Freediving

What is Freediving? Diving without an aqualung is often referred to as ‘skin diving’ or ‘snorkeling’. Both can use a mask, snorkel, and fins, but freediving will always involve a breath-hold, no matter how deep you go. Humans first started freediving through necessity, for food, trade-able items or items lost overboard, however in more recent times, freediving has evolved into a recreational pastime, a way to take photos, catch food, and as a sport. Competitive freediving has different disciplines to reflect the various ways that you can be in the water and hold your breath.

AIDA courses

AIDA1 INTRODUCTION TO FREEDIVING
Prerequisites:
· Be 18 years of age or older (16 or 17 years old with parent or guardian consent)
· Be able to swim at least 100m non-stop
Requirements: none
Minimum water sessions: 1
This course offers a basic knowledge of freediving and introductory skills such as relaxation of body
and mind, finning techniques, duck dives and equalisation.
The cost: 130 euros + 20 euros (AIDA fees) including equipment rental

AIDA2 FREEDIVER
Prerequisites:
· Be 18 years of age or older (16 or 17 years old with parent or guardian consent)
· Can swim at least 200m non-stop without fins or at least 300m non-stop with mask, fins and snorkel
Requirements: 2 minutes STA; 40 meters DYN, 16 meters CWT, theoretical exam
Minimum water sessions: 5
The static and dynamic sessions in confined water are used to teach relaxation, breathing, finning and
safety techniques. In the open water sessions students will apply the skills they have learned in the
pool / confined water sessions and combine them with the basic skills of open water freediving such
as equalizing, duck diving, vertical swimming, body positioning, turns and use of buoyancy.
The freediving theory will include: Introduction to Freediving, Freediving Breathing Cycle, Basic
Physiology of Freediving, Equalization, Freediving Techniques, Safety in Freediving, Equipment in
Freediving, Freediving Disciplines.
The cost: 280 euros + 20 euros (AIDA fees) including equipment rental

AIDA3 ADVANCED FREEDIVER
Prerequisites:
· Be 18 years of age or older (16 or 17 years old with parent or guardian consent)
· Can swim at least 200m non-stop without fins or at least 300m non-stop with mask, fins and snorkel
· Have completed the AIDA2 course or have completed the AIDA2 Crossover Evaluation if crossing
over from another freediving agency
Requirements: 2:45 minutes STA; 55 meters DYN, 24 meters CWT, theoretical exam
Minimum water sessions: 6
The course is designed to further develop skills from previous levels, to acquire new skills and gain a
higher knowledge of safety procedures and techniques. The new techniques that are introduced are
free-fall, Frenzel Equalizing, the use of training tables, the risks of increasing and decreasing pressure
and also how to minimize these risks. Students will train these skills in the most common disciplines of
freediving: Static Apnoea, Dynamic Apnoea, Free Immersion and Constant Weight.
The theory will include: Physiology, Equalization, Barotrauma, Lungs at Depth, Buoyancy, Shallow
Water Blackout, Training Concepts, The Mammalian Dive Response, Decompression Sickness , Surface
Intervals and the Freediver's Code of Conduct.
The cost: 330 euros + 20 euros (AIDA fees) including equipment rental

AIDA4 MASTER FREEDIVER
Prerequisites:
· Be 18 years of age or older
· Have completed the AIDA 3 course or have completed the AIDA 3 Crossover Evaluation if crossing
over from another freediving agency
· Have completed a course in First Aid with CPR within the last two years
Requirements: 3:30 minutes STA; 70 meters DYN, 32 meters CWT, theoretical exam
Minimum water sessions: 6
This course familiarises students with techniques, knowledge and safety procedures for deep
freediving that go beyond recreational freediving. The new techniques will include FRC diving, mouth-
fill equalization and packing. The skills are developed within these categories of freediving: Static
Apnea, Dynamic Apnea, Constant Weight, Free Immersion and Variable Weight. In addition to the in-
water skills this course introduces full body warm-ups and stretching, specific stretching of breathing
muscles, training concepts and diet that benefits the freediver and help shape their development as a
diver. You will also be, acquainted with packing and reverse packing, mainly within vital capacity as a
part of the dry lessons.
An important set of skills concerns managing open water equipment. The use of appropriate knots
and braiding techniques, setting the depth on the dive line, constructing a safe bottom weight from a
weight belt and diving leads, safe handling of other additional equipment (bottom plate, torches,
lanyards, etc.).
One of the purposes of this course is to prepare successful candidates for the role of "Assistant
Instructor". This new role will include leading an appropriate warm-up session for confined and open
water freediving and supervising students of all course levels during their confined or open water
sessions.
The theory sessions will include: Physics - Dalton's Law, Boyle's Law, Henry's law, Decompression
Sickness, Nitrogen Narcosis, Failure Depth and how to increase VC and decrease RV, FRC Diving,
Mouth-Fill, Packing, Fitness and Training, Nutrition and Diet for Freedivers.
The cost: 360 euros + 20 euros (AIDA fees) including equipment rental