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Freediver

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Freediver

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$195.00 – $849.00

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Have you ever wondered how some people can hold their breath for very long and dive? This is the fairly new and growing world of freediving! Aquarius Scuba is proud to begin it’s very own freediving training at the Etobicoke Olympium on Monday nights.

What is freediving?

Freediving is any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold underwater diving. Examples include breath-hold spearfishing, freedive photography, apnea competitions and, to a degree, snorkeling. The activity that garners the most public attention is competitive apnea, an extreme sport, in which competitors attempt to attain great depths, times or distances on a single breath without direct assistance of an underwater breathing apparatus.

The sport of freediving is becoming more popular all over the world, especially with younger generations, and we are proud to say we have helped it grow in Toronto. Join our class and pool session, and you will meet pro freediving coaches, who were part of the world-record breath-hold dive.

AIDA is the worldwide rule and record-keeping body for competitive Freediving events. It aims to set standards for safety, Official World Record attempts, and Freediving Education.

Join our optional 1 year Club Membership for only $150, to benefit from world class coaching and quality practice at the Etobicoke Olympium Pool.

Category: Continuing Education Freediving

Product Description

    AIDA 1

    This course offers a basic knowledge on freediving, for those interested in learning snorkel or freedive no deeper than 5-10 meters, or as an introductory class that will prepare for more advanced freediving training later on.

    Course Structure:

    1 hr theory-classroom
    1 hr pool training

    What is covered: Introductory skills such as relaxation of body and mind, finning techniques, duck dives and basic equalisation.

    Prerequisites:

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

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

    What to bring for the pool session: Students are expected to bring the following:

    • Mask

    • Snorkel

    • Fins

    Requirements for completing the course: none

    AIDA 2

    The AIDA 2 course is for those who have completed AIDA 1 (no prerequisite) and/or have some previous experience in freediving and want to complete their certification. Knowing that taking a freediving course is the most important step of your freediving development.

    POOL CERTIFICATION

    We offer this first part of the course as a pool certification only, due to the fall-winter months in Canada getting too cold for most.

    Course Structure:

    2 theory-classroom sessions
    2 pool training sessions

    What is covered: Theory sessions will cover an introduction to Freediving, Breathing Cycle, Basic Physiology of Freediving, Equalization, Freediving Techniques, Safety in Freediving, Equipment in Freediving, Freediving Disciplines. Pool sessions will cover static and dynamic sessions as well as teach on relaxation, breathing, finning, and safety techniques.

    Prerequisites:

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

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

    Course requirements to qualify for pool certification:

    • 40m distance underwater DYN (dynamic apnea with fins)

    • 2:00 stationary breath-hold time in water STA (static apnea)

    • One final exam, with a minimum passing score of 75%

     

    OPEN WATER CERTIFICATION

    This course is for students that have completed the requirements of AIDA 2 pool certification and would like to extend their skills in depth.

    In the open water sessions, students will apply the skills they have learned in the pool 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.

    Course Structure:

    1 theory-classroom session (refresher)
    2 open water sessions

    What is covered: Theory sessions will cover an introduction to Freediving, Freediving Breathing Cycle, Basic Physiology of Freediving, Equalization, Freediving Techniques, Safety in Freediving, Equipment in Freediving, Freediving Disciplines. Open Water Sessions will cover the basic skills of open water freediving such as equalizing, duck diving, vertical swimming, body positioning, turns and use of buoyancy.

    Prerequisites:

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

    • Have completed AIDA 2 pool requirements & certification

    Course requirements to qualify for certification:

    • AIDA 2 Pool Certification

    • 12-20 meters CWT (constant weight w/by-fins)

    What to bring: Students are expected to bring the following:

    • Mask

    • Snorkel

    • Fins

    • Proper wetsuit for open water diving

    • Gloves and socks for open water diving

    • Weight belt with weights

    • Dive computer (optional but recommended)

    AIDA 3

    The course is designed for experience freedivers who would like to further develop their skills from previous levels, or to acquire new skills and gain a higher knowledge of safety procedures and techniques.

    These additional skills will help to improve freediving techniques, relaxation to dive longer, deeper, more comfortably and enjoyable.

    POOL CERTIFICATION

    We offer this first part of the course as a pool certification only, due to the fall-winter months in Canada getting too cold for most.

    Course Structure:

    3 theory sessions
    2 pool sessions

    What is covered: Theory sessions will cover 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. Pool sessions will cover static and dynamic sessions as well as teach on relaxation, breathing, finning and safety techniques as well as how to prepare and use training tables (CO2/O2).

    Students will train these skills with the most common pool disciplines of freediving: Static Apnea, Dynamic Apnea with bi-fins.

    Prerequisites:

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

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

    • Have completed the AIDA 2 course or have completed the AIDA 2 Crossover Evaluation if crossing over from another freediving agency.

    Course requirements to qualify for pool certification:

    • 2:45 minutes STA,

    • 55 meters DYN (dynamic apnea with fins),

    • One final exam, with a minimum passing score of 75%,

     

    OPEN WATER CERTIFICATION

    This course is for students that have completed the requirements of AIDA 3 pool certification and would like to extend their skills in depth disciplines.

    In the open water sessions students will apply the skills they have learned in the AIDA 3 pool sessions and the new techniques that will be introduced such as free-fall, Frenzel Equalizing, 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: Free Immersion and Constant Weight

    Course Structure:

    1 theory-classroom session (theory refresher)
    3 open water sessions

    What is covered: Theory sessions will cover an introduction to Freediving, Freediving Breathing Cycle, Basic Physiology of Freediving, Equalization, Freediving Techniques, Safety in Freediving, Equipment in Freediving, Freediving Disciplines. Open Water Sessions will cover the basic skills of open water freediving such as equalizing, duck diving, vertical swimming, body positioning, turns and use of buoyancy.

    Prerequisites:

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

    • Have completed AIDA 2 pool requirements & certification

    Course requirements to qualify for certification:

    • AIDA 3 Pool Certification

    • 26 meters CWT (constant weigh w/by-fins)

    What to bring: Students are expected to bring the following:

    • Mask

    • Snorkel

    • Fins

    • Proper wetsuit for open water diving

    • Gloves and socks for open water diving

    • Weight belt with weights

    • Dive computer (optional but recommended)

    Additional Information

    Learning Options

    AIDA 1 – Intro to Freediving, AIDA 2 – Pool Certification, AIDA 2 – Open Water Certification, AIDA 2 – Full Course, AIDA 3 – Pool Certification, AIDA 3 – Open Water Certification, AIDA 3- Full Course, Crossover to AIDA

    Schedule

    Undecided/Gift, June 2023, July 2023, August 2023, September 2023

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