AIDA Free Diving Course

What will you learn?

• Suitable for people who don't know how to swim and don't have confidence in the water.

• AIDA 1 Course is a beginner's course to learn the basics of freediving, and to acquire basic knowledge and introductory skills to use in freediving.

• Completion of theory course:

  Breathing Cycle, Pressure Balance, Free Diving Safety Mechanism, Free Diving Programs

• 1 calm water session:

  Use of equipment, breathing procedures, dive buddy mechanism, rescue techniques, turnaround and entry/exit procedures.

AIDA level 1

★

Who is this course for?

Course Schedule

Day 1

Theory Session
• Freediving Breathing Cycle
• Pressure Equalization
• Freediving Safety Basics
• Freediving Program
• Freediving Equipment
• Freediving Code of Conduct

Confined Water / Pool Session
• Learn to breathe correctly and completely, with relaxation techniques when holding your breath.
• Learn the recovery breathing process, including safe positions at the end of a breath hold in calm water.
• Demonstrate rescue techniques correctly for an LMC or BO dive buddy
• Freediving basics and introductory skills such as physical and mental relaxation, fin threading techniques, duck dives and balance.

★★

Who is this course for?

What will you learn?

• Breathing cycle, pressure balance, free dive safety mechanism, free dive program.

• Use of equipment, breathing processes, dive buddy mechanisms, rescue techniques, turnaround and entry/exit processes.

• Rope Pulling, Duck Entry, Depth Rescue, Ear Pressure Equalization, Constant Weight Diving, Improving the use of Flippers, and Open Water Entry and Exit Procedures.

AIDA level 2

• Suitable for people who can swim or are not afraid of water.

• level 2 is an basic course to learn freediving, a more comprehensive understanding of freediving, including an in depth skills assessment to improve diving skills.

Course Schedule

Theory Session
• Introduction to Freediving
• Overview of the AIDA2 Course
• Freediving Breathing Cycle
• Freediving Physiology
• Equalization Techniques
• Freediving Skills and Techniques
• Freediving Safety Systems
• Freediving Equipment
• Breathing Cycle in Freediving
• Code of Conduct in Freediving

Day 1

Confined Water / Pool Session
• Static Apnea Training
• Safely complete at least 2 minutes of static apnea
• Safely complete at least 40 m of dynamic apnea
• Buddy System Practice
• Effective Rescue Training – Static and Dynamic

Day 2

Open Water Session 1
• Mastering the quick release of the safety lanyard
• Proper Weighting
• Breathing Preparation
• Free Immersion (FIM) Descent
• Duck Dive Entry
• Practice kicking down (bi-fin) along the guide rope
• Recovery Breathing Process

Open Water Session 2
• Technique Improvement
• Practice bi-fin descent along the guide rope
• Buddy Safety Skills
• Surface supervision while buddy descends
• Rescue practice when freediver surfaces
• Rescue towing for 5–10 meters at the surface

Day 3

Open Water Session 3
• Constant Weight (CWT) Dive: at least 12 m, up to 20 m
• During descent, act as a buddy and provide safety; during ascent, meet at a minimum depth of 10 m
• Freediver may choose constant weight (CWT) bi-fin or mono-fin for descent
• Rescue a blackout diver (BO) at the surface or 5–10 m depth
Examination
• Includes rescue towing practice after bringing diver to the surface
• Keep airway above water, provide calming signals, and continuously say “breathe” for about 10–15 seconds

Examination
• Includes rescue towing practice after bringing diver to the surface
• Keep airway above water, provide calming signals, and continuously say “breathe” for about 10–15 seconds

AIDA 3

★★★

Who is this course for?

• Suitable for people who have passed the AIDA 2 program and want to continue to break through.

• AIDA 3 Course Learn the advanced course of freediving, further deepen and improve the diving skills, and experience the higher realm of freediving.

What will you learn?

• Fundamentals of Physiology, Pressure Equilibrium, Possible Air Pressure Injuries, Lung Volume at Depth, Buoyancy and Free Fall Hypoxia and Coma, Mammalian Diving Reflexes.

• Training Program, Body Posture Adjustment, Pool Neutral Buoyancy, Rescue Techniques, Carbon dioxide tolerance.

• How to test for neutral buoyancy, acting as a safety officer, using safety ropes, free-fall exercises, more finning techniques and body posture exercises.

Course Schedule

Theory Session
•Physiology
• Equalization
• Barotrauma
• Lung Volume at Depth
• Buoyancy
• Shallow Water Blackout
• Training Concepts
• Mammalian Dive Reflex (MDR)
• Decompression Illness & Surface Intervals
• Code of Conduct for Freedivers

Day 1

Confined Water / Pool Session
• Static Apnea (STA)
• Safely complete at least 2:45 of static apnea
• Safely complete at least 55 m of dynamic apnea
• Review rescue procedures for an LMC incident during static training
• Correctly demonstrate how to choose and test proper weighting to achieve neutral buoyancy during Dynamic Apnea (DYN)
• Correctly demonstrate finning technique, head position, body posture, streamline, and turning
• Surface protocol at pool edge after dive
• Review rescue procedures for an LMC or BO occurring during dynamic training
• Supervise a buddy during dynamic apnea for at least 55 m after dive preparation

Day 2-4

Open Water Session 1 & 2
• Correctly demonstrate all quick release methods of the safety lanyard
• Correctly demonstrate proper weighting for deep dives, determining neutral buoyancy point
• Review duck dive technique and descending along the dive line
• Review relaxation phase protocol, including snorkel use, one full breath, and recovery breathing

Open Water Session 3 & 4
• As a buddy, meet the diver at a minimum of 6 m depth and again at least 15 m depth during ascent
• Simulate leg cramp scenario at 15 m depth and practice arm-only swimming for self-rescue
• Review rescue of a diver experiencing BO at depth
• Practice towing a diver to shore
• Perform towing rescue of a diver for at least 50 m to shore or boat

AIDA 4

★★★★

Who is this course for?

• Suitable for people who have passed the AIDA 3 program and want to continue to break through.

• AIDA 3 Course Learn the advanced course of freediving, further deepen and improve the diving skills, and experience the higher realm of freediving.

What will you learn?

• Fundamentals of Physiology, Pressure Equilibrium, Air Pressure Injury, Lung Volume at Depth, Buoyancy and Free Fall Hypoxia and Coma, Mammalian Diving Reflexes

• Training Program, Body Posture Adjustment, Pool Neutral Buoyancy, Rescue Techniques, Carbon dioxide tolerance

• How to test for neutral buoyancy, acting as a safety officer, using safety ropes, free-fall exercises, flipper kicking techniques and body posture exercises.

Course Schedule

Theory Session
• Physics: Boyle’s Law, Henry’s Law, Dalton’s Law, Decompression Sickness, Nitrogen Narcosis
• Depth Limitations and How to Increase Vital Capacity (VC), Reduce Residual Volume (RV)
• Exhale Diving (FRC) — How and When to Use, Benefits and Risks
• Mouth-fill Equalization — How and When to Use, Benefits and Risks
• Packing — How and When to Use, Benefits and Risks
• Freediving Training: Aerobic & Anaerobic Training, Stretching
• Freediving Nutrition and Diet, and other related topics

Day 1-2

Confined Water Sessions (Minimum 2 sessions)
• Static Apnea (STA): Safely complete at least 3 min 30 sec of static apnea
• Safely complete at least 70 m of dynamic apnea
• Review rescue procedures for LMC incidents during static training
• Rescue procedure for LMC or BO incidents
• Other related content

Day 3-5

Open Water Session 1 and 2
• Complete one warm-up/stretching session as preparation for open water training
• Open Water Setup Requirements: set bottom weight and rope depth, use proper knots, secure dive line
• Understand and practice the principles of Exhale Diving (FRC)
• Understand the principles of Mouth-fill equalization and practice it combined with Exhale Diving (FRC)

Open Water Session 3 and 4
• Exhale Diving Practice
• 20 m Depth Squat — ascend efficiently using only leg kicks, return to surface
• Perform a rescue of a diver experiencing BO at 20 m depth
• 20 m No-mask Ascent (mask placed on knee) and other skill assessments

“I never imagined I could dive so deep on a single breath! The instructor was patient and encouraging, making every session fun and safe."
- Peter AIDA 2 Student

”Taking the AIDA 2 course completely changed my perspective of the underwater world. The coaching was professional and motivating.”
- Sarah, Beginner Freediver

”This was an unforgettable experience! The team made me feel comfortable from the very first pool session to the open water dive.”
- Olivia & Sophia AIDA 3 Student

”AIDA 3 was a game-changer for me. I learned advanced equalization, deep diving techniques, and how to stay calm at greater depths. ”
- Emily AIDA 3 Student