Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
Discover Answers to 10 Important FAQs About Our Courses, Trainings, and Trips Abroad!
Do I need to know how to swim to freedive?
Yes, you need to be able to swim. However, you don’t need to be an expert swimmer. To participate in our courses, you must comfortably swim at least 100m without stopping or 200m with a mask, snorkel, and fins.
We don’t teach basic swimming skills during our courses or training sessions, but we do cover freediving-specific techniques such as streamlining, finning, and efficient movement in water.
Is there a minimum or maximum age for attending courses or training?
Anyone 16 or older can participate in our courses or training sessions with parental or guardian consent.
There’s no upper age limit for freediving, provided you are in good health and able to complete our medical release form.
Do I need previous diving or scuba diving experience to attend?
No, you don’t need prior experience in freediving or scuba diving for our Level 1 (AIDA 1) course.
For our regular training sessions, you must have completed an introductory/AIDA 1 course (or equivalent). To attend an open water Depth Session, completion of an AIDA 2 Pool Course is required.
Is equipment hire included?
AIDA 1:
-All equipment included (mask, snorkel, wetsuit, freediving buoy set up)
Fins and weights are not necessary for this course. Please bring a swimming costume, water and a towel.
AIDA 2 courses:
– Masks, snorkels, weight belt, weights and fins are included.
– Wetsuits are not for Lake or AIDA 2 Pool courses (hire available).
For the AIDA 2 pool we strongly recommend a 3mm wetsuit, for the depth sessions a 5mm freediving wetsuit is compulsory.
What’s included in the course fees? Are there extra costs?
Your course or training session fees include:
– All course materials and certification fees.
Additional costs you might incur:
– Wetsuit or equipment hire (if you don’t have your own).
– For open water depth sessions, a £15 lake entry fee payable in cash directly to Wraysbury Lakes dive centre.
-To upgrade your AIDA 2 Pool certification to the full AIDA 2 cert there is an additional £20 fee.
What should I do in preparation for my upcoming course?
Once your course is booked and payment made, you’ll receive a course manual. Review this manual before attending, especially for the AIDA 2 Pool Course, which includes a multiple-choice exam.
While we encourage reviewing the theory, we strongly advise against practicing breath holds in water without proper training, as it can be extremely dangerous. You may safely practice holding your breath on dry land in a safe, comfortable position, free from the risk of falling or injury.
Should I not eat before the diving session?
We recommend you avoid heavy meals shortly before diving, as digestion consumes oxygen and energy, affecting your breath-hold capability. However, you should eat something small beforehand to prevent low blood sugar, which can negatively impact your freediving performance.
Once I complete my AIDA 1, how soon can I take the AIDA 2 course?
After completing your AIDA 1 course, you’re eligible to begin AIDA 2 immediately.
To assist your progression, we offer the AIDA 2 Pool course, which we ask you to complete before attending any depth sessions for the full AIDA 2 certification.
Can I skip the AIDA 1 course and go straight to the AIDA 2?
While AIDA’s rules technically allow this, it’s our company policy to require all students to complete an Intro/AIDA 1 course before joining AIDA 2. Here’s why:
Our AIDA 2 pool course builds directly on AIDA 1 skills. We move straight into practical training, followed by the exam on the same day. For safety, and to make sure students are confident with the core skills, technique, and rescues before progressing, we ask everyone to complete an intro course first.
We also run the full AIDA 2 course in two parts: the AIDA 2 Pool course requires at home self study, a practical pool session, followed by the exam which is sat on the same day as the pool session.
To complete the depth requirements and become a full AIDA 2 certified diver you must attend separate depth sessions which you can do with us a the lake in summer, or abroad on one of our trips.
It’s also worth noting that the way in which we run each course means that they courses focus on different skills. AIDA 1 introduces static apnea, buddying, rescues and depth diving on a buoy and line to 4m but includes little dynamic apnea practice, while our AIDA 2 pool course focuses purely on pool; static and dynamic apnea, rescues, and theory work, with no depth training. Completing AIDA 1 first ensures you’ve built the full skill set before progressing while also ensuring that Freediving London is delivering a high standard of safe and knowledgable freedivers into the community.
What do I have to do to complete my AIDA 1?
To become AIDA 1 certified, you must:
– Attend the entire 1-day course.
– Demonstrate competency in basic freediving knowledge and critical safety skills, including performing rescues for LMC (Loss of Motor Control) and surface blackouts.
The AIDA 1 course does not require you to have to dive to a certain depth, hold your breath for a certain time or complete a written exam in order to pass the course.
What do I have to do to complete my AIDA 2 Pool course?
To successfully complete the AIDA 2 Pool Course, you must:
-Study the AIDA 2 manual at home/online in your own time.
– Attend the full 1-day pool session.
– Perform a Static Apnea (STA) breath-hold for a minimum of 2 minutes.
– Complete a Dynamic Apnea (DYN) swim covering a minimum of 40m on one breath.
– Demonstrate effective LMC and blackout rescue procedures in the pool.
– Show effective buddying skills during DYN and STA exercises.
– Pass the multiple-choice written exam with a minimum score of 75%.
What happens if I don’t meet the requirements of the AIDA 2 Pool Course?
If you’re unable to meet one or more of the AIDA 2 Pool Course requirements initially, you’ll have the opportunity to return for an additional pool session to complete the missing requirement(s).
You have up to 1 year from your initial course date to meet all requirements, with an additional year provided after each requirement is successfully completed.
What do I need to do to pass the Full AIDA 2 Course (Depth certification)?
After completing the AIDA 2 Pool Course, you must attend a minimum of 3 open-water depth sessions and successfully demonstrate:
– A minimum depth of 12m in Free Immersion (FIM) and Constant Weight (CWT) dives.
– Controlled duck dives and turns at depth.
– Effective buddy supervision from the surface.
– Effective buddy supervision from a minimum depth of 10m.
– Proper execution of LMC rescue procedures.
– A rescue scenario involving safely bringing a diver experiencing blackout from a depth of 5–10m to the surface.
Is Freediving dangerous?
Like any sport, freediving can carry risks if practiced incorrectly. Freediving is very safe when undertaken with proper training and precautions. To ensure your safety, you should:
– Never dive alone (always dive with a trained buddy).
– Take an introductory freediving course with a reputable, certified instructor or freediving organisation.
At Freediving London, client safety is our top priority. Our instructors are required to complete:
– Regular safety and rescue procedure training.
– A qualified Emergency First Response (EFR) course or teacher’s water safety and rescue certification, in addition to their freediving instructor credentials.
Additionally, all participants must complete a medical health form to verify there are no underlying health conditions that could impact your diving safety. If a health condition is present, we require your doctor’s clearance via our medical release form.
We passionately believe that anyone in good health can safely experience and enjoy freediving when guided by skilled instructors.
Looking for Something A Little More Specific?
If you have further questions, our friendly, knowledgeable team would be delighted to help.
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