FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Please browse our FAQs below, and if you have any questions contact us here.
Freediving is something that can be enjoyed by everyone! Incredibly, humans share somephysiological traits with oceanic mammals such as whales and dolphins. This means that with the correct training and practice, humans are more than capable of spending periods of time under the water through using correct technique, safety and body awareness.
Snorkellers may not have any training and generally spend most of the time floating on the surface with a mask and snorkel looking down. Skin diving would be a step between snorkelling and freediving by adding short, shallow dives underwater. Freediving uses more advanced techniques and diving skills to increase depth and time underwater. Through training, freedivers learn conserve oxygen while breathholding while practicing different freediving disciplines, such as static apnea, dynamic apnea, free immersion and constant weight freedives which all increase the recreational freediving ability.
If you do not have any medical irregularities in your ears and sinuses, this will not be an issue! This discomfort that you feel in your ears is the effect of water pressure on your ear drums. In the Freediver course you will learn how to adjust for pressure safely so that you do not feel this or risk any injury to your eardrums or middle ear.
No prior experience with snorkelling, skindiving or freediving is required as we will teach you everything that you need to know to safety and confidently Freedive in the ocean! You will need only adequate swimming skills and no medical conditions related to freediving. The most important aspect, is that you are in a generally good state of health.
The Freediver course contains three phases – knowledge development, a confined water sessions and open water sessions. During knowledge development you learn about how your body reacts to breathholding and how water pressure affects you as you dive down. You also learn about freediving equipment, important safety rules and buddv procedures.
All of our courses are flexible and performance based, which means that we can offer a wide varietv of schedules, organised according to how fast you progress. Usually candidates can successfully complete the programme in 2 days. Knowledge development is handled through independent study. You pace yourself as you work through each topic, then complete an overall Knowledge Review, then an Exam. During confined and open water sessions, your Freediver Instructor will focus on helping you become a confident and comfortable freediver, not on how long it takes. You earn your certification based on demonstrating you know what you need to know and can do what you need to do.
We recommend that you bring any relevant gear that you are already comfortable in. E.g if you have a scuba mask that you have used for years, it will be best to learn in this before potentially looking at swapping this for a freediving mask. Any gear that you do not already own will be available to rent for a small fee.
You will need the following for all courses:
– Mask and Snorkel
– Wetsuit (5mm recommended)
– Comfortable fins
– Rubber weightbelt
– Weights
There is not really a right answer, as long as you are healthy (dive-related), vou are never too old to Freedive! A medical clearance must be signed off by your regular General health practitioner if you are over 45 years old. All student divers complete a medical history form that asks about medical conditions that could be a problem while freediving. If none of these apply, sign the form and you’re ready to start. If any of these apply to you, your doctor must, as a safety precaution, assess the condition as it relates to freediving and sign a medical form that confirms you’re fit to dive.
Yes we do. We offer underwater exploration and snorkelling experiences as well as mermaiding courses, to our young mermaids and mermen as an introduction to freediving and the ocean world (Mermaiding courses can be a fun way for the whole family to get involved)! A child’s cognitive and physiological development become more adult-like from the age of 12 onwards. Taking into consideration that children are still developing both mentally and physically and that their bodies are not yet operating at the same physiological level as an adult, freediving is typically restricted to those 12 years and older.
You can enrol into a Basic Freediver or Freediver course from 12 years. You must be 15 years old to enrol into the Advanced Freediver and for a Master level course you must be 18 or over.
Yes with pleasure – provided your children are 12 years and older. It is imperative that your family doctor provides a signed Freediving medical assessment for extra peace of mind and if younger than 15.
Anvone who can successfully meet the medical and performance requirements of the course can become a certified diver. Many of the skills are flexible in how thev can be mastered and our qualified instructors will work with vou using adaptive techniques to help you on your way to certification.
Yes they are. All of the Mermaiding and Freediving courses that we offer are Internationally certified courses from beginner through to Instructor. You can choose between PADI, Molchanovs or Apnea Total for education system.
If you have not previously completed an entry level freediving course in the past, yes. Scuba diving and freediving are both wonderful ways to experience the underwater world, but this is where the similarities end. Being a scuba diver may add comfort and confidence as you already know what you will find under water. Although, the skills you will be learning and specifically, putting these into practice, are very specific and unique to freediving. It will be an incredible journey to learn this new way to connect with the underwater world – this time, one breath at a time.
Although this is mostly an exception, some students may experience equalisation issues that may need a little more practice, body awareness or in rare cases – medical attention to overcome Whatever the reason, you have 12 months to complete your course and be certified. Note that we charge R500 for course completions to cover our basic costs.
The secret to succeeding with freediving is having a good and solid foundation. This is a fundamental part in progressing safely into the deep (and often the reason you are not progressing as desired in the first place). That said, we review each request on an individual basis to ensure everyone involved is getting the most and best out of this underwater adventure.
Although this is mostly an exception, some students may experience issues that may need a little more practice. Whatever the reason, you have 12 months to complete your course and be certified. Note that we charge $125 for additional days of course completions to cover our basic costs.
Any condition that affects the ears, sinuses, respiratory or heart function, or may alter consciousness is a concern, but only a doctor can assess a person’s individual risk. Your regular General Health Practitioner can consult with the Divers Alert Network (DAN) as necessary when assessing fitness to dive.