Zendog Divers is an informal dive club for like-minded people. Our mission is focused on local Florida diving including: safety, marine conservation and continuing dive education.

In the past 5 years, the sport of freediving has become more and more popular. As humans born immersed in water, we have an instant connection with the water.

Tuesday, Jan. 24, owner and educator of Abyss Freediving, Bill Van Deman will discuss the sport of freediving. You will learn:

• Safe practices of freediving
• Breath-hold spearfishing
• Equipment
• Breath-holding techniques and tactics

We will even end the meeting with some static breath holds to measure your body’s ability to hold your breath and techniques to increase your time.

About Bill Van Deman

Bill Van Deman operates Abyss Freediving, LLC, in Apollo Beach, FL, with classes throughout the greater Tampa-St Petersburg metropolitan area. Course locations include: Brandon, South Tampa, St Petersburg, Bradenton and Hudson, FL. Bill was certified as a PFI Professional in May 2012 and as a PFI Freediver Instructor in February 2013. Bill has also been a top competitor in state and national breath-hold spearfishing competitions.

Bill’s perspective as an experienced breath-hold spearfisherman, with over a decade of freediving experience in Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay waters, offers practical insight to freedivers and spearos taking PFI courses on Florida’s West Coast. Bill has represented Tampa Bay Spearfishing Club (TBSC) and Florida Skin Divers Association (FSDA) in several state and national breath-hold spearfishing competitions. Bill’s “TBSC Apollo Beach” team finished as the Florida state runner up at the 2012 and 2013 State Freedive Spearfishing Championships, and third place team in 2010 and 2014. Bill’s team has represented FSDA at US Skin-diving Nationals three times- at Greer’s Ferry, AR in 2010, at Tavernier, FL in 2011 and at Albion, CA in 2012. In 2012, Bill finished a personal best 11th overall at US Nationals and led the FSDA team to a 7th place national finish.

Bill is active in the local dive community and promoting freediving safety. In 2014, Bill began his second term as president of the Florida Skin Divers Association (FSDA). Bill was event chairman for the 50th and 51st “Southern Open” FL State Underwater Photo and Spearfishing Championships. Bill was also a past president of the Tampa Bay Spearfishing Club (TBSC) and chairman of the 2011 Tampa Bay Spearfishing Challenge.

Bill enjoys the role of both teacher and coach that freediving instruction entails. As a father, Bill feels the emphasis of any dive should be the safe and controlled return to the surface- a good dive only counts when we return home safe to share with loved ones and family members these amazing experiences underwater. Bill looks forward to bringing you closer to your freediving goals and helping you and your family learn in a safe and responsible manner.

“Seeing the surprise and exhilaration in a diver realizing they can achieve the impossible is an amazing high. Knowing fathers, mothers, sons and daughters will leave grasping safe and responsible diving is the most rewarding part of my job”.