Learn to Freedive - or get better!
Fancy yourself as the next Will Trubridge, Herbert Nitsch or Tanya Streeter? Whether you are totally new to freediving, have been playing around with apnea for a while and would like more of a formal introduction or are already good and would like to get better, we have a freediving course to suit you.
All our instructors are fully qualified (with AIDA and/or PADI) and insured. They have loads of experience or working with beginners, improvers and coaching at a higher level. Chief instructor, Sam Kirby, wrote many of the courses now used worldwide and holds the highest level of instructor status with both AIDA (Instructor Trainer) and PADI (Course Director).
Your course is taught to an internationally recognised standard and you'll get a card to prove you have completed it. The beginner course is the AIDA 2 Star Freediver - which takes about 3 hours of home study and a weekend in the pool and lake. Details are on the this page.
"
Just a quick line to thank for a fantastic weekend. It was a great course and I gained a huge amount from. I felt that I was in good hands and was safe to dive deeper than I would otherwise have done.
I am looking forward to practicing and extending my snorkelling." - James, AIDA 2 Star, September 2011
Open water freedive courses run from April - October. Classroom and pool courses take place all year round. As appropriate, the courses cover Static Apnea, Dynamic Apnea, Constant Weight and Free Immersion techniques. This year we are also running a full AIDA Instructor course at Chepstow.
From time to time, we also run workshops for more experienced freedivers. Whilst these do not result in a certification, they are an opportunity to focus on a particular area of freediving and develop your skills in that area. Workshops include a session with Sam Kirby looking into the mindgame of the sport through NLP and another aiming at developing Static Apnea performance, with UK Record Holders Liv Philip and George Miller.
As well as freediving courses, we also offer training in First Aid and CPR (EFR), Oxygen Administration (PADI) and scuba diving (PADI) programmes. Our sister company, Freedive Cornwall, offers courses around the Cornish coast, aimed specifically at helping you better explore the underwater environment - for spearfishing, photography or just general snorkelling. Freedive Cornwall also offer pool courses aimed at increasing your breathhold - again ideal for spearfishers or surfers who want to keep calm in a hold down situation.
Choose the link on the right for more details of each course, the dates, prices and how to sign up.
Most of our courses are taught at the National Diving and Activity Centre in Chepstow, near Bristol and at various sites around Falmouth in Cornwall. We can also arrange courses further afield. Other locations have included Croatia, the Red Sea, San Diego and London.
Of course, the main aim of any training is to grow your skills, and the best way to do that is practice. When you have completed your freediving course with us, we hope you will come along and dive at our regular meets. Learning doesn't end when you finish the course - we'd love you to become a regular part of the gang!
Images by Sam Kirby, Niall Flynn and Laura Storm