Freediving Courses
Our courses go beyond the standard curriculum, with pre-arrival Online training on essential skills like equalization. Over the years, we’ve found that 35-40% of beginner students face challenges meeting course requirements due to equalization difficulties—so we prioritize these skills from the outset. Additionally, we incorporate No-Fins disciplines, which are typically not covered in standard AIDA courses.
Our AIDA Instructor Trainer, Klaus, brings over five years of experience teaching in the SSI, Molchanovs, and AIDA systems. He combines the best practices from each system and adds insights from instructing over 500 students, creating a uniquely comprehensive learning experience.
TRY FREEDIVING AIDA 1
If you’re new to freediving and curious to experience it firsthand, we recommend our 1-day introductory course. AIDA 1 is basically the first day of AIDA 2, which means you can easily upgrade and continue on AIDA 2 the next day, if you get hooked.
Course Details
- Duration: 1 Full day plus online equalization session.
- Requirements: Must be at least 18 years old (or 16 with parental or guardian consent), able to swim, and have no medical conditions preventing freediving (medical certification required).
- Includes: Online Equalization session before your course. Freediving equipment. Theory session, Breathing and relaxation session, Static session, Open Water session (Note: two water sessions), Diploma.
The AIDA 1, or Intro Course, is a one-day experience designed for those interested in exploring freediving without committing to a full course. In just one day, you’ll have the chance to discover the incredible underwater world and its wonders through freediving.The AIDA 1 Course begins with a brief classroom session covering essential topics like physiology, breathing, relaxation, and rescue techniques. Next, you’ll participate in a “dry” practice session to develop foundational diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation skills. Followed by a Static breath hold session in shallow water. Finally, you’ll head out for an open water session, applying all the basic freediving techniques you’ve learned.
With no performance requirements and a relaxed, pressure-free environment, you’re welcome to join us, unwind, and enjoy the experience!
BEGINNER AIDA 2
This course offers a basic knowledge of freediving and introductory skills such as relaxation of body and mind, finning techniques, duck dives, safety and equalization. We have half a day more of teaching, compared to minimum course frame AIDA2 courses. This gives us time to give you an introduction to Dynamic No-Fins during the dynamic session, and one extra open water session. More time to learn and reflect on all the new learnings, and we will have time to teach you how to Frenzel Equalize, or to finetune your Equalization technique.
Course Details
- Duration: 3 Full days plus Online Equalization session prior to course.
- Requirements: Must be at least 18 years old (or 16 with parental or guardian consent), Being comfortable in the water and can swim at least 200m non-stop using a snorkel.
- Includes: Online Equalization session before your course. Freediving equipment. Theory sessions, Breathing and relaxation session, Static session, Dynamic session, four Open Water sessions.
This is one of the most challenging and rewarding AIDA courses. If you’re already confident in open water, this is the ideal starting point. The course focuses on building solid technique and safety practices, preparing you to buddy with other AIDA2 freedivers. It includes two theory sessions, a pool session, and three open water sessions. We have made the pre-arrival Online Equalization session, to make sure that you will learn how to Frenzel Equalize, and have time to built up awareness of your equalization technique before finishing the course.
Course Content
- Theory: Physiology, Depth & Pressure, Equalizatin, Equipment, Disciplines, Safety, Environmental Awareness.
- Breathing for Freediving: Breathing exercises and relaxation techniques
- Equalization: Adjusting for depth and pressure
- Safety: Buddying, Blackout, and LMC (covered in both pool and open water sessions)
- Technique: Duck dive, finning (in both pool and open water)
- Pool Training: Static and dynamic pool exercises
- Open Water Training: Free immersion and constant weight disciplines
Duration: 3 days
Prerequisites: 18 years or older (16 with parental or guardian consent)
Pass Requirements: Achieve 2:00 minutes of static breath-hold, 40m in dynamic pool, 12m in constant weight, and 75% on the theory exam.
ADVANCED AIDA 3
This course builds on skills from previous levels, introducing advanced techniques and a deeper understanding of safety practices. You’ll learn new methods like free-fall, advanced Frenzel equalization, training with tables, and managing the risks of changing pressures — including how to reduce these risks effectively. Our course includes an entire additional day of instruction compared to the standard AIDA3 course framework. This extra time allows us to practice
Dynamic No-Fins in the pool and provide an introduction to Constant Weight No-Fins. You’ll have an additional open water session and more time to process and apply these new skills.
This course goes beyond just an introduction to free-fall, giving you ample time to practice and refine your technique.You will work on advanced Frenzel equalization techniques starting before the course itself, with an online equalization session. During the course, we’ll continue honing these skills to help you build a strong foundation, enabling you to dive safely and confidently to your maximum depth with a clear understanding of each technique.
The AIDA 3 Theory Manual is among the most comprehensive freediving resources available. You’ll discover fascinating freediving physiology, such as the Mammalian Dive Response and lung volume changes at depth, and learn how to safely reach depths of down to 30 meters.
Course Details
- Duration: 4 Full days plus Online Equalization session prior to course.
- Requirements: Must be at least 18 years old (or 16 with parental or guardian consent), able to swim, and have no medical conditions preventing freediving (medical certification required).
- Includes: Online Equalization session before your course. Freediving equipment. Theory sessions, Breathing and relaxation session, Lung stretching session, Static session, Dynamic session, five Open Water sessions.
Content:
- Theory – Physics, Physiology, Mammalian Diving Reflex, Ethics, Training Concepts, Planning Dive Sessions, Lung Volume Measurements
- Equalization – Deeper equalization using Advanced Frenzel Technique
- Techniques – Freefall & Buoyancy, Warm Up’s, CO2 Training Tables
- Safety – Advanced Safety and Rescue Training
- Pool – Static & Dynamic Pool Training
- Open Water – Free Immersion, Constant Weight
Prerequisites: Have completed the AIDA2 freediver course or equivalent. Be 18 years of age or older (16 years with parent or guardian consent)
Pass Requirements: 2:45 min Static | 55m Dynamic | 24m Constant Weight | Theory Exam (75%)
Deep Freediver AIDA 4 Assistant Instructor
The AIDA4 freediver course is the highest level a recreational freediver can achieve. This course offers advanced freediving techniques, knowledge, and safety practices for deep diving beyond recreational levels. You’ll learn techniques like FRC diving, mouth-fill equalization, and Variable Weight diving.
With an additional day of instruction compared to the standard AIDA4 course, our five-day format provides two extra open water sessions, giving ample time for practice, adjustment, and deeper skill integration — especially for mastering Mouthfill Equalization.
Course Details
Duration: 5 full days, plus two online equalization sessions before the course.
Requirements: Minimum age of 18 (or 16 with parental/guardian consent).
Content:
- Physics principles (Dalton’s Law, Boyle’s Law, Henry’s Law) and their application in freediving, as well as key concepts in decompression sickness and nitrogen narcosis.
- Deep Frenzel Equalization & Failure Depth: Learn to manage Failure Depth (the depth at which equalization becomes challenging) and techniques to increase depth limits.
- Mouthfill Equalization: Practice this advanced technique to control pressure and lung volume at greater depths.
- Passive Exhale Diving (FRC): Understand the benefits, risks, and depth-related challenges, including decompression sickness and nitrogen narcosis.
- Freediving Fitness & Apnea Training: Develop aerobic and anaerobic endurance, perform full-body and lung stretches, receive dietary guidance, and practice breath-hold training on land.
- Safety Systems: Learn advanced retrieval safety techniques crucial for deep freediving.
- Assistant instructor skills: Students leading stretching session.
- Increasing Vital Capacity (VC) and reducing Residual Volume (RV) to extend Failure Depth.
- Equipment Rigging: Buoy setup and reparation for safe, efficient dives.
Includes:
- Two online equalization sessions prior to the course.
- Theory Sessions
- Dry equalization sessions
- Lung stretching and full body stretching session.
- Static session
- Dynamic pool training session
- Dynamic No Fins session
- Six open water sessions
- Constant weight No Fins Session
Prerequisites:
- AIDA3 Advanced Freediver certification and current First Aid/CPR qualification
- Minimum age of 18 (or 16 with parental/guardian consent)
Pass Requirements:
- 3:30 min static apnea
- 70m dynamic apnea
- 32m constant weight dive
- 75% or higher on theory exam
Combo AIDA 2 + AIDA 3
Our Combo course combines both the Beginner and Advanced levels, giving you the chance to complete them consecutively. This course is ideal for students who want to start with the basics and quickly move into more advanced aspects of freediving. By integrating these two courses, you’ll experience a solid progression and a thorough grasp of key concepts. This option is best suited for those in good physical shape, as it involves intensive freediving over a span of 7 to 8 days. The flexible timing allows for completion in either 7 or 8 days to accommodate those with limited time in Dahab. You can also choose to include one or two rest days between courses, depending on your progress in the first phase.
For more details, please refer to the descriptions of the AIDA 2 and AIDA 3 courses above.
Course Details
- Duration: 7-8 Full days plus two Online Equalization sessions before your courses.
- Requirements: Must be at least 18 years old (or 16 with parental or guardian consent), able to swim, and have no medical conditions preventing freediving (medical certification required).
- Includes: Two Online Equalization session before your course. Freediving equipment. Theory sessions, Breathing and relaxation session, Lung stretching session, two Static sessions, two Dynamic session, seven to eight Open Water sessions.
Combo AIDA 3 + AIDA 4
Our Combo course combines the ADVANCED and EXPERT levels, perfect for those in good physical condition who are ready to dive intensively over 10 to 11 days. This option offers a fast-track route through the AIDA educational system, with a special rate for completing both courses back-to-back. You can also take one or two rest days between the courses, based on your progress in the first. This is a unique chance to deepen your freediving skills and gain advanced knowledge during your time in Dahab. By the end, you’ll be prepared to leave as a confident, fully independent freediver.
For more details, please refer to the descriptions of the AIDA 3 and AIDA 4 courses above.
Course Details
- Duration: 10-11 days plus two Online Equalization sessions before your courses.
- Requirements: Must be at least 18 years old (or 16 with parental or guardian consent), able to swim, and have no medical conditions preventing freediving (medical certification required).
- Includes: Two online Equalization sessions before your course. Freediving equipment. Theory sessions, Lung stretching session, 2 Static sessions, 2 Dynamic sessions, eleven Open Water sessions.
AIDA 2 Crossover
For Your AIDA 3 Course
If you have previous training with another freediving agency (such as Molchanovs Wave 1, SSI Level 1, PADI, Apnea Academy, PFI, etc.), you can still enroll in an AIDA course. First, your freediving skills will need to be assessed to confirm that you meet the AIDA 2 standards necessary for the AIDA 3 Course. This crossover evaluation assesses both your practical skills and theoretical knowledge and provides an opportunity to refresh your skills before beginning the course. Note that the crossover is an evaluation session, not a teaching day.
Skills Required on the AIDA 2 Evaluation Form
Pool/Confined water
- Static (STA): Minimum 2 minutes and 45 seconds, including Rescue, Safety, and Technique.
- Dynamic (DYN): Minimum 55 meters, including Rescue, Safety, Technique, and DYN CO₂ Table
Open Water
- Constant Weight (CWT): 12-20 meters with correct technique, including duck dive, line orientation, streamlining, finning, turn, use of positive buoyancy, and recovery phase.
- Free Immersion Technique.
- Rescue from 10 meters.
- Safety (Buddying): From a minimum of 10 meter.
Theory Exam
You’ll need to pass the AIDA 2 theory exam with a minimum score of 75%. This can be challenging if you haven’t taken an AIDA course before and are unfamiliar with AIDA-specific terms. To help prepare, we’ll send you the course manual before your course begins. We recommend thoroughly reading it and completing the knowledge review questions in the blue boxes at the end of each chapter to prepare for the theory exam.
Duration: 1 Day
Contact us to discuss if this option is suitable for you.
AIDA 3 Crossover
For Your AIDA 4 Course
If you are coming from another freediving training agency (such as Molchanovs Wave 2, SSI Level 2, PADI, Apnea Academy, PFI, etc.), you can still enroll in an AIDA course. First, your freediving skills will need to be evaluated to ensure you meet the AIDA 3 standards required for the AIDA 4 Course. This crossover evaluation allows both the assessment of your current skills and knowledge in freediving and an opportunity to refresh your techniques prior to starting the course. Note that the crossover is an evaluation, not a teaching day.
Duration: The crossover evaluation takes one full day.
Skills Required on the AIDA 3 Evaluation Form:
Pool/Confined Water
- Static (STA): Minimum 2 minutes and 45 seconds, including Rescue, Safety, and Technique.
- Dynamic (DYN): Minimum 55 meters, including Rescue, Safety, Technique, and DYN CO₂ Table.
Open Water
- Constant Weight (CWT): 24-30 meters with correct technique, including duck dive, line orientation, streamlining, finning, freefall, turn, use of positive buoyancy, and recovery phase.
- Neutral Buoyancy Check.
- Towing: 50 meters with an ‘unconscious’ freediver.
- Free Immersion Technique.
- Rescue from 15 meters.
- Self-Rescue: Arms-only ascent from 15 meters and mask-off ascent from 10 meters.
- Safety (Buddying): From a minimum of 15 meters.
Theory Exam
You’ll need to pass the AIDA 3 theory exam with a minimum score of 75%. This can be challenging, as you may be less familiar with AIDA-specific terms and concepts if you haven’t completed AIDA 2 or AIDA 3 theory courses. To help prepare, we’ll send you the course manuals in advance. It’s recommended to review all chapters and complete the knowledge review questions in the blue boxes at the end of each chapter to strengthen your understanding.
