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Three Knots Worth Knowing for Freediving

Tying a bottom weight, making a stopper, rigging a kettlebell — three knots cover it. What matters is knowing which one tightens under load and which one still comes undone, because getting that wrong leaves you fighting a knot at the surface.

Freediving does not call for knots very often, but every time it does you are at the surface, your hands are wet, and you are usually in a bit of a hurry. Three knots you know cold beat ten you half remember.

What separates these three is not difficulty. It is what happens once they are loaded.

The snare knot (獵戶結)

• Use it for: tying off a bottom weight
• Behaviour: the loop tightens the harder you pull, like a snare closing on prey
• In the video: tied to a kettlebell, and to a weight bag

The name says it. It is a noose. Hang a bottom weight on it and the weight closes the knot for you, which is exactly what you want there.

The flip side: it keeps tightening, so it is awkward to undo. If you reconfigure your setup often, this one will annoy you.

The figure-eight

• Use it for: bottom weights, stopper knots
• Behaviour: simple and quick
• In the video:

1. Combined with an octopus line-release as a stopper

2. Tied large enough to pass over a kettlebell

The figure-eight is the one with the least personality, which is why it gets used most. There is nothing to think about. Just tie it.

The bowline — the king of knots

• Use it for: tying off anything, recovery and hauling
• Behaviour: pull on it from three different directions and it only grips harder — yet it still unties quickly. The loop does not close down on itself the way the snare does
• In the video: tied around a post (works the same on a kettlebell handle), using the rabbit mnemonic

That combination is why it is called the king of knots.

Most knots make you choose: either it holds and you cannot undo it, or it undoes easily and it slips. The bowline refuses to choose. Under load the knot itself locks up, but the size of the loop stays put, so whatever you tied does not get strangled — and to release it you just push the knot slack and it opens.

Tie it with the rabbit story: the rabbit comes up out of the hole, around the tree, and back down the hole. That is worth more than it sounds when your hands are cold — you are not recalling steps, you are telling a story.

Choosing between them

Recap

• The difference between these three is not difficulty, it is what they do under load
• The snare knot only tightens — good for fixed, bad for frequent changes
• The figure-eight is quick and unfussy — the default stopper
• The bowline holds and still releases, which is why it is the king of knots; learn it with the rabbit story
• These get tied at the surface, wet-handed, slightly rushed. Practise them dry first.