Beginner help

Start here

Freediving is diving on one breath, without scuba. Take a recognised course with a qualified instructor. Never freedive or practise holding your breath in water alone. A trained buddy stays with you.

First kit, as names only: a low-volume mask, a snorkel, and fins. A wetsuit and a weight belt when the water needs them.

Do not blow off carbon dioxide before a dive to stay down longer. Equalise early. Stop if your ears hurt. Stay with your buddy at the surface after a dive.

The ten

Two long free guides, seven course systems, and one national safety page. We wrote short pages in our own words. The long teaching stays on those sites and in a class.

• 01

  DeeperBlue beginner guide

  A free 21-part guide. The longest open-web tutorial we found for a first read.

• 02

  Go Freediving beginner guide

  Emma Farrell's 20-part guide, hosted by her school. The same lineage as the DeeperBlue series.

• 03

  AIDA courses

  A volunteer standards body. Beginners start at AIDA1, then AIDA2.

• 04

  SSI courses

  A clear ladder: try the sport, learn in confined water, then go open water.

• 05

  PADI courses

  A wide shop network. Basic Freediver first, then Freediver if you want open water.

• 06

  Molchanovs courses

  Wave 1 is beginner open water. Lap 1 is the same theory and pool work without the sea.

• 07

  FII Level 1

  Level 1 is the start. A trained buddy is part of the course, not an extra.

• 08

  PFI Freediver

  Study first, then the pool, then open water. The first card goes to 20 m or 66 ft.

• 09

  RAID courses

  Register, read the materials, then finish with a RAID centre.

• 10

  USA Freediving safety

  A national page with one first rule: do not dive alone, as a beginner or as a professional.