Freediver Course

• Duration: 2 days
• Min. age: 18 years (16 with parents consent)
• Max depth: 20m
• Certification: Apnea Total, AIDA or SSI

The freediver course is suitable for anyone interested in the ocean, novices to experienced snorkelers and even scuba divers who wish to reduce their air consumption rate. Wether you just want to become safer and more comfortable in the water or would like to go all the way to competition level like some of Koh Tao’s former record holding freedive instructors, this is your first step.

The freediver course consists of both theory and in-water training. First you will be given a quick orientation, told what the course schedule will be and fill out the relevant paperwork.  Courses usually begin with theory and alternate between in-water training and class room sessions. Theory will cover what equipment to use, how it works and how to clean and maintain it, the different disciplines of free diving such as static and dynamic.  Also covered will be techniques for streamlining, kicking and equalising correctly.   There is heavy emphasis on the correct breathing methods used when free diving along with relaxation techniques and how to maintain a healthy diet.

You will learn how to maintain an effective buddy system and handle emergencies like shallow water blackout and loss of motor control. How to safely combine freediving with scuba diving, and how to understand the effects of depth, pressure and other environmental factors when planning your dives.  Water sessions will put everything you have learned in theory in to practice. On the first session the maximum depth will be 12 meters, you will do both constant weight and free immersion dives and practice breathing, duck diving and diving with a line.

Static Apnea training will contain the proper breathing techniques pre-dive and after, how to train safely for static apnea in a pool, performing a static breath hold dive and demonstrating the appropriate rescue technique for a buddy experiencing a loss of motor control or blackout.  Dynamic Apnea training will include preparing and donning equipment for pool training, appropriate breathing procedures, developing an effective finning style and improving your body positioning and movement and again how to deal with emergencies such as a blackout or loss of motor control.

The second water session reaches a maximum depth of 20 meters. You will begin with some warm up dives focusing on buddy team-work then under the guidance of an instructor you will plan and perform dives remembering to include buddy procedures, pre dive relaxation techniques, equalisation, finning methods and streamlining.  You will learn how to preform effective duck dives, how to supervise a buddy from the surface, meet them on their ascent and how to start rescue procedures for a free diver who arrives at the surface showing signs of shallow water blackout or loss of motor skills.

Consists of:

• Theory and classroom sessions
• Breathing tecniques
• Confined water training
• Open water training

Requirements:

• Medically fit (click here for AIDA medical form)
• Be able to swim at least 100 - 200m nonstop without fins
• Ba able to swim at least 300m nonstop with mask, fins and snorkel

For more information on free diving click here

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