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Ryan Keene FII #178
Ryan Keene
FII Professional Status: Not Active

Level 1 Instructor

Junior Freediver Instructor

Assistant Instructor

Spear America
17801 Main St
92614, Irvine, CA

I have been diving for over 10 years off the coast of southern California. I first got interested in the sport after seeing some divers get out of the water, wearing camouflage wetsuits, no scuba tanks, and with a couple of fish around their belt. Up until this point of my life I had never heard of freediving or spearfishing but I knew it was a sport I had to try. The first time I went diving my fins started giving me blisters, my wetsuit kept flushing with water, and my mask would not stop flooding but I loved it and couldn?t wait to go back! From then on I spent as much time in the water as I possible could, spearfishing became my top priority and passions. The first 5 years that I dove I had no formal training, I was relying what I read off forums and from YouTube videos (not recommended), I was only diving to about 30ft with a breath hold of 45sec-1min. It wasn?t until I had an opportunity to take an FII level 1 course that my diving completely changed. With what I learned in this class (just 2 days) I was diving to 66ft and had a static breath hold of 3 min. Since then I progressed in the sport even more and currently dive to a depth of 150ft with a 5min static breath hold. I teach for FII because I truly believe in the system they have created. Only if you focus on the fundamentals will you be a successful freediver or spear fisherman. The Level 1 Freediver class that I teach in Orange County focuses on the fundamentals of freediving. The first day consist of a classroom and pool session. We cover everything you need to know about freedivng history, technique, safety, gear and your body?s physiology. In the pool we practice proper kicking, safety procedures, water entries, and static breath holds. The second day we go to Catalina Island and take everything we have learned in the classroom and pool and apply it to the open water. My goal for everyone that takes this course is to reach a 3min breath hold and dive to 66ft. If you do not pass the course the first time there is no additional fee to retake it, I will work with you until you pass. Once a student, always a student! If you are new to the sport or have been diving for a couple years I HIGHLY recommend taking a course, there is always something we can learn. If you have any questions about the class or freediving please feel free to call or email me!