International Association for the Development of Apnea

AIDA** Freediver Course Outline

PREREQUISITES
To enrol in the AIDA ** Freediver course, an individual must:
Be 18 years of age or older (16 years with parent or guardian consent)
Be able to swim at least 200m non stop without fins and at least 300m non stop with mask, fins and
snorkel
Have completed the AIDA Medical Form
Have completed the Liability Release
COURSE PURPOSE
The AIDA ** freediver course is the foundation freediving course covering the necessary skills and knowledge for
a non competitive recreational freediver to safely freedive with or without a guide line. It is designed to be a
freediving beginners course for students who are already confident and happy in the water.
The purpose of the course is to familiarise the student with the skills, knowledge, planning, organisation, safety
procedures, techniques, problems, hazards and enjoyment of breath hold freediving. Students will be introduced
to the basic disciplines of freediving; Static Apnea, Dynamic Apnea and Constant Weight freediving.
The course is NOT aiming toward competitive freediving and shall not include competition rules and regulations.
The static and dynamic sessions are to be used to teach breathing, relaxation, finning and safety techniques. In
the OW sessions the student will use the skills they have learned in the pool sessions and will combine these
with the basic skills of OW freediving such as equalizing, duck diving, vertical swimming, body positioning.
To conduct an AIDA ** Freediver course, the following knowledge development, confined water dives and open
water dives are to be included:
KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT
The knowledge development will take place in a classroom-like environment. A minimum of 2 theory sessions
should be taught and these should be a minimum duration of 2 hours per session.
The knowledge development should be conducted using the AIDA ** Freediver Powerpoint slides. Students
should be provided with a hand-out of the slides to take away for future reference and to use to prepare for their
exam. AIDA Instructors may supplement these slides with any updated information such as current world records
or information specific to freediving in the local area. You may find it useful to have other reference books handy
such as an anatomy atlas, freedive DVDs, magazine articles or reference books.
The AIDA ** Freediver exam must be completed by any student certified as an AIDA ** Freediver. The passing
score is 75%. Any missed questions should be explained to the student and the student must sign the bottom of
the exam to indicate that this has taken place. If the student does not pass the exam on first sitting, they may
resit after 24 hours.

Association Internationale pour le Dveloppement de l'Apne - Rue du Petit-Beaulieu 4 - CH - 1004 Lausanne /VD - Suisse
version 2009-v1.0, COPYRIGHT AIDA INTERNATIONAL 2007
[page 22 of 52]

International Association for the Development of Apnea

The theory sessions will include:

Introduction to AIDA as an organisation
Equipment for freediving
Breathing for freediving
Depth and Pressure- Equalisation
Safety- BO and LMC
Respect for the Aquatic Environment
Freediving and Scuba Diving
Key rules to remember for freediving safely
Freediving Disciplines
CONFINED WATER DIVES
Static Apnea
This session should be conducted in a swimming pool or similar confined water. The student freediver should
have access to either a floatation device or the side of the pool to support them at the end of the breath hold.
After this session the student freediver will be able to:
Demonstrate abdominal breathing and appropriate breathing techniques in preparation for breath hold
diving
Demonstrate appropriate recovery and breathing techniques at the end of a breath hold dive
Demonstrate how to train safely and effectively for static apnea in a swimming pool with a training buddy
Perform a static breath hold of at least 2 minutes safely with a training buddy
Demonstrate the appropriate rescue technique for a static apnea buddy experiencing a loss of motor
control or blackout
Dynamic Apnea
This session should be conducted in a swimming pool or similar confined water. A swimming pool of at least 20m
in length is recommended. The student freediver should have access to either the side of the pool or floatation
device to support them on surfacing. The student should use bi-fins for all the dives.
After this session the student freediver will be able to:
Demonstrate how to prepare and don equipment for pool training
Demonstrate appropriate breathing techniques in preparation for a breath hold dive
Demonstrate appropriate recovery and breathing techniques at the end of a breath hold dive
Demonstrate appropriate bi-finning style and technique for a breath hold swimming with fins, with regard
to body positioning and movement
Demonstrate safety techniques for retaining an awareness of body position within the pool and
avoidance of other pool users during a pool training session. This may include following pool markings,
recognising the distance covered by indications on the pool floor and lane organisation when training
with other freedivers
Demonstrate how to train safely and effectively for dynamic apnea in a swimming pool with a training
buddy, covering a distance of at least 40m with bi-fins, both as the performing diver and the surface
swimmer
Demonstrate appropriate rescue procedures for a freediver attempting dynamic apnea, who suffers a
blackout or loss of motor control on surfacing

Association Internationale pour le Dveloppement de l'Apne - Rue du Petit-Beaulieu 4 - CH - 1004 Lausanne /VD - Suisse
version 2009-v1.0, COPYRIGHT AIDA INTERNATIONAL 2007
[page 23 of 52]

International Association for the Development of Apnea

OPEN WATER DIVE SESSIONS

These dives should be conducted in open water with a fixed line to be used as a point of reference by the student
freediver. This line should be sufficiently buoyed and weighted so that the student freediver could use it to pull
either up or down if necessary. The line is recommended to be at least 8mm in diameter. The studetn should use
bi-fins for all the dives (except if they have head down equalizing problems and are doing head-up pull-downs).
When the training takes place in water with less than 10m visibility, or in water deeper than the depth at which
the bottom plate is positioned, a lanyard should be used for all dives except those where the student is acting as
a safety freediver.
These dive sessions may be conducted on one day however students are required to exit the water between the
dives and should be given adequate time for debriefing, rest and relaxation and briefing for the second session.
Open Water Dive Session One
In open water, the maximum depth of the freedives should be fixed by the instructor based on the students ability
and limited to not more than 12m, either by choosing a site of this depth or by placing a bottom plate on the line
at a maximum of 12m.
After this open water session, the student freediver will be able to:
Prepare and don equipment for open water freedive training. The student will be able to defog the mask,
choose and don appropriate exposure protection, weight belt if required, lanyard, bi-fins and any other
chosen equipment
Demonstrate an awareness of buddy procedures and safety requirements of freediving in open water as
appropriate to the local environment. This would normally be covered in the instructors briefing and may
include a basic understanding of boat traffic, tides, local hazards and points of interest, local protocol, in
water positioning, emergency procedures and required equipment for the environment
Operate the quick releases on the lanyard (if it is beeing used)
Demonstrate appropriate weighting for freediving.. Students should be weight so that they have positive
buoyancy on the surface in a vertical possition, after a full exhale
Beginning with pull-downs descend slowly along the line achieving comfortable equalisation of the ears
and sinuses to find out if the student has head down equalising problems
Train for effective duckdives
Train for vertical swimming with bi-fins along the line with a streamlined body position and efficient
finning
Demonstrate appropriate breathing during recovery from a freedive
If a student cannot equalise head down, they can complete everything in the course except the 16m CWT dive.
The student should be given a completion form for the AIDA ** star freediver course and instructions of how they
can work on their head down equalisation regularly on land and in the pool, so that eventually they can complete
the course. These students will keep training with pull-downs, working on equalisation throughout the whole
course, and on horizontal swimming to practice streamlining and efficient finning technique.

Association Internationale pour le Dveloppement de l'Apne - Rue du Petit-Beaulieu 4 - CH - 1004 Lausanne /VD - Suisse
version 2009-v1.0, COPYRIGHT AIDA INTERNATIONAL 2007
[page 24 of 52]

International Association for the Development of Apnea

Open Water Dive Session Two

In open water, the maximum depth of the freedives should be limited to 16m, either by choosing a site of this
depth or by placing a bottom plate on the line at a maximum of 16m. This session builds on all the skills of Open
Water Dive Session 1, most of which will be repeated during the course of this session.
After this open water session, the student freediver will be able to:
Keep training to inprove the duckdives
Keep train for vertical swimming with bi-fins along the line with a streamlined body position and efficient
finning
Perform controlled turns at the end of the descent
Supervise a buddy from the surface as they perform a freedive
Demonstrate rescue procedures for a freediver who arrives at the surface showing signs of possible loss
of motor control

Open Water Dive Session Three

In open water, the maximum depth of the freedives should be limited to 20m, either by choosing a site of this
depth or by placing a bottom plate on the line at a maximum of 20m. This session builds on all the skills of Open
Water Dive Session 1 and 2, most of which will be repeated during the course of this session.
After this open water session, the student freediver will be able to:
Perform an efficient, effective duck dive, remaining oriented to the guide line while descending and
ascending with an efficient bi-fin-swimming technique to a depth of at least 16m (14m in water
temperatures lower than 12C at a depth of 10m and below) (maximum 20m) whilst observing buddy and
safety procedures
Supervise a buddy as they perform a freedive, meeting the buddy on the ascent at a depth of between
5m and 10m
Demonstrate rescue procedures for a freediver who experiences a Black Out at 5m. This will include
lifting the freediver from 5m to the surface and rescue procedures once on the surface

EQUIPMENT
Student Equipment mask, bi-fins, snorkel, appropriate exposure protection, weightbelt, lanyard (if
appropriate)
Instructor Equipment mask, bi-fins, snorkel, appropriate exposure protection, weightbelt, stop watch,
depth gauge, first aid kit, oxygen administration kit (in countries where this is permitted or required by local
law) guideline with bottom plate, lanyard and floatation device (if appropriate)
Optional Equipment lights, underwater video camera
INSTRUCTOR SUPERVISION
The AIDA ** Freediver course may be conducted by an Active AIDA Instructor with current CPR and First Aid
training (completed within the last two years). The instructor should carry liability insurance for teaching
freediving.
The maximum student diver-to-instructor ratio for open water training dives is four students per instructor (4:1).
This may rise to six students per instructor (6:1) when the instructor is assisted by another freediver qualified to
at least AIDA **** level. The maximum student diver-to-instructor ratio in confined water is eight students per

Association Internationale pour le Dveloppement de l'Apne - Rue du Petit-Beaulieu 4 - CH - 1004 Lausanne /VD - Suisse
version 2009-v1.0, COPYRIGHT AIDA INTERNATIONAL 2007
[page 25 of 52]

International Association for the Development of Apnea

instructor (8:1). With an AIDA **** Freediver acting as an Assistant, 4 additional students may be added to this
ratio to a maximum of 12 students.
ADMINISTRATION AND PAPERWORK
Before commencing any in-water training, each student freediver must complete the following documents, for
students aged under 18 years, both must be co-signed by a parent or guardian:
AIDA Medical Statement this must be completed in full with students marking YES or NO to each of the
medical conditions listed. If the student answers YES to any condition, they must seek medical approval
before taking part in any in-water activity. The physician must sign the form to indicate this approval.
Whether or not the student then is then accepted onto the course is left at the discretion of the instructor.
AIDA Liability Release or local equivalent
The AIDA Instructor should hold these documents on file for a minimum of seven years or longer if required by
local legislation.
CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES
Freedivers who meet all the performance requirements outlined above may be certified as an AIDA ** Freediver.
Freedivers who meet all the performance requirements other than those listed under Open Water Dives may be
certified as AIDA ** Pool Freediver.
The certifying instructor must submit an AIDA Certification Request via the Excel Spreadsheet in the
IINSTRUCTOR Material found in the Instructor Forum to: pim.vermeulen@aida-international.org. This should be
accompanied by payment of the certification fee by Paypal or Bank Transfer, ON THE SAME DAY.
The certification request should mot be send later than 3 month from the certification date.
KEY STANDARDS
Prerequisite certifications: None
Minimum Age: 18 or older (16 with parent/guardian signature)
Minimum theory sessions: 2 of at least 2 hours each
Minimum confined water sessions: 2
Minimum Open Water training sessions : 3
The course should be run over at least 2 1/2 days
Student to Instructor Training: 8:1 (confined water), 12:1 (confined water with an assistant of certified to least
AIDA **** Freediver), 4:1 (open water) ) 6:1 (open water with an assistant of certified to least AIDA **** Freediver)
Minimum Instructor Rating: AIDA Instructor, Active with current First Aid and CPR Training (within 2 years)

Association Internationale pour le Dveloppement de l'Apne - Rue du Petit-Beaulieu 4 - CH - 1004 Lausanne /VD - Suisse
version 2009-v1.0, COPYRIGHT AIDA INTERNATIONAL 2007
[page 26 of 52]