5ata for the great reccomendations! I live in Ontario, Richmond Hill. Each time Im not being specific enough...
Thanks holdingmybreath for the explanation, I've been wondering about that a lot and they dont have a good explantion online

Now, im going shopping

Alissa, contact Performance freediving - they can probably put you in touch with local freedivers in Ontario. http://performancefreediving.com

5ata:

Alissa, contact Performance freediving - they can probably put you in touch with local freedivers in Ontario. http://performancefreediving.com

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thanks