How to Learn Freediving

How to Learn Freediving

If you are reading this article now, then you are probably interested in learning how to do freediving.

Your Freediving Adventure Starts Now!

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How to Begin with Freediving?

Everyone approaches freediving in different ways. You have probably already tried scuba diving. You may even be an experienced scuba diver, but you always wanted to dive without equipment to feel more freedom. Or you saw freedivers at the same depth and wanted to test yourself to see if you could do the same or better. Some people like snorkeling. Maybe you are one of them and can dive down to a few meters, but I liked the idea of improving your diving skills, going deeper, and staying longer under the water. Many of us saw freediving videos on YouTube with amazing athletes doing incredible things – swimming under the ice, into the deep caves, walking on the sea bottom, and only on one breath. Maybe you are inspired by them. Or you’ve watched one of the films about freediving and famous champions dedicated to it. You want to try it, get closer, and understand what they are feeling. Perhaps the depth of the underwater world enchants you. Or maybe water scares you, and you want to overcome this fear like it was with the heroine of the freediving movie “One Breath” based on the biography of the famous Natalia Molchanova.

No matter how people learn about freediving, everyone can master it. Of course, like in every sport, your initial physical condition and abilities affect your time and efforts to reach a particular level. But it takes only a few days to take the first steps and learn the basics. Of course, if you want to set new world records, it will surely take longer. For instance, it took Sara Campbell about four years of hard training, dedication, and commitment to set the new women’s freediving world record by diving to 96 m in constant weight in 2009. It all depends on your desires, goals, interests, and possibilities to study and train. But in general, learning and practicing freediving helps to improve health and well-being. Doing physical training, spending time outdoors, swimming, and being emotionally involved positively impact your body and mind. If you practice yoga, freediving can enrich your experience because it’s closely connected with pranayama and Yoga-Nidra practices. Freediving develops a fuller sense of a person’s body and helps to achieve harmony with oneself. It also creates a special healthy lifestyle and connects you with like-minded, purposeful people. And freediving can open the underwater world to you in all its beauty.

So, how can You Start with Freediving?

First of all, decide where exactly you want to start your training. Nowadays, learning freediving online through theory courses that give access to free dry training programs is even possible. Although we teach theory courses regularly, you learn freediving in the pool or ocean. In any big city, you can most likely find an instructor and courses held in the pool. The beginner freediving course will give you the basics and is a great start. The course can also be conducted in the pool and in the open water of the real sea, where you don’t have the depth limits of confined water. The best place to take an open water course is somewhere in a tropical country with warm sea waters. So, if you have the opportunity to start your learning in such a place, go for it. If you are hesitant about which place to go and need advice, we are happy to invite you to one of the best places for freediving in the world – Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines. This is where we, with our Freediving Academy, are located.

Introductory training at clubs, schools, and freediving centers is called the “Basic Freediving Course.” This is usually the SSI Basic Course or the AIDA 1* and only takes one day. You will learn the basics of freediving and discover your natural freediving ability. You will also train in the techniques that will allow you to hold your breath for more than a minute and a half and to do breath-hold dives with and especially long freediving fins. The course also includes the theory about freediving’s physics and physiology, an introduction to freediving equalization, relaxation and breathing techniques, and rescue and safety procedures. This course will be a great introduction to freediving and opens you up to a great world of possibilities.

If you are confident about your skills and like challenges, you might want to skip the Basic course and immediately start with an SSI Level 1, Molchanovs Wave 1 or AIDA 2* freediving course. This level 1 course is not limited to -5 meters in the ocean, but it’s the first real freediving course. With the level 1 course with most agencies, you will learn how to dive to depths up to about -20 meters safely. And unlike the Basic course, with this level 1 course, you can continue your practical training, improve your results, or follow with the next courses for intermediate and advanced levels, up to the level of a freediving instructor and a competitive athlete.

What about the Gear you need to Start Freediving?

Unlike scuba diving, freediving does not require many things to have. The lack of gear is always an advantage when deciding to travel and freedive in different places worldwide. In fact, the equipment freedivers use is, at the elementary level, you need just a freediving mask. Still, there are a lot of additional things that will make your experience much more comfortable. For initial pool or open water activities, you’d better have a mask, a pair of long freediving fins, and a freediving wetsuit that will protect your skin from the elements. Of course, those who have been freediving for some time prefer to have their own gear. The right gear can help a freediver to go deeper, be more efficient, and feel more comfortable during freediving sessions. A special freediving mask with a low profile, soft silicone skirt, and clear lenses will protect your eyes and help you to save the air for equalizing. Many kinds of fins meet individual needs and purposes so that each freediver can choose the best. But you do not have to buy all these in advance to start learning. Each freediving center allows you to rent everything you need. The cost of renting equipment can be either included in the course or charged separately.

The Freediving Agencies take care of the Study Materials and Student Certification.

Freediving courses are being certified by different freediving agencies. Some of them are SSI, Molchanovs, AIDA, PADI, Apnea Academy, etc. In essence, it doesn’t really matter which agency you start with; all the agencies are pretty similar in their basics – there are big differences in master and instructor levels. All the mentioned agencies teach freediving in a progressive, safe, and efficient manner. Besides the differences in the higher levels, there are also differences in their history and ideology. AIDA (International Association for the Development of Apnea) was founded in 1992 to keep international records after the CMAS (English name: World Underwater Federation), which was doing this in the 1960s, stopped judging further freediving competitions in 1970 and refused to consider freediving as a sport and supervise it, explaining it with prohibitions of doctors and violation of safety rules. Until now, most of the records have been fixed and recognized according to the AIDA grading system. PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and SSI (Scuba Schools International) both offer freediving courses in addition to their main scuba diving courses. Molchanovs Movement is a global community of passionate, active freedivers with access to the latest freediving education and freediving training. Molchanovs community and educational system are founded on the philosophy, strategies, and approaches of the legendary Natalia Molchanova, one of the greatest and most decorated freedivers in freediving history. But any system you choose can help you to learn freediving. You can read the description of different agencies in more detail and compare the levels of compliance with our freediving agency comparison chart.

At our dive center in Panglao, we chose to teach SSI, AIDA, and Molchanovs freediving courses since we sincerely believe these three agencies offer the most possibilities to our freedivers. Now, we proudly offer these agencies programs to go from beginner to freediving instructor—often, this usually takes 3 to 6 months. We even offer freediving internships that are very popular, too.

In conclusion, it is time to take the first step. Open a browser and google freediving clubs near you. Or contact us, and we will answer any of your questions and give you all the details you are interested in. We can help you to make a plan for your vacation – come freediving in the Philippines! Take your first freediving course in warm tropical waters, and live an unforgettable experience on the beautiful tropical island of Panglao in the Philippines. We hope to see you in Panglao soon!

If you want to learn freedive or have questions, please contact us anytime. Also, do contact us if you want to take any of our courses. We teach freediving courses in the Philippines, but we also teach freediving online via nice and entertaining Zoom classes almost every week. The same goes for our freedive instructor courses that we teach every few weeks online – we offer different options, but they are fun and entertaining.

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