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Freediving Intermediate-Advanced Course

BY: Valentina / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Baja, Course, Freediving, Freefall

AIDA 3  – Freediving Intermediate-Advanced Course

In this post you will find all the information you need about the Freediving Beginner Course.


AIDA3 Guidelines v3.1

Freefall Academy AIDA 3 Freediving Course Approach

The AIDA 3 Freediving Course can technically be completed in three days. However, we believe that squeezing all the necessary information and practice into such a short timeframe can be challenging. That’s why we have chosen to teach our AIDA 3 course over four days. This allows us to cover the same topics and exercises without rushing, giving you ample time to absorb the material. One of the things that sets us apart from other schools is our emphasis on optimal conditions. That’s why we exclusively offer Freediving Courses from May through November, as these months provide the best weather and conditions in La Paz and its surrounding areas. During this time, the wind is typically calm, the water is warmer, and visibility is significantly improved. In addition to prioritizing favorable conditions, we differentiate ourselves by offering two days of boat-based training. While many schools conduct their courses from the shore or mix, we believe that going out on the boat enhances the experience and allows us to find the best diving spots. We strive to create an enriching and enjoyable learning environment, optimizing your freediving experience with us.  

Itinerary

Day 1

9am-12pm – We’ll meet at the classroom, fill out paperwork and start the theory lesson. 12:00-12:30 – Breathing session 12:30-2pm – Static Apnea Session

Day 2

9am-12pm – Theory session and equalization workshop 12:30-2:30pm – Dynamic Apnea Session

Day 3

8:30am- Lunch stretching session 9am – Depth Sessions 2pm – Finish

Day 4

8am – Meet and transport to La Ventana 9am – Depth Sessions 2pm – Drive back to La Paz 3pm – Finish   The location of the depth sessions may change according to the weather and the logistics. The exact time and schedule may change due to logistics. The exam will be online.  

Price

$10,900 pesos per person Includes: theory manuals, pool fees, AIDA certification, boat fees, transportation from La Paz, freediving retal gear. 20% de descuento para mexicanos al presentar INE

 

Our Recommendations

To maximize your enjoyment and benefit from this course, we strongly recommend that you have a comfortable diving capability of at least 20 meters. This means being able to dive multiple times per session to that depth. The skills covered in the course are practiced within the range of 15-25 meters, with a maximum depth of 30 meters. If diving to 20 meters poses a significant challenge for you, it may hinder your ability to fully apply the new theory and skills learned during the course. In such cases, we advise you to engage in training and practice before pursuing the AIDA 3 course until you feel confident and at ease diving to the 20-meter mark. Once you have achieved this comfort level, you will be well-prepared to embark on the AIDA 3 course and make the most of your experience. We recommend that if you have your own gear to bring it in order to asure that you have a perfect fit. If you don’t have your own gear we will provide it for you. At time of booking please send us your height, weight and show size (eu).  

We hope to see you underwater! If you have any doubts please contact us at apneafreefallacademy@gmail.com and we will be happy to assist you.

   

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Freefall in Freediving

BY: Valentina / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: CNF, Freediving, Freefall

What is freefall in freediving?

The practice of freefall in freediving occurs when a free diver reaches a point of negative buoyancy and stops finning or swimming downward, allowing the force of gravity alone to draw the diver deeper.  

Why do we freefall?

Freefall in Freediving (CNF) - William Trubridge
CNF World Record holder William Trubridge showing us how its done! Freefalling with no fins.

As a free diver descends in water, the volume of air inside of their body (therefore the volume of the body itself) becomes smaller or more compressed thereby changing the buoyancy of their body.  This is explained by Boyle’s Law and Archimedes’ principle respectively.

Every free diver possesses a different degree of buoyancy which is variable to their freediving gear (i.e. wetsuit, weight belt, fins, mask, etc.).  A safe freediving practice is to have a positive buoyancy of at least 10 meters because most of the blackouts happen between 10m and the surface.  This way, if a blackout does occur, the diver will float to the surface, making a rescue more achievable.  We will discuss more safety protocols in a different blog post.  

The freefall is a technique used by almost every professional free diver.  This is because, during the freefall the diver is not required to use physical exertion to gain distance in depth.  This allows the diver to conserve oxygen and energy while decreasing the rate of carbon dioxide production.  The freefall can be likened to a depth static, where the individual can focus her or his consciousness on relaxation and equalization.   

Freefall Technique

Freefall in Freediving with bi-fins
Freefall in freediving with bi-fins (fins are parallel to the line and knees are slightly bent).

That being said, there is a proper technique to the freefall.  When mastered freefall can lead a free diver into a dream-like or zen-like state.  In general, the ideal body position will be as hydrodynamic as possible.  Specifically, the head should be in a neutral position to aide in equalization, neither looking down or up the line. The torso parallel to the line. The arms and hands should be streamlined along the side or front of the body.  Without fins the legs should be straight with pointed feet, or slightly bent legs with relaxed feet.  With fins, the legs should be slightly bent from the hips or knees so that the blade(s) of the fin(s) run parallel with the line (like in the picture).

A good technique will yield a freefall rate of approximately one meter per second (1m/s).

Personal Preference

While in freefall the free diver has the option to close their eyes, this furthers the relaxation and therefore oxygen conservation.  The current CWT (Constant Weight) world record holder Alexey Molchanov while in freefall has said he only opens his eyes slightly every few seconds.   He does this to make sure he has good positioning along the line.  Other divers, such as Alenka Artnik, the CWT Roatan 2017 AIDA World Champion freefalls with her eyes closed the entire time and feels the line with her hand.  There are many slight variations that are a personal preference for each individual free diver.  

In conclusion, the freefall is a very useful and peaceful practice to improve relaxed gains in depth while freediving.  It is personally our favorite part of freediving, hence the name ‘Freefall Academy’. We hope you have learned something from this post.  Please share an experience or thought with us below in the comment section.  Or better yet, come freefall with us in one of our courses here in La Paz. Safe freefalls. 

Check out this amazing video of Guillaume Néry freefalling at Deans Blue Hole in Bahamas!

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