Your Performance Freediving International ‘Freediver’ course will cover fundamental topics such as:

• Essential safety procedures for breath-holding at the Freediver level

• Proper breathing techniques for freediving and snorkeling

• Confined water skill development i.e., static apnea

• Open water skill development i.e., techniques for depth diving

• Equalization for depth diving

• Equipment for freediving and snorkeling

• The fundamental physics and physiology of freediving; understand what happens to your body at depth

Is this course for you?

• You’re interested in learning the fundamental techniques of freediving

• You’re new to freediving

• You typically dive in the shallows

• You want to dive safely

• You want to hold your breath longer

• You want to dive deeper

Skills

If a student cannot do this, they may receive a certificate reflecting what they can accomplish. Some students take the course for the experience and not the certification. These students often participate in just the confined-water sessions. We are happy to accommodate students who wish to do so; however, we need to know this ahead of time.

To earn PFI Freediver certification, students must be able to:

• Demonstrate adequate safe buddy skills, showing how to perform a rescue to PFI standards

• Perform a minimum 1:30 static breath hold in the pool with the opportunity to increase to maximum capacity

• Dive using proper technique to at least 10 m/33 ft with constant weight and free immersion using the PFI method of entrance and exit with proper recovery breathing

Classroom

• Attend all classroom teaching sessions

• Stretching and equalizing workshops

• CO2 and 02 workshops

• Complete all quizzes and exams

• Complete pre learning quiz before class

• Pass final with 80 percent or more

Watermanship and stamina

• Prepare freediving equipment without instructor assistance

• Proper entry procedure (select best local option)

• 200 m/655 ft continuous swim without fins, snorkel, wetsuit, or flotation

• Minimum of ten-minute tread/float

• 25 m/82 ft no-mask snorkel swim without surfacing

• Snorkel blast clearing

• Recovery breathing and coaching

• Minimum of four consecutive static breath-holds with no hypoxic symptoms achieving at least 1:30

• Recovery breathing and coaching for buddy

Open water

• Recovery breathing and coaching (hook breathing)

• Six target constant ballast dives reaching minimum 10 m/33 ft

• Four free immersion dives to a minimum depth of 10 m/33 ft

• Emergency rescue and problem management (rescue scenarios)

• Managing an LMC and blackout on surface and an underwater blackout

• Self-emergency skills such as a mask flood and ascent, and weight belt removal and ascent

Format/duration

• Classroom sessions

• Two confined-water sessions

• Two open-water sessions

Prerequisites

• Swimming or snorkeling experience

• Good health and fitness (see Medical Form)

• 10 years of age with parent/guardian permission

Required equipment

• Mask, snorkel, fins

• Full wetsuit (3 mm for warm water locations; 5-7 mm for cold water locations)

• Rubber weight belt and a small number of weights

• Timing device or freediving computer

Cost

• Personalized instruction from highly trained freediving specialists, including national and world record holders, or their trainers

• A student-to-instructor ratio of no more than six:one

• Student manual or eLearning

• Classroom sessions with detailed knowledge development taught by freediving experts

• Confined water sessions

• Open water sessions

• Hands-on experience with specialty freediving equipment

• Certification card

Registration and payment details

By registering for a course, you will receive:

• Student Starter Kit

• Access to online portal including training tips, email access, and private PFI diving community

• Communication with staff/instructor to answer questions ahead of time

• Access to e-learning/pre-learning course materials

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