​WHO CAN TAKE THE FIRST LEVEL CLASS, AND WHAT IS THE CLASS FORMAT?

For our first level class ('Freeediver'), you must be able swim, and comfortable with idea of swimming in the ocean, entering from a beach.  You don't need to have perfect swimming technique but in a pool, you must at minimum be able to tread water unassisted for 5 minutes, and finish a 100 yard swim on the surface with your face in the water.  Ocean or competitive experience—surfing, SCUBA, spearfishing, swim/synchro, or water polo is helpful but not required, and many strong freedivers started out in the PFI program with nothing more than a love of the water and willingness to learn.  Freediving can be odd sport; much of physiology behind breath-hold is counter-intuitive, and some great athletes struggle with it while other people who are not considered particularly athletic excel at apnea.  For certain pre-existing health conditions, a physician's signature is required before you can take the class.  Students between the ages of 12 and 16 years must take the class at the same time as a parent or guardian.

 

Class format is a mix of classroom, pool, and ocean. Classroom instruction takes about 6 hours.  We will go over safety and accident prevention, proper breathing and equalization techniques, equipment, basic freediving physiology, and training tips.  Pool is usually 3.5 hours.  Here we begin applying skills covered in the classroom, practice static breathholds, as well as safety and rescue drills, and drill performance techniques in preparation for our ocean sessions.  Ocean session are 2.5 hours long, and unlike many other schools which offer only a single ocean session, I offer two or three ocean sessions.  I am always right there with you, within arms reach, ready to assist and offering constructive feedback on every single ocean dive. 

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Exact schedule may vary but for the Freediver level classes, expect to be in the classroom and pool all day on the first day starting in the AM, which will be a long but not physically strenuous day.  On following days we will do our ocean dives, and they will be shorter days.  For the intermediate classes we will do a mix of classroom and pool for the first two days, and the last two days will be ocean diving. 

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I SIGNED UP FOR A CLASS, WHAT KIND OF TRAINING SHOULD I DO BEFORE THE CLASS?

Make sure you are equalizing your ears using the Frenzel technique.  If you have a background in scuba and have always just cleared your ears by wiggling your jaw handsfree, I still recommend learning a proper Frenzel, since kicking head down while holding your breath as a freediver, your prior technique may not work.  If you aren't sure, take a look at this blog entry.  Breathhold training prior to a first level class is not necessary.  If you're comfortable with doing some laps in a pool on the surface, this is probably the most beneficial exercise you can do for freediving.  And if you don't much care for lap swimming, that is perfectly fine, just being in reasonable cardiovascular shape will be helpful.  During the class we will learn safe training protocols for breathhold training in water, as well as very effective exercises for increasing breathhold for real world ocean diving.

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WHO CAN TAKE THE INTERMEDIATE LEVEL CLASS?

To take the Intermediate class, you must have been certified at the Freediver level by me or any other PFI instructor, OR have equivalent experience.  This can be a level 1 certification with another recognized freediving agency (FII, SSI, AIDA), or you can be self taught, i.e., if you are a spearfisherman who is comfortable in the ocean, can hunt at 25'+ and make a touch and go or emergency dive to 50' or beyond you would be a good candidate.  If you have equivalent experience and want to take my Intermediate level class, please contact me first.  Safety is still at the heart of this class as well, and all the safety concepts and drills from our first level class are reviewed and expanded on. 

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Format of the Intermediate class is similar to the first level class, but is 4 days instead of two.  In addition to the possibility of deeper dives, we spend more time in the classroom and working on dry training, and we do an additional pool session.  We go much deeper into physiology of freediving and spend much more time working on advanced equalization techniques, stretching exercises, and deep safety protocols.  I also like to specifically work some finer aspects of finning and swimming technique as it applies to deep diving, as well as dive strategy and application of pro techniques for particularly challenging 'real world' diving or hunting.

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GEAR:

If you do not already own gear, the shops who host my classes do rent freedive specific gear to my students.  There is typically time to purchase and rent equipment on our first day of class, during the lunch break.  I am available to answer questions prior to the class.

 

Required for southern California ocean classes:

–      Wetsuit.  Two piece open cell suit with integrated hood, either 5mm or 7mm is strongly advised.  Typical SCUBA and surfing wetsuits are not open cell--the inside of the suit will have a stretchy nylon lining layer.  The inside of an open cell suit will be a bare spongy rubber (although some may have a 'coating').  If you have a warm lined wetsuit, it should be okay, but if you are picking up a new wetsuit for class, definitely purchase an open cell suit.  Open cell is noticeably warmer, more flexible, and more comfortable to wear for long periods.  They are intended to fit very snug, and you will need to use lube to put them on.  Most SCUBA and surf shops will not stock open cell wetsuits, only freediving and spearfishing specialty shops.

–      Mask and snorkel.  Low volume mask and simple J snorkel are advised.

–      Fins.  Freedive specific long fins are recommended, but scuba fins are okay at the Freediver level.  Monofins are allowed if you also bring bi-fins.  If you are buying your first pair of long fins, I would strongly advise buying a fin in either 'soft' or 'medium' stiffness.

–      Weight belt and weights.  A rubber weight belt with hard lead weights in 1lb or 2lb increments is best for freediving. Nylon belts and soft weight pouches can be used at the Freediver level but are not ideal.  We will get your weights dailed in during the class, but most adults end up wearing between 6lbs to 14lbs of lead with a 5mm wetsuit.

–      Dive socks and gloves.  For exposure protection 2mm+ thickness dive socks and gloves are recommended.

-       A dive watch is nice but not required.

 

We will discuss gear in more detail during the class.  For the Freediver level class, freedive specific fins, mask, and weight belt are recommend but not required.  If you own non-drysuit SCUBA gear appropriate for our local water it will do.  If you are buying equipment for the class we recommend freediving specific gear because you can always use freediving gear for SCUBA, but not all SCUBA fins or surf wetsuits are great for freediving.  The common southern California 3/2 surfing wetsuit is usually only warm enough for freediving during our warmest months—mid summer thru early fall.

 

What thickness wetsuit?  Off the southern California coast, surface water temps may dip to mid 50F's in the winter, and get over 70F during some days in the late summer.  For reference, most 'competition' swimming pools are around 78F, with most health club swimming pools warmer, usually between 82F – 88F.  The thicker the wetsuit, the warmer it will be.  However, thicker wetsuits can make freediving more difficult, and most divers opt for the thinnest suit in which they will be comfortable.  Most southern California freedivers wear a 5mm open cell wetsuit with integrated hood for the majority of the year.  Some divers may wear a 7mm open cell during our coldest months—late winter thru early spring—and some divers prefer wearing a 7mm year round.  If you are curious about the style wetsuits we wear for freediving, start here: https://youtu.be/rFnmlYP4Fio

 

WEATHER AND CANCELLATIONS:

We are blessed in southern California to have at least 300 good diveable days per year.  Storms do happen, and I reserve the right to cancel ocean sessions if I feel conditions are unsafe.  I do not offer refunds for weather related cancellations or sea sickness, although students can earn a 'pool only' certification and make up ocean sessions missed due to weather at a later date to earn the full certification.  I do not offer refunds for students who start the class with inadequate or missing equipment.

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LOCATION:

When you sign up for a class, you will receive an email with the exact location of the pool and classroom, but for Los Angeles area classes, we typically do our classroom out of Spear America Redondo and our ocean dives from the beach at Veteran's Park, in Redondo Beach.  It is a very short swim to reach diving depth, parking is plentiful, and there are bathrooms and showers right there.  For private classes or groups willing to pay associated boat fees, I can instead arrange ocean sessions on a Coast Guard approved charter, either in coastal waters or to Channel Islands and beyond.

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LODGING AND TRAVEL INFO:

Are you coming to Los Angeles specifically to take a class?  Welcome!  Lodging prices vary widely throughout the city.  Before booking a room, it is wise to check the class location since 'Los Angeles' covers a large area of incredibly varied neighborhoods.  Hotels near the water will be particularly expensive, but often times great lodging deals near the water can be found on AirBnB.  Some guests to the city may choose to rent a car, but rideshares such as Uber and Lyft are very competitive in Los Angeles and for many guests this may be cheaper than renting a car.  Most of our classes are based in the Southbay area of Los Angeles, and Intermediates are split between Long Beach and Southbay.

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PRIVATE CLASSES, GUIDED OCEAN TOURS, AND PHOTO/VIDEO SHOOTS:

I am a licensed US Coast Guard captain and I do offer private classes and one-on-one instruction, and I can arrange boat trips to Channel Islands and beyond on Coast Guard approved vessels as well as private, in ocean photo or video shoots with professional freedive photographers/videographers.  Contact me to discuss.

 

FURTHER TRAINING/COACHING:

Your continued safe improvement AFTER the class is also important to me.  One common shortfall I have noticed in divers and even instructors coming out of other programs is that they lack a comprehensive training approach that allows them to improve in the months and years after the class.  Sure, most divers achieve new personal performance records during class, but if at the conclusion they are unable to duplicate that performance or further improve, how useful were those performance gains?  I always try to make sure that my students leave with tools and knowledge to continue growing as divers, even if they can't make it to the ocean every weekend.  In addition, students who finish the program receive access to private message boards and training videos from PFI, as well as the 'Pro-tips' section of my website.

 

I also offer private coaching for specific pursuits—such as competition, underwater modeling/stunts, spearfishing—but only to students who have been through my program or an equivalent.  Performance training only happens with concurrent safety training, and I can only train divers if I am confident in their self rescue and buddy rescue skills, which are the foundation of our classes.  Private ocean sessions can be booked through the store.  Contact me for more info.

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