Learn to Freedive at Saltfree
Our AIDA 2 Star Freediver Course takes place over a weekend based at the NDAC in Chepstow, near Bristol and is suitable for complete beginners as well as intermediate freedivers who have never had formal training.
For the course, you will need to do about 3 hours home study to prepare. Then during the weekend you'll have a quick review of the classroom stuff, 3 open water dives in the lake and a pool session. You have the chance to learn about and develop skills in a range of freediving disciplines.
In the home study and theory review, you'll learn about all the different types of freediving, how to hold your breath longer, what happens to your body as you freedive and why, how to choose and use freedive equipment and lots of stuff about how to train safely with a buddy.
"I had an absolutely amazing weekend learning the beginnings of freediving. I thoroughly enjoyed everything that we covered and was very happy that I managed the static and dynamic requirements first time! Key to my enjoyment of the course was definitely Hannah's teaching, she managed to make what could be a very daunting weekend very enjoyable whilst still keeping focus on the targets we needed to reach and the obvious safety aspects of the course." - Chris, AIDA 2 Star, September 2011
In the pool, you'll have a go at Static Apnea and find out just how long you can hold your breath, after learning a few breathing and relaxation techniques to help you along. We'll also cover Dynamic Apnea, how far you can swim in the pool in a single breath - and of course, in both these categories, you will also learn safety techniques and how to be a good buddy to someone else.
In the lake we'll be working from the fantastic set up on the SaltFree pontoon. Training alongside experienced freedivers and UK team members, we'll have our own line set up at the right depths for you to try your hand at Free Immersion (pulling yourself down a rope) and Constant Weight (finning down and back up). We'll make sure you can equalise your ears comfortably, start working on your diving technique and make sure you know how to breathe before, and after your dive. We'll also do lots of safety and rescue practice.
After this course, you should have enough knowledge and experience to train in similar conditions to around 20m with a qualified buddy. Of course, you'll also be welcome at any SaltFree meet, with the opportunity to train a lot deeper as your experience grows.
If you meet all the performance requirements, you can finish this course as a certified AIDA 2 Star Freediver. If not, you can either be certified as an AIDA 1 Star Freediver, or come back and train with us at our normal training sessions until you reach your 2 Star level. Certification is dependent on reaching the target performances required.
To enrol in the course you need to be at least 16 years old and able to swim at least 200m without stopping. You will also need to complete a Medical Statement which requires a doctor's signature to say you are fit to freedive if you have any pertinent medical history. This is not normally a problem and you certainly do not have to be super fit.
The price of the AIDA 2 Star Course is £275. A deposit of £75 will secure your place with the balance due one month before the course starts. This includes hire of all your equipment except a wetsuit (We can help you find somewhere to hire one and it usually costs about £40 for the weekend. The suit needs to be at least 5ml). It also includes a set of course notes to keep, certification fees, all the training materials, entry to the facilities we use and quite often a generous helping of cookies and hot ribena!
The full AIDA 2 Star Freediver Course (two days, £275) runs at NDAC, Chepstow on - 23/24 June, 7/8 July, 4/5 August, 13/14 October 2012
AIDA 2 Star Pool Freediver runs at NDAC (one day - £150), Chepstow on 3 March 2012 and in Falmouth, Cornwall on 14 April 2012.
We also teach the AIDA 1* Intro to Freediving and other courses in Falmouth, Cornwall occasionally. Email for more info.
Book now using the links top right....
We've taught this course to swimmers, snorkellers, surfers, spearfishers and even an escape artist. Whatever your individual aim for taking the course, we'll do all we can to help you get there. Just about everyone who takes the course surprises themselves with what they achieve. You will be amazed just how much a small amount of training can make to your breath-hold time and dive depth!
