I decided to become a certified freediver with Fii instructor Dan Koval. I learned that no matter how good you are, there is always more to learn. This article is dedicated to my thoughts on the courses.
About the instructor
Dan Koval is an excellent diver who can dive 90m (300ft) and has been teaching for a long time. He was trained by the freediving legend Martin Stepanek, and is one of the deepest divers in the United States. I have known Dan for several years so he was an obvious choice as an instructor.
Why get certified
Unlike a SCUBA certification which allows you to refill tanks and rent essential gear for diving, a freediving certification allows you to (depending on the shop) rent underwater scooters and do a freediving charter. If you have never used a scooter, you don’t know what your missing.
If you’re new to freediving, a class can teach you the basics of freediving techniques, proper equalization, and freediving safety. If you already have been diving for a while then you can still learn the basics of freediving techniques, proper equalization, and freediving safety. The truth is that you’re never too good to learn something new, so you may get just as much from the class as a beginner.
What I got out of it
I began the class as a 50m diver who already competed at the freediving world championships – what more could I learn? A lot! In level 1 I came to the sudden realization that I had been equalizing ineffectively. I never bothered to look up how to equalize and it turns out I was using a Valsava/Frenzel hybrid maneuver. This was a huge breakthrough! I also learned about how to estimate dive times as a safety and use the rope to feel the divers turn.
In level 2 we went into more detail on everything I learned in level 1, revisiting many old topics, but also some new ones. I became more familiar with the more technical points of freediving physiology and psychology. The most interesting part of the course was the diaphragm stretches I learned. I have since incorporated them into my own pre-dive warm ups. On our second day out, I was able to practice the rescue techniques we just learned on my partner, who had a small loss of motor control (LMC) during the static breath hold practice.
Conclusion
I was lucky that my instructor was significantly better than I am, the level 1 class limits your depth to 20m(66ft) and the level 2 class limits you to 40m(131ft) but despite those limitations Dan helped me by introducing me to new training techniques that would allow me to go deeper. Don’t be discouraged by those depth limits, there’s a lot you can do within 40m. I felt satisfied with the course material and my classmates also seemed to learn a great deal as well.
If you are asking yourself which agency I should take a class with, then you might want to consider the costs, instructor, and syllabus of any class you consider. I have been told by some divers that it does not really matter which agency you go with as long as you take a class. On the other hand I have been told that PFI or Fii or PADI or AIDA or CMAS or SSI are the best and not to waste your time on the others. I will admit that I think Fii and PFI are the best two due to the amount of material they cover.
Additionally I would like to credit Dan’s girlfriend Kristen who is a BIG nerd and managed not to strangle me for the duration of the back to back courses and camp, despite working as hard as I could to annoy her. She also takes lots of photos during the class to let you know you don’t look as cool as you think you do.
Spearfishing The Big Island 