Freediving certification required?

[carrbonate]

I'm going to make a trip to the Yucatan soon, and I am once again confronting the need for freediving certification.

I was certified as a PADI divemaster in 1996, and later as a scientific diver with Nitrox training. I was hooked when I worked as a rescue diver for a freediving contest in Utila, Honduras. As far as I know there was no certification available when I began seriously freediving in 1998. During the summers of 98 and 99, I worked in the ocean daily for my graduate studies in marine science; freediving became a much better option than strapping on a heavy tank and breathing in dry air. My average dives were around 90 seconds to 2 minutes, and my deepest dive was 114 feet (retrieving a dropped weight belt). I continue to freedive whenever I get to the tropics.

But maybe none of that experience matters now that certification is available? Is there a way to get a certification quickly for more experienced divers like myself? What sort of certification is normally required to go diving with freediving shops?

 

[Nathan Vinski]

I'm going to make a trip to the Yucatan soon, and I am once again confronting the need for freediving certification.

I was certified as a PADI divemaster in 1996, and later as a scientific diver with Nitrox training. I was hooked when I worked as a rescue diver for a freediving contest in Utila, Honduras. As far as I know there was no certification available when I began seriously freediving in 1998. During the summers of 98 and 99, I worked in the ocean daily for my graduate studies in marine science; freediving became a much better option than strapping on a heavy tank and breathing in dry air. My average dives were around 90 seconds to 2 minutes, and my deepest dive was 114 feet (retrieving a dropped weight belt). I continue to freedive whenever I get to the tropics.

But maybe none of that experience matters now that certification is available? Is there a way to get a certification quickly for more experienced divers like myself? What sort of certification is normally required to go diving with freediving shops?

As per the AIDA standards, you can do what's called a ´Crossover' evaltualtuon. This is for people with certifications from other agencies or previous freediving experience like you.

It only takes a day (1 pool session, 1 depth session, 1 theory exam). No lessons, only demonstrate that you can do all of the required skills; performance requirements, rescues, budding, proper habits, etc..

The only thing to note is that most instructors will probably be much more strict on this. If your technique isn't perfect or you make a rescue mistake, most likely you will not get the ´cross over', in your case AIDA 2 star level and have to do the full beginner course.

Ps: to go freediving with shops, you'll need any of the recognised agencies beginner courses (AIDA, PADI, SSI, APNEA TOTAL, FII, PFI)

I'm only an AIDA instructor so not sure if any of the other ones offer the cross-over option.

 

[growingupninja]

Performance Freediving International allows divers with no formal training but 'equivalent experience' to start at the Intermediate level. All the safety from our first level courses is retaught in more detail, plus new concepts.

Also please note that PFI 'Intermediate' would be relatively advanced for many other schools--our intermediate curriculum is the basis of what is taught to US Navy SEALS and Canadian and British special forces when it comes to breathhold and freediving, as well as pro big wave surfers, and of course thousands of spearos and competitive divers. You learn the skills and have the opportunity to dive up to 40M in intermediate.

So, instead of of just rushing to just get any freediving certification (which you could likely do through PADI Freediver), why not take a course where you could be really challenged and learn new things?

I started with PFI Intermediate as prerequisite for teaching and the PFI instructor course. That was my first bit of formal freedive training. Honestly, the diving in the Intermediate course was by that time for me easy (I was already diving 60M+ on a line and had been for a few years, involved in freedive competition, holding a Guiness record, and hunting in caves past 40M in the cold murk, blah blah) but I learned a lot of cool stuff in the classroom.

I am based in Los Angeles and run classes year round.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[HooSlayer]

I'm basically in the exact same situation and have faced the same issues since the classes became popularized, more so with just private divers refusing to dive or spearfish with me, these are complete beginners too so it stings to be exluded from diving by someone thats been doing this for 3 months. I'm wondering if its common for the depth you are allowed to dive to on these regulated trips to be restricted to what your cert is. Example if I only do the beginner course its 20 M, so it wouldn't even be that enjoyable to dive and be restricted to 20 M.

I like that PFI allows someone to enter at intermediate for this reason. The con is the higher cost vs. the beginner course, but its guess worth it to be allowed to dive past 20 M if thats the rule.

What area of Yucatan are you going to? I know people in merida/progresso that don't care about certifications and good divers but they are more into spearfishing than pure freediving.