PFI Intermediate Freediver Course


Maximum 5 students per class

Length of course: 4 days

Course Fees $795

3 Boat trips, $60 per trip + tax = $190.80

Course fees plus boat fees  = $985.80

Boat fees due day of the trip

 

Max depth 133 feet

Average Student does a 4-5 minute breath hold.

Average Student does a 100 foot freedive.

 

Watch a January 2013 Intermediate Freediver Course video

 

 

 Read why Immersion Freediving is different from the rest.

 

Course prerequisites

  • Must be comfortable freediving in the 40-50ft range.
  • Must be 15  years or older, if younger please call to discuss.

Materials included in course

  • Includes Performance Freediving Intermediate Freediver Manual and informational packet with specific details regarding location and scheduling information.
  • Includes Immersion Freediving T-shirt.
  • Boat fees are not included and are additional. They are typically  $60 per trip and are paid directly to the boat.  This course has three separate ocean sessions.  In locations where open water training is done via shore, lake, quarry, or spring, there is no boat fee.

Typical course schedule

  • Thursday  8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. classroom, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.  pool session
  • Friday 8:00 -10:00 a.m. pool session, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. class session, 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. ocean session
  • Saturday 8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. classroom,   2:0o p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ocean session
  • Sunday 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ocean session

Gear requirements

  • Mask
  • Fins
  • Snorkel
  • Wetsuit
  • Weights and Weight belt
  • Waterproof timing device , Freediving computer recommend.

 

 

 

Gear recommendation

Upcoming course schedule

 

 

Free Diving Course Outline

 

Breathing techniques

  • How to get a much bigger breath than you can right now.
  • How to breathe to maximize bottom time.
  • How to breathe when you surface to increase safety.
  • Discussion on packing: what it is, how to do it, and how to do it without hurting yourself.

Static apnea (Holding your breath face down in the pool)

  • Average student completes course with a 4:00-5:00 minute breath hold.
  • How to practice static apnea in a safe manner with a trained buddy.
  • Why it is important to train static apnea.
  • Become a more confident and comfortable freediver by adding a minute or two to your breath hold.
  • During Intermediate course, we do two static sessions. On the last session we allow students to hold their breath as long as they can under controlled and safe conditions.

Freediving Safety

  • How to provide proper freediving safety as a buddy.
  • How to weight yourself properly to ensure safety and maximize performance.
  • What a blackout is, how as a buddy you would recognize it before it happens, and how to deal with it.
  • You will learn Intermediate safety techniques: how to provide safety when divers are diving deeper than 66 feet. This is different than the safety taught  in the Freediver Course.
  • How to deal with a underwater blackout.

 

Kicking and Entry Techniques

  • How to kick properly  so you are not wasting energy getting to the bottom.
  • How to kick straight down to bottom without your typical 30-degree angle on descent.
  • How to make an efficient entry without wearing excessive weight.
  • Reduce your oxygen consumption and increase your bottom time by making these modifications to  your entry method and kicks.
  • How to count your kick cycles, so you know exactly how deep you are at all points during you dive.
  • How to vary your kicking strength so you are not wasting oxygen as you go deeper.
  • Discussion of sink phase — when you actually stop kicking and sink the rest of the way to your target depth — and how to apply it to your freediving.

Freediving Equipment Lecture

  • Why a freediving mask is superior to a scuba mask for freediving.
  • Why  a freediving-specific wetsuit is better than  a scuba wetsuit.
  • What type of snorkels are good; what types you should avoid.
  • Are your $150 dollar scuba split fins great for freediving or terrible for freediving?
  • Modifications you can make to existing gear to increase performance.
  • This lecture will turn you into a much more informed consumer when purchasing gear.

 

Streamlining Techniques

  • Proper hand position for freediving and why it matters.
  • Proper head position for freediving. Ever wonder why most freedivers and spearfishermen never kick straight down?  This is why.
  • How to reduce surface area as you are pushing through water. This makes the same dive require less energy, which leads to increasing your bottom time.

 

Hands-on equalizing workshop

We will discuss proper equalizing techniques for freediving.  Believe it or not, it’s not the same as equalizing for scuba.  If you’ve ever had to turn around and head up to the surface because you couldn’t equalize while freediving, this is the answer.

We will explain the difference between the Valsalva and Frenzel equalization method.  The Valsalva method of equalization is taught in scuba courses.  It is  basically pinching your nose and blowing.  The proper equalization method for freediving is the Frenzel technique.  We will discuss how to find out which method you are using and how to switch you over to the right method. You will also receive homework assignments  to give you the tools to practice at home and perfect the techniques.

During the Intermediate course we will discuss advanced equalizing techniques.  If you ever been freediving past the 80-foot range and been unable to equalize, this is the answer.

 

Items received upon on successful completion of course

  • PFI Intermediate Freediver certification card.
  • Membership to a Yahoo  forum for all PFI graduates, a great way to find dive buddies and ask questions.