AIDA LEVEL III

The AIDA Level III course is an intermediate course which builds on the skills learnt in the AIDA Level II course. It is designed to cover the necessary skills and knowledge for a recreational freediver to be able to safely freedive with or without a guideline. The aim of the course is to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to independently plan and participate in freediving activities with similarly experienced freedive buddies.

The course is also designed to develop new skills and a higher knowledge of safety procedures and techniques for freediving such as free falling, Frenzel equalizing, training tables, the risks of increasing and decreasing pressure and how to minimize these risks.

• Static Apnea – breath hold with face immersed in water;
• Dynamic Apnea – breath hold whilst travelling horizontally underwater;
• Constant Weight – the diver descends and ascends using fins.

The knowledge development will take place in a classroom-like environment. It will be a minimum of 3 theory sessions with a duration of 2 hours per session depending on the number of questions you ask. The time to take the exam is NOT included in the minimum theory time mentioned above.

The theory sessions include:

• Physics – Dalton’s Law, Boyle’s law, Buoyancy applied to deep diving;
• Physiology – The cardiovascular system, Hyperventilation, black outs and equalisation;
• The lungs at depth;
• Mammalian dive reflex;
• Training concepts;
• Ethics;
• Planning diving sessions;
• The Buddy System.

Static APNEA

This session will be conducted in a swimming pool or similar confined water. After this session you should be able to:

• Train for high CO2 tolerance - Design an appropriate Static Apnea Training Table for building your tolerance to high carbon dioxide levels (CO2 table).
• Train for low O2 tolerance - Design an appropriate Static Apnea Training Table for building tolerance to low oxygen levels (Hypoxic Table).
• Rescue - Demonstrate the appropriate rescue technique for a buddy experiencing a loss of motor control or blackout during static training.
• Plan and perform a static session - Safely perform a breath hold for at least 2 minutes 45 with a training buddy, including appropriate surfacing and recovery breathing.
  
  

   

  Dynamic APNEA

   

  This session will be conducted in a swimming pool or similar confined water. After this session you should be able to:

  • Train for high CO2 tolerance - Design and perform an appropriate Dynamic Apnea Training Table in order to build CO2 and lactic acid tolerance.
  • Buddy - Demonstrate an appropriate safety dive for a buddy performing a dive of at least 55m.
  • Rescue - Demonstrate the appropriate rescue technique for a buddy experiencing a loss of motor control or blackout during dynamic training.
  • Swim underwater for 55m – Safely demonstrate a dynamic apnea dive of at least 55m, with attention to breathe up, head and arm positioning, finning motion, turns, surfacing and recovery breathing.

   

Open water dive session one

Technique & Equalisation Practice

After open water session 1 you will be able to:

• Operate & prepare equipment - Demonstrate the ability to operate all the quick releases on the safety lanyard and assist with the setting up of ropes & weights for freediving;
• Be safe - Demonstrate how to adjust weighting for deeper freedives, identify the point of neutral buoyancy and start to freefall;
• Duck dive & fin - Perform efficient, effective duck dives, remaining oriented to the guide line while descending and ascending with an efficient swimming technique, including correct fining technique and body positioning;
• Recover - Demonstrate appropriate surfacing and recovery breathing after a dive;
• Equalise using the Frenzel technique - Describe and practice The “Frenzel” equalisation technique.

Open water dive session two

Free Falling, Self Rescue & Safety Diving

After open water session 2 you will be able to:

• Prepare for dives - Identify hazards and points of interest for the chosen open water dive site;
• Turn - Descend to 10m and make a controlled turn, without touching the rope;
• Freefall – Learn how to freefall from the point where you become negatively buoyant;
• Train - Complete at least three dives to practice all your skills including, Frenzel equalizing, duck dives, guide line orientation fining, breathing and buddying;
• Rescue - Demonstrate the self rescue technique for a leg cramp suffered at depth, ascending from 15m using the arms only.

Open water dive session three

Training & Rescue

After open water session 3 you will be able to:

• Train – We will continue to practice your free falling, Frenzel equalizing, duck dives, guide line orientation fining, breathing and buddying;
• Rescue - On at least three dives, act as a safety diver for other freedivers and demonstrate rescue techniques for both a freediver who:
  • arrives at the surface, experiences black out and does not recommence breathing within 10 seconds;
  • loses consciousness at 10m on ascent, to include bringing the diver to the surface and demonstrating effective surface rescue.

Open water dive session four

Warm Up & Maximum Performance

After open water session 4 you will be able to:

• Warm up – Learn how to warm-up and relax for a deep dive;
• Dive to 24 meters - Warm up for and perform a constant weight dive to a depth of at least 24m (Maximum 30m), equalizing using the Frenzel technique and free falling, whilst respecting buddy and safety procedures;
• Buddying - Effectively safety dive for a freediver attempting a constant weight dive, timing departure from the surface to meet the freediver at a depth of around 10m;
• Be confident - Descend to 10m, remove the mask and ascend with the mask in the hand to simulate the loss of a mask;
• Rescue - Tow an inert freediver to shore/boat a minimum distance of 50m.

To enroll in the AIDA Level III Freediver course, an individual must:

• Have completed the AIDA Level II Freediver course or equivalent;
• Be 18 years of age or older (16 years with parent or guardian consent);
• Be able to swim at least 200m non stop without fins and at least 300m non stop with mask, fins and snorkel.

Before commencing any in-water training, the following forms must be completed, (for students aged under 18 years, both must be co-signed by a parent or guardian):

AIDA Medical Form – this must be completed in full with students marking YES or NO to each of the medical conditions listed. If the student answers YES to any condition, they must seek medical approval before taking part in any in-water activity. The physician must sign the form to indicate this approval. Whether or not the student then is then accepted onto the course is left at the discretion of the instructor.
AIDA Liability Release Form or local equivalent.