Until science invents a way for humans to have gills, learning to freedive is the closest you can get to becoming a mermaid or merman. As a PADI® Freediver you can explore the underwater world with minimal equipment and enjoy longer, closer animal encounters.
1. Unparalleled Wildlife Encounters
The noisy bubbles exhaled by scuba divers are scary to many underwater animals. Freedivers, on the other hand, are sleek, quiet, and more approachable.
2. Embark on a Journey of Inner Exploration
Freedivers learn to subdue their body’s natural urges while staying as relaxed as possible. As you develop your freediving skills, you’ll improve your physical and mental stamina in ways that may surprise you. You’ll also be able to apply the breathing techniques and mindfulness learnt as a freediver to handle stressful or uncomfortable situations.
3. Defy Science
Physiology Professor Kevin Fong writes, “In the very early days of freediving, physiologists were pretty convinced that people couldn’t go beyond about 30 or 40 metres/98 or 131 feet….They said, ‘your lungs are going to be crushed.’ But of course, free divers(sic) decided to do it anyway – and they swam well past those theoretical limits…The depth records for human freediving now are quite absurd: not tens but hundreds of metres.”
Freedivers unlock a hidden superpower of the human body – the Mammalian Diving Reflex. When your face touches the water, your body redirects blood to your vital organs and slows your heart rate. The human body also automatically creates a constant pressure in your chest cavity so your organs aren’t crushed.
4. Experience Underwater Freedom
Many freedivers have described the experience “like flying underwater.” You will experience the weightless feeling of scuba diving, without all the scuba gear restricting your movements and instead, you will have powerful freediving fins that allow you to glide, spin and somersault like a seal.
Learn to Freedive
The PADI Freediver™ course teaches you breath-holding techniques to gradually increase your time and depth. During the PADI Freediver course you’ll learn:
- Basic static apnea (breathholds while floating)
- Dynamic apnea (breathholds while swimming)
- Free immersion (pulling yourself along a line)
- Constant weight freediving (duck diving headfirst while following a line)
You’ll practice diving to 10-16 metres/30-55 feet, learn about freediving equipment, important safety rules and buddy procedures.
If you enjoy freediving, you can pursue additional training.
PADI Advanced Freediver – Expand your knowledge and skills in static apnea, dynamic apnea, free immersion and constant weight freediving. Explore down to 16-24 metres/55-80 feet.
PADI Master Freediver – Continue your knowledge and skill development in static apnea, dynamic apnea, free immersion and constant weight freediving. Increase your max depth to 24-40 metres/80-130 feet.
Ready to do things you never thought possible? Learn more about the PADI Freediver course and locate a PADI Freediver Centre to get started!
