One breath and silence underwater.
PADI Discover Freediving: try freediving
Course description
PADI Discover Freediving is a first freediving session. It does not end with a certification. Its aim is to check whether freediving is for you, in safe conditions and with an instructor who stays with you the whole time.
During the session we learn what every freediver starts with: calm breathing, relaxation and a safe dive on a single breath. You will get to know freediving equipment, try long fins and see how your sense of time and body changes when you are not breathing but not fighting for air.
We run the session in the DeepSpot pool in Mszczonów, in warm water and without current, so you can focus on technique and how you feel. We always work as a buddy pair and under the supervision of a PADI Freediver instructor. Freediving alone does not exist in our programme.
It is a good start for people who scuba dive and want to try something different, for swimmers and snorkellers, and for those who simply like water and are curious about the limit of their own breath. If you enjoy the session, you can have it credited towards the PADI Basic Freediver course.
One session lasting about 3 to 4 hours: a short briefing, dry exercises and work in the water.
One confined water session (pool), no open water diving. We dive shallow, at a depth matched to each person’s comfort.
A small group, usually up to 4 participants per instructor. For the first immersion the instructor is always within arm’s reach.
Not applicable. Freediving is diving on a single breath, without a cylinder.
Skills after the course:
- calm breathing and relaxation before the dive,
- safe breath-hold at the surface and underwater,
- basics of equalising ear pressure,
- swimming in long freediving fins,
- the buddy rule and basic safety signals,
- basic knowledge of freediving equipment.
- minimum age: 10 years; minors need a guardian’s consent,
- the ability to swim freely and feel comfortable in the water,
- good health confirmed by a medical questionnaire; a doctor’s certificate if in doubt,
- no previous freediving experience.
Specialist equipment
- low-volume freediving mask,
- snorkel,
- long fins.
Standard kit
- swimsuit or wetsuit,
- towel.
All freediving equipment can be rented at Long Deco. You do not need to buy anything before the first session.
Training fee
Price set individually.
Registration and certification fee
The session does not end with a certification, so there is no PADI registration fee.
Additional costs
Equipment rental and entry to the DeepSpot pool.
Theory
- how the body works during a breath-hold: the dive reflex, sensing the urge to breathe,
- relaxation and breathing before the dive,
- freediver safety rules, including diving with a buddy,
- an overview of freediving equipment.
Practice
The session is short, but built like a miniature course. We do each stage only when you feel comfortable.
Part 1: relaxation and breathing
- breathing exercises on land and at the surface,
- a few calm face-in-the-water immersions,
- first contact with the snorkel and mask.
Part 2: the dive
- diving technique from the surface,
- swimming in long freediving fins,
- a short vertical descent with instructor safety cover.
Part 3: buddy and safety
- working as a buddy pair: watching your buddy and signals,
- a debrief of the session and further options.
Comfort first, depth second. In the first session we are not looking for records, only for a calm, repeatable dive.
FAQ
The next step on your path
- PADI Basic Freediver: the first certified level, confined water and shallow open water to about 10 m,
- PADI Freediver: diving to 16 m, with freediving rescue,
- PADI Open Water Diver: if you also want to dive with a cylinder.
The path is simple: Discover Freediving, then Basic Freediver, then Freediver. Each course builds on the previous one and does not make you start from zero.
Trips
- DeepSpot Mszczonów: our place for first dives and training,
- Egypt (Dahab and the Red Sea): a popular destination for freedivers, deep water close to the shore,
- Croatia and Malta: warm sea, good conditions for learning technique.
We plan freediving trips only after certification, but a Discover session is a good way to check whether you want to go.
