Courses & Certification

We are Ireland’s first AIDA International Freediving school and certify students under AIDA’s prescribed standards. The maximum number of students on any course is 4.

We are happy to support you on your certification journey. Below is a table of the minimum training requirements and targets to become certified at each level. If you don’t reach the targets within the minimum amount of sessions and still wish to pursue certification, you can continue with supplementary coaching sessions.

Please note that we do not rent equipment. You will need to bring your own wetsuit (5mm minimum, hooded), fins, face mask & snorkel. Weights and weight belts will be supplied.

Instructions

  1. Pick the course that sounds right for you.

  2. Begin to purchase the modules required for your course

  3. Attend your first Classroom session and progress from there with your classroom, depth and pool training.

This course offers a basic knowledge of freediving and introductory skills such as relaxation of body and mind, finning techniques, Static (STA), Free Immersion (FIM), and equalisation.

Certification Modules

Certification Requirements

AIDA-1 is an experential course. Each student automatically receives a certificate of attendance without the requirement to achieve targets.

Key Standards

  • Prerequisite certifications: None

  • It is highly recommended that you are used to swimming with fins and a facemask

  • Be able to swim at least 100m non-stop

  • First theory session to be completed prior to first open water session

  • Student to Instructor ratios for pool or confined water: 8:1 with a certified assistant 12:1

  • Student to Instructor ratios for open water: 4:1 with a certified assistant 6:1

  • Minimum Age: 18 or older (16 or 17 years with parent/guardian signature)

  • Minimum Classroom Sessions (if teaching): 1 session of min. 90 min

  • Minimum water session: 1

  • Max depth: 10m

  • The course should run over at least 1 day (3 hours)

The freediving theory will include: Introduction to Freediving, Freediving Breathing Cycle, Basic Physiology of Freediving, Equalization, Freediving Techniques, Safety in Freediving, Equipment in Freediving, Freediving Disciplines.

The static and dynamic sessions in confined water are used to teach relaxation, breathing, finning and safety techniques. In the open water sessions students will apply the skills they have learned in the pool / confined water sessions 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.

Certification Modules

Certification Requirements

  • STA: 2 mins

  • DYNB: 40 m

  • CWTB: 12 m

  • Theoretical exam-passing score is 75%

Key Standards

  • Prerequisite certifications: None

  • It is highly recommended that you are used to swimming with fins and a facemask

  • Can swim at least 200m non-stop without fins or at least 300m non-stop with mask, fins and snorkel

  • First theory session to be completed prior to first open water session

  • Student to Instructor ratios for pool or confined water: 8:1 with a certified assistant 12:1

  • Student to Instructor ratios for open water: 4:1 with a certified assistant 6:1

  • Minimum Age: 18 or older (16 or 17 years with parent/guardian signature)

  • Minimum Classroom Sessions (if teaching): 2 (minimum 3 hours total)

  • Minimum Knowledge Review Session (if self-study): 1 session of min. 90 min

  • Minimum Confined Water Sessions: 2

  • Max Confined Water depth: 5m

  • Minimum Open Water Sessions: 3 over at least 2 days

  • Max Open Water depth: 20m

  • The course should run over at least: 2.5 days

The course is designed to further develop skills from previous levels, to acquire new skills and gain a higher knowledge of safety procedures and techniques. The new techniques that are introduced are free-fall, Frenzel Equalizing, the use of training tables, the risks of increasing and decreasing pressure and also how to minimize these risks. Students will train these skills in the most common disciplines of freediving: Static Apnea, Dynamic Apnea, Free Immersion and Constant Weight Bi fins.

The theory will include: Physiology, Equalization, Barotrauma, Lungs at Depth, Buoyancy, Shallow Water Blackout, Training Concepts, The Mammalian Dive Response, Decompression Sickness, Surface Intervals and the Freediver's Code of Conduct.

Certification Modules

Certification Requirements

  • STA: 2:45 mins

  • DYNB: 55 m

  • CWTB: 24 m

  • Theoretical exam-passing score is 75%

Key Standards

  • Prerequisite certifications: AIDA2 Freediver or successful Crossover Evaluation AIDA2

  • Student to Instructor ratios for pool or confined water: 8:1 with a certified assistant 12:1

  • Student to Instructor ratios for open water: 4:1 with a certified assistant 6:1

  • Minimum Age: 18 or older (16 or 17 years with parent/guardian signature)

  • Minimum Classroom Sessions (if teaching): 3 (minimum 3 hours total)

  • Minimum Knowledge Review Session (if self-study): 1 session of min. 90min

  • Minimum Confined Water Sessions: 2

  • Max Confined Water depth: 5m

  • Minimum Open Water Sessions : 4 over at least 2 days

  • Max Open Water depth: 30m

  • The course should run over at least 3 days

Freedivers who have already completed some training with another freediving federation can migrate to the AIDA Education system. The AIDA Instructor will conduct Crossover Evaluation sessions with each student wishing to enrol on a course of the next level.

To participate in an AIDA-3 “Advanced Freediver” course, the crossover candidate will be evaluated on all skills as outlined in the AIDA-2 Course Completion Form and must pass the AIDA-2 exam.

The Evaluation consists of

  • Knowledge assessment by exam with passing rate of 75%

  • Assessment of all confined and open water skills

  • 1 x open water session

  • 1 x pool session

Certification may be issued on the assessed course level, but it is not a prerequisite to join a course of the next level.

Contact to schedule a date.

The AIDA Monofin Freediver course is designed to be an introduction to Monofin swimming and to help the student develop the basic skills, techniques and knowledge necessary to start using the Monofin efficiently. Students will be acquainted with different approaches to freediving with a Monofin, exercises designed to work on this swimming style and ways of planning a training program.

The theory sessions will include: History of the Monofin; Monofin construction and design, current manufacturers and how to choose and fit your fin; How to care for and transport your Monofin safely; Freediving categories which use the Monofin, the differences needed in blade and technique and the advantages and disadvantages of monofins over bi-fins; Equipment for use with the Monofin; Dry training to develop the body for Monofin freediving; Physiology for Monofin freediving; Key rules to remember for Monofin freediving safely and Sources of further information.

Prerequisites

  • Be 18 years of age or older (16 or 17 years old with parent or guardian consent)

  • Have completed an AIDA1 or AIDA2 pool certification

  • Have completed the Crossover Evaluation if crossing over from another freediving federation

Requirements

  • Theoretical exam-passing score is 75%

Contact to schedule a date.