Freediving Courses in Roatan

Requirements

• Lap 1/Wave 1 certificate for Lap 2
• Wave 1 certificate for Wave 2
• OR completed crossover evaluation

Passing Requirements

Pool Requirements

• Static 2 min 30 sec
• DYNB 50m
• DNF 35m

Open Water requirements

• CWTB & FIM 24-30m
• CNF 15m
• CWTB buddying 10-15m
• Rescue from 15m

Price $ 500

Requirements

• Lap 2/Wave 2 certificate for Lap 3
• Wave 2 certificate for Wave 3
• OR completed crossover evaluation
• AND active first aid certificate

Passing Requirements

Pool Requirements

• STA 3 min 30 sec.
• DYNB 75m
• DNF 50m

Open Water requirements

• CWTB & FIM 34-40m
• CNF 25m
• CWTB Buddying 20m
• Rescue 20m
• Surface tow 20m
• Retrieval of an incapacitated freediver from 30m

Price $690

Description

Description

Price $ 500

• 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

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.

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.

Active AIDA Instructor or Higher

• Prerequisite certifications: None
• 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 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

• Be 18 years of age or older (16 or 17 years old with parent or guardian consent)
• Have completed the AIDA2 course or have completed the AIDA2 Crossover Evaluation if crossing over from another freediving agency

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.

Active AIDA Instructor or Higher

• 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 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

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Have completed the AIDA 3 course or have completed the AIDA 3 Crossover Evaluation if crossing over from another freediving agency
• Have completed a course in First Aid with CPR within the last two years

This course familiarises students with techniques, knowledge and safety procedures for deep freediving that go beyond recreational freediving. The new techniques will include FRC diving, mouth-fill equalization and packing. The skills are developed within these categories of freediving: Static Apnea, Dynamic Apnea, Constant Weight Bi fins, Free Immersion and Variable Weight (Optional). In addition to the in-water skills this course introduces full body warm-ups and stretching, specific stretching of breathing muscles, training concepts and diet that benefits the freediver and help shape their development as a diver. You will also be, acquainted with packing and reverse packing, mainly within vital capacity as a part of the dry lessons.

An important set of skills concerns managing open water equipment. The use of appropriate knots and braiding techniques, setting the depth on the dive line, constructing a safe bottom weight from a weight belt and diving leads, safe handling of other additional equipment (bottom plate, torches, lanyards, etc.).

One of the purposes of this course is to prepare successful candidates for the role of “Assistant Instructor”. This new role will include leading an appropriate warm-up session for confined and open water freediving and supervising students of all course levels during their confined or open water sessions.

The theory sessions will include: Physics – Dalton’s Law, Boyle’s Law, Henry’s law, Decompression Sickness, Nitrogen Narcosis, Failure Depth and how to increase VC and decrease RV, FRC Diving, Mouth-Fill, Packing, Fitness and Training, Nutrition and Diet for Freedivers.

Active AIDA Master Instructor or Higher

• 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
• Current First Aid certification which includes CPR (no older than two years)
• Minimum Classroom Sessions (if teaching): 3 (minimum 3 hours total)
• Minimum Knowledge Review Session (if self-study): 1 session of min. 90min
• Full Body Warm-up, Stretching and Specific Stretches of the Breathing Muscles
• Minimum Confined Water Sessions: 2
• Max Confined Water depth: 5m
• Minimum Open Water Sessions: 4 over at least 2 days
• Max Open Water depth: 38m
• The course should run over at least 4 days

• Be 18 years of age or old.
• Having achieved a first aid certification from a recognized agency within the last two years.
• Holding an AIDA4 certification (or equivalent, and complete a crossover evaluation).
• Requirements must be fulfilled before starting the course.

• CWTB 40-50m
• FIM 40-50m
• CNF > 20m
• Slow CWTB (30m > 1:30)
• Slow FIM (30m > 2:00)
• Solo rescue from 25m + 50m tow and rescue breaths
• Rescue with standby: 1:00 standby at 15m + solo rescue
• Stamina Test: 5x20m CWTB with max 1:00 surface recovery
• Demonstrating proper technique in all disciplines
• Demonstrating rescue techniques

• STA 4:00-5:00
• DYNB > 90m
• DNF > 50m
• Demonstrating proper technique in all disciplines
• Demonstrating rescue techniques (STA, DYNB)

• Teaching theoretical concepts using AIDA2 slides
• Teaching theoretical concepts using AIDA3 slides
• Teaching AIDA2 pool skills
• Teaching AIDA3 pool skills
• Teaching AIDA2 open water skills
• Teaching AIDA3 open water skills
• Conducting a stretching & breathing session
• Demonstrating ability to handle ropes, perform knots, set-up buoys and open water equipment
• Participating in teaching a course attended by real students under the supervision of the instructor trainer
• Research and oral presentation on a topic which extends the standard material of AIDA courses. Candidates will be assigned a topic by their instructor trainer at least 1 month before the course starts, and will need to deliver a written essay and a slide set in advance, in such a way that the material can be reviewed by the trainer. The instructor trainer will evaluate both the quality of the material and the presentation skills.

• AIDA 2, 3 and 4 theoretical exams, passing rate > 90%
• Instructor course exams (exam 1, exam 2A – open book, exam 2B), passing rate > 75%

Classroom sessions cover a variety of topics such as teaching methodologies, effective communication, risk management, planning, marketing, and budgeting.

Water sessions are devoted to performance requirements and skills demonstration

• The candidate instructor needs to demonstrate repeatable performances under stress and with impeccable technique, in every discipline and phase of the dive (relaxation phase, body position, finning, equalization, surface protocol, etc.).
• Meeting the required performance requirements sporadically or with bad form/technique will not be considered satisfactory to pass the course.
• Blackout or loss of motor control happening during the course entail failing the course.

Active AIDA Instructor Trainer

An AIDA Instructor is qualified to teach the AIDA1, AIDA2 Freediver Course, AIDA3 Advanced Freediver Course and the AIDA Monofin Course.

An AIDA Instructor is also qualified to teach the AIDA Competition Freediver and AIDA Competition Safety Freediver if the Instructor is also an AIDA Judge.

• Minimum Classroom Sessions (if teaching): 8 Minimum duration 8 x 1.5 hours for each session
• Minimum Knowledge Review Session (if self-study): 8 session of min. 8 x 15min
• Minimum Confined Water Sessions: 3
• Max Confined Water depth: 5m
• Minimum Open Water Sessions: 5 over at least 3 day
• Max depth: 50m
• Maximum number of Instructor Candidates on course: 8
• The course should run over at least 7 days

• Be 18 years of age or older (16 or 17 years old with parent or guardian consent)
• Have completed the AIDA2 Freediver course or have completed the Crossover Evaluation if crossing over from another freediving agency

This is a course for anyone who plans on entering an AIDA Competition for the first time and/or wants to know more about how one works. Students will develop their knowledge and skills of the main competitive categories of freediving including Static Apnea, Dynamic Apnea and Constant Weight. The instructor will cover all the competition rules and procedures in the classroom before recreating a competition environment in the pool and/or open water to give the student a real sense of how it can feel to be in a competition situation.

The theory sessions will include: AIDA regulations for International Freediving Competitions- general rules; The 8 disciplines of freediving and why competitions are not held for Variable Weight or No Limits.

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Have an AIDA2 pool freediving certification or equivalent
• Be willing to work in a team and have satisfactory communication skills
• Have previous AIDA competition experience (as an athlete, judge or organizer
• Fulfil the following physical requirements:

  – 100m surface swim in less than 1:45 (no equipment)

  – 100m surface swim in less than 1:30 (with equipment)

  – 50m surface sprint using fins and floating board in less than 35” (50m pool).

  – Adjust based on the available pool if needed (e.g. less than 40” for a 25m pool)

  – 50m DYNB

  – 8x25m DYNB at fast pace, 15” recovery

  – 30” STA at the bottom of the pool (1m-3m)

The purpose of the AIDA Pool Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® courses is to familiarise freedivers with the safety procedures and rules in place during an AIDA Pool competition. Students will develop their knowledge and skills so they can be used as a Safety Freediver during AIDA Pool competitions.

• Demonstrate proper surface swimming technique while assisting a DYN performance
• Demonstrate ability to not disrupt the athlete’s performance, minimize turbulences while finning as well as keeping visual of the judges
• Demonstrate satisfactory DYN rescues
• Demonstrate satisfactory STA rescues
• Ability to manage stress
• Pass the theory exam (75% min. score)

Active AIDA Pool Instructor or Higher and AIDA Judge

An AIDA Pool Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® is certified to provide safety in STA, DYN, DYNB, DNF for all AIDA pool events

AIDA Pool Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® will gain experience points by participating in AIDA pool events, following a mechanism similar to the one adopted for AIDA Judges. The achieved level and number of experience points will be considered upon selecting safeties for events such as the AIDA World Championships.

Experience points are attributed based on the following formula:

• Performance Zone Safeties: 2 points per start divided by the number of Performance Zone Safeties.
• Warm-up Zone Safeties: the number of points received by a Performance-zone Safety divided by 2

Example: Pool competition with 40 starts, 4 performance zone safeties and 2 warm-up safeties.

• Each performance-zone safety receives: (2 points x 40 starts) / 4 safeties = 20 points
• Each Warm-up Safety receives: 20 points for a performance zone safety / 2 = 10 points. Safety experience is recognized through 4 experience levels, based on the achieved experience points. To achieve the highest experience level (Level A) a safety must also be approved by the AIDA Sport Officer (following the recommendation of the AIDA Safety committee)

  – Pool Safety level D: 100 competition points

  – Pool Safety level C: 200 competition points

  – Pool Safety level B: 300 competition points

  – Pool Safety level A: 400 competition points & Approval by the AIDA Sport Officer based on the AIDA Safety Committee recommendation.

• Student to Instructor ratios for pool or confined water: 8:1 with a certified assistant 12:1
• Maximum number of students for theory classes: 12:1
• Minimum Classroom Sessions (if teaching): 4 (minimum 7.5 hours total)
• Minimum Pool Sessions: 3
• Max Confined Water depth: 5m
• The course should run over at least 2 days (minimum 14 hours total)

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Hold an AIDA2 freediving certification or equivalent
• Have previous AIDA competition experience (as athlete, judge or organizer).
• Be willing to work in a team and have satisfactory communication skills
• Fulfil the following physical requirements:
• Fulfil the following physical requirements:

  – 35-40m CWTB

  – 30m dive + 30” surface recovery + 20m dive

  – 20m dives with 3-5” notice, at fast pace (early turn simulation)

The purpose of the AIDA Depth Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® courses is to familiarise freedivers with the safety procedures and rules in place during an AIDA Depth competition. Students will develop their knowledge and skills so they can be used as a Safety Freediver during AIDA Depth competitions

• Ability to perform solo rescues from -20m
• Ability to perform team rescues from -25m with 30” standby
• Ability to assist and rescue from -25m with BOs at random depths (es. surface, 10m, 25m, in random order) covering all team roles (Safety 1, Safety 2 and Safety 3), including extraction (hand-off to the medical team)
• Ability to manage stress
• Pass the theory exam (75% min. score)

Active AIDA Instructor or Higher and AIDA Judge

An AIDA Depth Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® is certified to provide safety at 20m with a max Standby time of 20” in AIDA depth events limited to 80m depth announcements.

An AIDA Depth Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® will gain experience points by participating in AIDA depth events. The achieved level and number of experience points will be considered upon selecting safeties for events such as the AIDA World Championships.

Experience points are attributed based on the following formula:

• Performance Zone Safeties: 3 points per start divided by the number of Performance Zone Safeties.
• Warm-up Zone Safeties: the number of points received by a Performance-zone Safety divided by 4

Example: depth competition with 20 starts, 3 performance zone safeties and 2 warm-up safeties:

• Each Performance-zone safety receives: (3 points x 20 starts) / 3 safeties = 20 points
• Each Warm-up Safety receives: 20 points for a performance zone safety / 4 = 5 points Safety experience is recognized through 4 experience levels/landmarks, based on the achieved experience points.

  – Depth Safety level D: 50 competition points

  – Depth Safety level C: 100 competition points

  – Depth Safety level B: 150 competition points

  – Depth Safety level A: over 200 competition points

Step I: Accumulation of experience points

A certified AIDA Depth Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® accumulates experience points through their participation as official safety in AIDA depth competitions.

Step II: Certification as AIDA Depth Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver®

A total of 200 experience points allows to enroll in the AIDA Advanced Depth Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® course. Upon successfully completing the advanced course, the student will be certified as AIDA Advanced Depth Competition Safety, which certifies them to provide safety at maximum 30m depth with a maximum standby time of 20” in all AIDA depth events (including AIDA depths events beyond 80m depth).

Step III: Certification as AIDA Advanced Depth Safety Instructor

• AIDA Instructor certification
• AIDA Advanced Depth Competition Safety by Vertical Blue – Professional Safety Freediver® certification
• 400 Safety experience points
• AIDA Safety Committee recommendation and approval by the Education Officer

The AIDA Advanced Depth Safety Instructor has the competence to certify AIDA Advanced Depth Competition Safety freedivers

• Student to Instructor ratios for Open water: 4:1 with a certified assistant 6:1
• Maximum number of students for theory classes: 6
• Minimum Classroom Sessions (if teaching): 4 (minimum 8 hours total)
• Minimum Open Water Sessions: 3
• Max Open Water depth: 40
• The course should run over at least 2 (minimum 14 hours total)