Everyone arrives at their first freediving class with the same face. A little excited, a little "what am I doing here".
Both are fine. Here's how the course goes, so at least the second one gets smaller.
The basics
- Course: SSI Freediver
- Sessions: 1 theory + 2 pool + 3 open water
- Where: pool sessions at The Lakeview Club, Subang Jaya (KL) or Relau Aquatic Centre (Penang); open water on one of our freediving expeditions
- Who: ages 12 and up, no experience needed, good physical condition
- Price: RM1,900, plus the expedition for your open water. Full price breakdown →
Before you come
Book, then wait for the confirm
Paying doesn't lock your place on its own. Your instructor approves it, and you get a note when that happens. Then it's real.
What to bring
Swimsuit, towel, shampoo and a hairdryer. Freediving equipment is included.
Eat light
Have something small a couple of hours before a water session. A full stomach and breath-holds are not friends.
Blocked nose? Tell us
A cold makes equalising your ears much harder. If you're stuffy on the day, let your instructor know before the session.
Session 1: theory
Before anyone gets wet. How breath-hold works, how pressure changes as you go down, how to equalise, and the safety rules that make freediving safe: you never dive alone, and someone is always watching you from the surface.
You also get the SSI digital learning materials, so you can read ahead or look things up after.
Sessions 2 and 3: the pool
This is where it starts to feel like freediving. You'll work on:
- Breathing and relaxation. The part people don't expect. Slow, calm breathing on the surface, no big dramatic gulps. Calm before the breath-hold matters more than the breath-hold.
- Static apnea. Holding your breath face-down at the surface. Your instructor beside you.
- Dynamic apnea. Swimming horizontally underwater on one breath.
- Finning. Long freediving fins move differently from swimming-pool kicks. Straight legs, from the hips, slow. You'll feel it in your thighs the next day.
- Duck dive. How to go from the surface to underwater without fighting it.
- Equalisation. Gently, early, often. If it doesn't work on a dive, you come up and try again. No forcing.
Sessions 4 to 6: the open water
The ocean part happens on one of our freediving expeditions, right now Lang Tengah or Bali. Small groups, instructor-guided. You learn constant weight diving down a line, equalising in real ocean conditions, the buddy system and ocean safety.
You certify at 10 metres. The card then lets you freedive with a buddy to 20 metres (12 metres for ages 12–14), anywhere in the world.
What it feels like
Quiet. That's what most people say first.
You'll also notice the urge to breathe arrives earlier than you expect. That urge comes from carbon dioxide building up, and it shows up well before you're actually low on air. Learning to stay calm with it is a big part of freediving, and it's something you build slowly, with an instructor watching.
You will be more comfortable underwater than you think. Climbing out of the pool gracefully in long fins is a separate skill. Nobody has mastered it.
Nervous? There's a slower way in
More on this in learning freediving when you're scared of water.
A little nervous: SSI Pool Freediver
If you want more time before the ocean, SSI Pool Freediver (RM1,180 + RM55 pool entry per session) stays in the pool. There's no fixed number of lessons: you keep coming to scheduled sessions until you've met every requirement. Most people need 3–4 sessions. Some need more. That's the point.
When you're ready for the ocean, the Upgrade to SSI Freediver finishes the open water part on an expedition.
Really scared of the water: Try Freediving
If deep water genuinely frightens you, start with a 2-hour Try Freediving session (RM250). Pool only, 5 metres at most, and we stay in the shallow end of your comfort zone. Sign up for a full course on the same day and RM200 goes toward it.
The worries everyone has
"I'm not a strong swimmer."
The courses start from zero and only ask for good physical condition. Tell us how you feel in water, and we'll pace it.
"What if I panic?"
You come up. That's the whole plan. You're never alone, and you set the pace.
"My ears hurt on planes."
Lots of people's do. Equalising is a technique, and the course is where you learn it.
"I'm coming alone."
Most of our students do. Small groups make it easy to leave with dive buddies.