Freediving Buoy and Lines: Choosing The Right One Is Critical

Using a freediving buoy and line is absolutely essential if you want to freedive safely.

Without these two pieces of equipment, you’re not only stunting your growth as a freediver…

But you’re also putting your life and the lives of your fellow freedivers at risk.

Having a high-quality freediving buoy and line makes the entire sport much more safe.

Why do you need a freediving buoy & line?

A freediving buoy has 4 main benefits:

1) Freediving buoys act as a place to rest between dives.

If you don’t have a freediving buoy to rest on between dives; you’re wasting valuable energy.

Freediving without a buoy means you have to literally tread water the entire time during your surface interval.

This burns valuable energy and can also lead to severe muscle fatigue which drastically lowers your ability to fin fast (and dive deeply!).

However, the worst thing about treading water between your freedives, is that it can lead to exhaustion which may result in drowning.

Additionally, by not giving your body enough rest between dives, your O2 levels may not replenish, leading to shallow water blackouts.

For these reasons, having a freediving buoy and line is crucial to your safety & performance as a freediver.

2) The color and shape of a freediving buoy are instantly recognized by boats on the water.

Over recent years it seems there has been an increase in the amount of divers getting injured or killed by boats on the surface.

With this alarming statistic in mind, it’s very important to always mark the spot you’re freediving with using a freediving buoy & flag.

The bright fluorescent yellow, orange and/or red colors of a freediving buoy catches the eyes of any boat operator, letting them know to steer clear of your dive site.

If you freedive without marking your spot in open waters; you’re basically rolling the dice hoping some boat won’t smash into you when you resurface.

3) Freediving buoys act as a weight to feed your freediving line through.

During your freedive, you need to be attached to a freediving line or at least follow one down to the surface.

Not only does a freediving line assist with knowing your rough diving depth…

But it also provides a sense of direction when you’re underwater.

Without a freediving line, you risk getting lost or swept away by the current, never to resurface again. You’d think this is impossible, but it’s actually resulted in fatalities among some of the best freedivers in the world.

A fluorescent-colored freediving line will guide you through tough-to-navigate waters like a bright torch.

Freediving can be a risky, dangerous sport. Freediving buoys and lines make it much, much safer.

4) Buoys help store small accessories for instant access on the water.

Most high-quality buoys have enough room in them to safely store a small first aid kit, a torch or even your phone (with a water proof casing of course! – I recommend this trusty water proof case here).

Not only is this super convenient, but it also helps in emergency situations.

Having a floating object to store your valuables right near you when you freedive (or to tie your booties to before you get into your fins) can be a massive time saver.

The above 4 reasons should make it clear that freediving without a buoy and line is a huge gamble on a sport that already carries massive risk.

A freediving buoy should be big enough to carry your weight in the water, yet small enough to easily fit on your boat.

For this reason, I think it’s worth investing in a high-quality freediving buoy, as your safety is on the line (no pun intended! 😉 ).

But what freediving buoy and line should you choose?

Best freediving buoy & line: Cressi Freediving Training Buoy

The Cressi Freediving Training Buoy is widely seen as one of the best freediving buoys on the market. It really does ‘tick all the boxes’ of a safe, useful freediving buoy.

Here’s why it’s the best choice:

• Sturdy & Stable: Unlike cheaper, lower-quality buoys that simply float weightlessly on top of the water, ready to be knocked over by the gentlest wave or gust of wind…the Cressi Buoy actually sinks slightly into the water, so a very small portion of it is submerged. This lowers its center of gravity to help the buoy stabilize in the water like a sturdy oak tree that’s rooted firmly into the ground.

• Large Surface Area: The Cressi Buoy has rough dimensions 26 inches from side-to-side, so more than just one freediver can rest on it between dives.

• Ample Gripping Area: The buoy comes with 4 useful straps on each side that you can use to hoist yourself on to the buoy and rest when needed. The straps also make it a breeze to drag the buoy onto your boat.

• Easily Spotted By Other Boats & Divers: The included dive flag and bright red color against the blue color of the ocean sticks out like a sore thumb. Boat persons will know to slow down and steer clear of your diving party, so you don’t risk getting bludgeoned by a boat.

• Easy-To-Access Pockets: Can hold many things from whistles, small first aid kits, sunglasses etc.

• Oral Inflation: Unlike most diving buoys, the Cressi Freediving Buoy can be inflated without the use of a scuba hose, making it perfect for freedivers.

This freediving buoy requires a higher investment than those of the competitors but you can rest assured that you are getting quality. Click here to check the current price on Amazon.

If you think about it, this is a small price to pay considering you’re investing in your safety as a freediver.

However, there are cheaper freediving buoys on the market. But, don’t forget – they’re cheap for a reason.

More often than not, cheaper freediving buoys are made of weak, ultra-thin plastic.

I don’t know about you, but when I invest in a freediving buoy, I want it to last my entire freediving career (and not break down after 5 months of wear & tear).

That’s why I love the Cressi Buoy – it’s made of high-quality 200D nylon material – which is tough, yet lightweight. You won’t have to worry about wasting money on a flimsy buoy; this one is the real deal.

Click here to check the price of the Cressi Buoy on Amazon.

As for a freediving line, I recommend getting the Omer Orange Float Line. It is thick & incredibly durable to survive any tugging, pulling and travelling you may do with it. Its bright orange flurescent color will guide you through even the darkest, murkiest waters.

Lastly, the Riffe float line comes with a removable Tuna Clip that fastens tightly onto any object (so you won’t lose it!). Click here to view the Riffe Orange Float Line. I also recommend using a freediving lanyard like this one here.

Other freediving buoys worth getting

If you’re on more of a budget, but still want high-quality floats, I recommend the Double Bladder Spearfishing Floats. They are made of tough 210d Urethane Nylon and are also orally inflated which makes your life so much easier as a freediver. Click here to check the price of the Double Bladder Spearfishing Floats.

These are perfect for those readers who are very into freediving while travelling, I recommend getting something like the Torpedo Buoy.

Not only does it come with a line attached…

It’s also very easy to deflate and fold up making it perfect for when you’re constantly on the move.

When you want to use the Torpedo Buoy, simply whip it out and inflate it orally. Click here to view the Torpedo Buoy on Amazon.

On a final note – for you freedivers who do travel a lot – recommend investing in a freediving fins bag like this one here. It’s actually long enough to hold almost any long freediving fin, and can save you ALOT of money by stopping your fins getting damaged on the exterior or mishandled by airport staff.

What weight to use at the bottom of your freediving line?

Funnily enough, I’ve actually heard of freedivers successfully using weightlifting plates at the bottom of their freediving lines.

Simply tie it onto the bottom of the line and store it in your buoy. Then, when you’re getting ready for your freedive, open your buoy and gently feed the rope down to drop the weight to the bottom.

If you are going to use a weightlifting plate, make sure you tie the line firmly with a good double knot!

For those of you not keen on the idea of using a weightlifting plate – many freedivers like to use this plate here.