AIDA 1+2

About this course

The most popular way to get into freediving.

A fun two-day course that helps build confidence and a strong foundation, with dry, confined-water and depth training.

The main focus in our two-day beginner course is safety, quality, and fun. We will teach you how to achieve the freedive course goals in a comfortable and relaxed manner. You will be amazed how fast you progress and what you can achieve with your body and mind. Freediving is all about relaxation and trust: we take the time for you to learn and experience freediving at your own pace.

Completion of this course and all course requirements will result in an AIDA 2 certificate, which can be used to progress to the AIDA 3 Advanced course.

In the pool / confined-water sessions, you'll learn static and dynamic apnea 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 includes: Introduction to Freediving, Freediving Breathing Cycle, Basic Physiology of Freediving, Equalization, Freediving Techniques, Safety in Freediving, Equipment in Freediving, and Freediving Disciplines.

What's included in this course

• Knowledge development through practical theory lessons
• Pool session STATIC apnea
• Pool session DYNAMIC freediving
• Equalization techniques & rescue skills
• Breathing & freediving techniques

Class structure

The day starts at 7:00 AM near the Ala Wai Boat Harbor in Waikiki. From there we'll have a theory session on the beach. We'll then move into the shallow ocean to practice static and dynamic apnea, and go over rescue techniques for each of these disciplines. After that, we'll cover training concepts for the open-water session the following day.

We'll break for lunch, and while we eat we'll have another theory session before ending the day.

Course time: 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Maximum class size: 6 students.

Types of freediving in this course

• Static Apnea: the diver holds their breath for the maximum possible time while floating face down in a confined body of water. To qualify, the diver's respiratory system must remain fully submerged throughout the activity.
• Dynamic Apnea: the diver aims to cover the longest possible distance in a horizontal position underwater while in confined water. The activity can be done with or without fins.

What equipment you need

Fins, mask, snorkel, and a weight belt are provided. Wetsuits are highly recommended; if you don't have one, you can rent from any scuba shop in Waikiki. Renting the evening before is a good idea given the early start time.

For each day of the course, I recommend having:

• Sunscreen
• Water
• Yoga mat or towel
• Change of clothes
• Notepad
• Slippers

Prerequisites

• Be 18 years of age or older (16 or 17 years old with parent or guardian consent)
• Can swim at least 200m non-stop without fins or at least 300m non-stop with mask, fins and snorkel
• Can speak and read English