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Overview

Freediving or breath-hold diving is a type of advanced snorkelling, an in-water adventure that allows you to experience the sights, sounds and peace of the most natural underwater environment while allowing you to peacefully interact with marine life.

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The purpose of recreational Freediving is to be able to enjoy diving to depths of up to 30 metres whilst remaining unhampered by breathing apparatus such as SCUBA equipment.  Freedivers on a single breath of air can explore the underwater realm for minutes at a time with relative comfort. Human evolution and development has ingrained us with an underwater potential the same as our marine cousins, whales, seals and dolphins. Research shows that we were once aquatic animals which lived and breathed in the sea. The memory of that former self still resides deep within us and it has even been studied and named - the mammalian diving reflex. This term describes the physiological changes that occur when mammals (whether whales, dolphins or potentially us) hold their breath and dive beneath the sea for extended periods of time. The nature of Freediving allows you to slip without falling into the depths of the blue in a state of euphoria and relaxation. Freediving is about the comfort and exploration of the ocean realm for recreation, competition or personal discovery.

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Courses are suitable for beginners, intermediate snorkellers and experienced freedivers. 

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AIDa 1 Freediver

Duration: 1 Day (2 day upgrade optional)                    

Day 1:  Theory session, confined water training with Static Apnea and an open water dive to maximum 10 metres.

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Day 2: Optional upgrade for a second day to use your new skills.

         

Prerequisites:  Be 18 years of age or older (16 years with parent or guardian consent), completed medical statement and be able to swim at least 100 metres non-stop.

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Requirements: Have fun.

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Includes:  Equipment and insurance.

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Price:  €125 1 day/ €200 for 2 days

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This course offers a basic knowledge of freediving and introductory skills such as relaxation of body and mind, finning techniques, duck dives and equalisation. After this course you can freedive with a buddy or professional guide safely to a maximum depth of 10 metres.

AIDA 1

AIDA2 Freediver

Duration: 2.5 Days                                                                                                                 

Day 1: Knowledge Development, Static Apnea and Dynamic Apnea.                        

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Day 2: Knowledge Development, Open Water Sessions and Exam.
 

Day 3: Open Water Session.           

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Prerequisites: Be 18 years of age or older (16/17 years with parent or guardian consent), provide a medical statement and be able to swim at least 200 metres non-stop without fins and at least 300 metres non-stop with mask, snorkel and fins.     

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Requirements: 2 minutes Static, 40 metres Dynamic with Fins, 12 metres constant weight and pass the theoretical exam.

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Price:                                €350

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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 and Freediving Disciplines.  After this course you can dive to a  maximum depth of 20m with an independent buddy or professional guide.

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AIDA2
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AIDA3 Freediver

Allows you to dive to a  maximum depth of 30m with an independent buddy or professional guide.                                                       

Duration: 3 Days                                                                                           

Day 1: Knowledge development, Static Apnea and Dynamic Apnea.                        

Day 2: Knowledge Development, Open Water Sessions and Exam. 

 

Day 3: Open Water Sessions.       

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Prerequisites: Be 18 years of age or older (16/17 years with parent or guardian consent), provide a medical statement and be able to swim at least 200 metres non-stop without fins and at least 300 metres non-stop with mask, snorkel and fins. Have completed the AIDA 2 course or have completed the AIDA2 Crossover

Evaluation if crossing over from another freediving agency

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Requirements: 2:45 minutes Static, 55 metres Dynamic with Fins,
24 metres constant weight and pass the theoretical exam.

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Price: €380

      

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 Apnea, Dynamic Apnea, 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.

AIDA3

AIDA4 Freediver

Allows you to dive to a  maximum depth of 40m with an independent buddy or professional guide. 

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Duration: 3/4 Days

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Day 1: Knowledge development, Static Apnea and Dynamic Apnea.

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Day 2: Knowledge Development, Open Water Sessions and Exam.   

 

Day 3: Open Water Sessions.       

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Prerequisites: Be 18 years of age or older (16/17 years with parent or guardian consent), provide a medical statement. 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.

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Requirements: 3:30 minutes Static,
70 metres Dynamic with Fins,
32 metres constant weight and pass the theoretical exam.

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Price:                                €380

 

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.

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AIDA4
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