Go Freediving Testimonials

Scroll down the page for testimonials from our freediving courses. We are so proud of the service we provide our students and love hearing about their experience

I have been diving in the Red Sea a few times so I wanted to try a new location which is why I decided to go on this trip. This holiday I have learned a lot more about my equalisation technique. We got to try a new electronic equalisation tool called the Uba project which showed everybody how they equalise and what pressure they require to equalise both their ears. I was quite surprised to learn that I didn’t need very much pressure, I only needed about 8 hectopascals where as a lot of the other people needed about 50-60 which was very interesting.

I have also learned some new techniques with the Otovent , circular breathing and how to close my soft palate and then open it again, who knew you had a muscle there?! I have also learned how to refill effectively, do a mouthful and then dive constant pressure equalisation which I practised on land and then put into practise in the water. I also reached a new personal best in constant weight freediving.

The equalisation workshop was definitely a highlight for me, also the yoga next to the sea as the sun came up was great, that was something you just don’t get on every holiday, and I got to dive with great friends. We took a trip to recreationally dive in Abades and the fish life there was more varied. I got to see Butterfly ray, which I have never seen before, as well as cuttlefish, Barracuda and a huge amount of Trumpet fish. There was a lot of fish in the shallow areas and I got to rescue a sea hare. I think everyone enjoyed that trip, it was a bit more recreational and not so disciplined which was very nice.

On the trip you get to benefit from having four instructors, each with their own ideas and techniques which was very interesting. Having someone who knows the area very well was very good and the visibility was amazing. The weather has been fantastic.

I would recommend this trip because it is inexpensive and not too far from home. Everything is set up for freediving so they make it very easy for you.   Pash 

I wanted to practice and improve my freediving and also gain more confidence in the water. I wanted and needed a holiday. I am always working so I wanted a holiday where I could focus on my freediving and achieve something. I do mermaiding, so I wanted to improve my mermaiding skills and improve my breath hold and confidence within freediving. I got the opportunity to do a photo and video shoot that was amazing and unexpected, it was really cool. It was great for me to just destress.

I love an adventure so it was great to meet new people and we all got on really well so getting to share this experience with such a great group of people was a highlight for me. Another highlight was being able to get some depth and feeling comfortable getting the depth and not putting myself through any pain in my ears. I started the week going head first in the water and we have adjusted it so I can start getting the feeling of how to equalise, when it’s working and when it’s not working. That is something I get to take away with me and work on and practise before I come on the next freediving trip. I think that I am just going to stay at this level if I don’t practice at home.

The nights out have been fun and we have had a really good time in the evenings. I really enjoyed that Emma and Pavol took some time out with me for a photo and video shoot with my mermaid tail. I didn’t expect that, I bought the tail along to have some fun if there was time, so that was really special for me. Emma will always go the extra mile for anyone and all you have to do is ask.

I would recommend the trip because it is an opportunity to practise and improve the skills you already have knowing that the dive location is really good. Everything you need is here, you don’t have to walk too far and there is a wreck which is amazing to dive on. It’s a trip where you can just relax. I would recommend it to beginner and advanced freedivers. The trip was really well organised, the instructors in Tenerife were amazing, and the equalisation workshop was really helpful for everyone.   Michelle 

I came on the trip for the opportunity to improve on the skills that I learned on my RAID freediver course, and the opportunity to meet like minded people in a nice location at a good price. The whole package just appealed to me, freediving every day, getting to hang out with freedivers every day, and the sunny weather. Everything just ticked the boxes really.

The trip has absolutely exceeded all my expectations. It has been awesome! What I found extremely interesting about the trip and the group and that was a bit of a confidence boost, was that everyone has an issue with their freediving. Whether it’s equalisation, or confidence being at depth, it just shows you that when you are personally struggling with something you don’t have to feel so bad about it because everyone is struggling with something. There is always a solution and it is just about perseverance, being patient and practicing. It has been really nice for me just going out with this particular group because everyone had struggles but everyone has made progress on the trip and that has been really nice.

The option to do so many dives in so many different sessions was the biggest highlight for me. It was good to get to see the different approaches and everything was really well set up. The opportunity to holiday with fellow freedivers where freediving was the main focus, it was a rare opportunity.

It was nice to go somewhere warm in November where you are guaranteed decent weather that is not to far from the UK. It was just an amazing location. I really enjoyed the recreational trip to Abades. I would really recommend this holiday for all these reasons.   Miranda 

My previous experiences with the freediving holidays and Emma is what made me come on this trip. I was hoping to get some depth and improve my techniques and I got a personal best on this holiday. I have discovered that relaxation and learning to just chill is important. The highlight for me was the group, there was a really nice dynamic.

The trip will definitely help you to improve  in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying yourself. The recreational trip to Abades was good, it was nice to do some shallow dives and see the wild life and it was a good part of the week. The whole week was really good.

I would recommend the trip because it is a really good place to come and improve your skills.   Daniel 

I came on this trip to get more experience at depth and just to have a holiday as well. I have discovered that I need to trust my capabilities more and step outside my comfort zone a bit at a time. The highlight of the trip for me was getting a new personal best, and I got to meet new people.

The trip has been relaxed and definitely ended on a high for me with my new personal best. The dive was relaxed and comfortable, I got to come off the line so I achieved a depth and got to swim over the wreck a bit.

The benefits of coming on this trip are that the weather is warmer, the visibility is better than in the UK, and the dive school we have been linked with here has been very supportive. There was constructive criticism and positive encouragement. It is just a great location with loads to see. I would really recommend the holiday because I feel I have benefitted so much from it, and it has been such a great bunch of people encouraging each other.   Lois 

The Canaries is a lovely place and as an added bonus I got to see my Dad who lives here which was lovely. To come to a place where the water is calm and warm and with the best bunch of people, it has just been such a blast. I have discovered how amazing diving is on this trip and that you need to pay attention when you are down there because it is absolutely beautiful. There was loads of information on the Frenzel technique which was very helpful in terms of understanding the mechanics of your equalisation. I got to learn so much which was great and I also got to have a super chilled time which was so nice.

Being on the wreck was absolutely amazing and definitely the highlight of the trip for me. The benefits of the trip are that it’s close to get to, fairly cheap and there is lots to learn without any pressure. I took a trip around the island which was amazing; beautiful scenery and absolutely chilled out. The landscape is just stunning, we got to some shopping and some wine tasting as well. It was the most beautiful day out to get to see the other side of the island.

Of course I would recommend the course, first and foremost the group of people, feeling very safe in a secure environment. Tenerife is is easy to get to and not so far away. The trip is very relaxed, and even though we learned a lot, I never felt under any pressure to do anything. I enjoyed the recreational trip to Abades as well.

Training on a line but having the wreck to go to when you got to the end of it was really nice, it was controlled without being too structured. There are fantastic and very professional people here and we just love Emma. The food was also really good and the area is really chilled out and relaxed.   Claire  

I have done the two day RAID Freediver course at Vobster  and I wanted to do the trip from the minute I saw the email. I don’t get much chance to freedive in London at the moment and I really want to keep my freediving journey going. I thought at first that I am a total newbie and everyone is going to be so good, but  it wasn’t like that at all. Everyone has really mixed abilities and it was absolutely brilliant.

Doing this trip has helped me discover that I can do so much more than what I thought I could, and how important relaxing is in freediving. Just get out of your head and enjoy it! The best part for me was the day when it was raining while we were in the water and there were rainbows everywhere. I just swam down and reached my personal best of 15m which I never thought I could do and it was just incredible.

The people on the trip are amazing and you get to practice your freediving much more that you do at home. You get to see that you are completely different one day to another which is good as it is a completely different experience. I think you are just a bit more relaxed doing it over a period of seven days rather than two or three days.

The recreational dive trip to Abades was really nice, it was really nice to do something a bit different for a day and put all your skills into practice which is why I am doing this. I would absolutely recommend this trip, I think wherever you are in your freediving journey it is nice to go out with people with different abilities. You get to practice for an entire week with knowledgeable people, and I have learned so much from the instructors that have been here.   Rachel 

I booked on the freediving holiday to Tenerife because I needed to get away from the office and have a relaxing fun break somewhere warm! I’ve previously been on the Red sea liveaboard holidays with Go Freediving.

The biggest discovery for me was that I could freedive pretty well after consuming alcohol the previous night!

The highlight of the trip for me was the group atmosphere. It was a great dynamic and lots of fun. We had an excellent equalisation workshop where we got to try the Uba project equalisation tool and learn exactly what is going on inside us for our equalisation. It was a great masterclass for anyone of any level, really interesting and certainly helped focus what I thought I knew.

The recreational diving trip to Abades was lovely, just wish I could have dived deeper that day but I had a bit of sinus congestion leftover from a cold I had in the UK.

The accommodation was fine and there were some good restaurants locally, we definitely found the best ones. The centre and location were perfect for the type of diving; depth training on lines but with a wreck to look at too.

The benefits for someone coming on this freediving holiday to Tenerife is the concentrated training which will certainly help your diving, the relaxing venue, and the excellent and  knowledgeable instructors.

I also took my bike and did a couple of long cycle rides. But don’t bring your bike unless you have stronger legs than mine as the hills are really steep!

If you want to concentrate on improving your depth, this holiday is perfect.   Russell 

I went on the Red Sea liveaboard freediving holiday in March and that experience was just so great and I loved it. I heard that some of the people from that trip would be on this holiday as well, so I booked on.

This week has helped me progress, as the only other freediving I have done was on the liveaboard and I didn’t want to go through the whole year without any other diving. It was great to learn more about equalisation techniques and my breath. I have definitely improved my freediving!

I don’t have one specific highlight because the whole week has been so amazing. Each day is quite different with different dives with different people so everyday has been brilliant. Claire and I took a trip to see a bit more of Tenerife with Pavol as our guide and the experience was amazing. The scenery in Tenerife is spectacular! I had no idea it was that vast, it is beautiful and indescribable.

The location here for freediving is perfect and the dive spots are perfect for every kind of level. The weather and the accommodation have been great. You are away from the tourist spots so the area is beautiful. You can go and explore the island or go shopping in the nearby towns, there is something for everybody on the island.

I would definitely recommend the trip, I have learned so much in such a short space of time. Everybody is so chilled out and relaxed, there is no pressure and you can progress as much as you want to which is good, because you only push yourself as much as you decide. The workshop on equalisation was very interesting and the one-to-one we had on the Frenzel was great. I just loved it, it was brilliant!   Sandra 

I am asthmatic and I have watched youtube videos of freediving and I thought that I fancy having a go at it. I chose Go Freediving because they seemed to have a good name in the industry and I had read and seen some of the stuff that Emma has done and she seemed pleasant and approachable.

Doing the course I have learned that I can overcome my fear of deep dark water, and that if I just get in and do it, I can do it and that is really amazing. Being in the water with other people is totally different than trying to do it on your own and it really builds your confidence having the other people around you.

The benefits of doing the course are definitely that it gives you confidence and that it will help you with any water sport that you wanted to do especially scuba diving, spearfishing and snorkeling. If you want to go out and look at the coral and swim with the fish you have got to do this course! I would definitely recommend this course because everyone is really professional, really friendly and it is just a great atmosphere.  Mark 

I have wanted to do a freediving course for ages, ever since I was told I can’t scuba dive because I have asthma. I saw a black and white film of a woman ice freediving and a day later I found the course on Much Better Adventures and booked it. Doing this course has helped me with relaxing and to sleep quicker because I practise the breathing techniques just before I go to bed. It helps you understand your body more and the breathing will help me with hiking as well. I have enjoyed the people the most, meeting new people, it is a random group of people that would have not met in any other situation but everyone gets on and it is brilliant.

The breathing, the relaxation and that you will just be more confident in the water are the three benefits of doing this course for me. I would completely recommend this course if you want to do something new, it’s a fun course, it is accessible and it was really just fun to learn.  Coralie 

I am a body boarder so I spend a lot of time in the water and I also do some surf photography and open water swimming. I chose to do the course because I was looking for ways to be more comfortable in the water. I found Go Freediving on Google and decided to book because it was close to me and also following the Go Freediving instagram I read reviews from previous students and many spoke of the high instructor to student ratios and the safety of the course and I think that is very important especially in the water.

I discovered that I still have a lot to improve even though I thought I was really good underwater. I also learned that I have good skills that I can transition from my swimming and surfing, I was always comfortable above the surface and now from this course I will have a lot more skills under water that will help me in my surfing and swimming.

The instructors have been great. David has amazing skills and amazing communication, he is very fluid in the water so watching him doing something makes it very easy for you to understand what you need to do. Even out of the water he really observes you and points out what you are doing well and what you could improve on and that is just really good to have the feedback and to have this learning curve adapted to you.

Doing the course with Go Freediving you get to learn at your own pace, that is the main benefit of this course for me, you learn a lot about safety for when you are diving alone as well as when you are diving with a buddy. You learn how to do it properly so you don’t put yourself in any danger. For all these reasons I definitely recommend this course, learning at your own pace learning to be safe for yourself and those with you helps you relax and have more fun in the water.  Gilberto 

I have seen programmes on how free freediving is and that is what inspired me to do this course. When I scuba dived I found it quite restrictive and heavy, and feeling free, fluid and kind of fish-like underwater really appealed to me.

I do surfing, kitesurfing and I grew up swimming all the time, just not at depth so I love the feeling of being free and gliding in the water but I want to go deeper. The breath holding techniques will help when surfing and being held down or any kind of situation that you are in, I think having these skills will be really important.

My sister Sophie found the Go Freediving course which we chose because it was close by so it would be great to meet new people to be able to dive with after the course, plus Go Freediving has a good reputation. I have discovered that it is more mental than I first thought. The people are lovely and I’ve loved being out in the elements. Even though it is baltic outside, to be out and in a lake at this time of year I just know I am going to feel great afterwards. It really pushes your limits of what you think comfort is and it is really important to get out in the elements.

The course is really well set up so you have all the education, all the support and all the training and you just feel like you can do it because you don’t have to worry about anything else other than battling yourself which is really important. The facilities are amazing with the swimming pool and the lake in such close proximity. The people are great, even though you have the professionalism you feel relaxed and comfortable enough to ask questions and joke around. It is very chilled and a nice way to spend the weekend.

I would really recommend the course because it really pushes the boundaries and it encourages people to try something new and it gives you the basic skills to take it forward. Even if you don’t freedive you can use the skills in other sports and it is an amazing skill to have.  Louise 

I have always loved swimming underwater and it is something I have dreamed about even as a kid. I have done some freediving on my own but thought it would be good to learn to do it properly and learn the safety stuff. I read about Emma and the Go Freediving Poole club and so I booked the course.

I have discovered that I need more discipline in terms of procedure and about how to look out for each other as well as yourself and how you can improve. I really enjoyed spending the weekend with people that enjoy doing the same thing.

The benefits of the course is that you get to build up on your knowledge to be able to go further and deeper and to enjoy yourself more underwater. It gives you the opportunity to enjoy it with other people.

I would recommend the course because it is great tuition, a friendly crowd as well and allows you to move forward.  James 

I decided to do a freediving course for the relaxation and because I enjoy a challenge and doing adventurous things, it makes life interesting. There were a few things that triggered it. One of them was a podcast with Valentine Thomas and the other was when I was swimming in Majorca and there were loads of fish around and I wanted to be able to go down deeper and to stay down there for longer to see more. I started to research Freediving by watching Youtube videos and I googled freediving courses and saw this one.

I have discovered that I am capable of more than what I thought I was capable of, and also that it is harder than I thought it would be. The course has been really good and I am really interested in taking it further. I have really enjoyed meeting like minded people and learning what is possible has been the highlight for me. I have really enjoyed the challenge.

Anybody that has a problem relaxing in everyday life would benefit from this course. Being outside, being in the water and being in nature and feeling like you are part of it when you are in the water has been great. I would recommend the course because the facilities are good, the equipment is good and there are a lot of instructors so you get to learn from all of them and you get a lot of attention so you never feel like the group is too big. You get to cycle between the instructors so you get to know which instructor works best for you. Because of the great student to instructor ratio you always feel safe.

I really appreciated that Emma and all the instructors really seem to love freediving, and not only for themselves but to see the value that it adds to other people’s lives and they want to do a positive thing by introducing people to something that can be so good for personal growth. It’s lovely to feel that you are been welcomed into a niche community by people that truly believe that it can be beneficial. They spoke of the environment and of people wanting to try different things and it just feels like they care about people’s wellbeing and have a great enthusiasm for the sport as well.  Andrew 

I found out about freediving through YouTube it is something that really appealed to me and I have wanted to do it for a while. I like the idea of not having to use lots of equipment and being able to increase my ability to get to different places and see different wildlife. The Go Freediving course seemed like a really nice course, and based on the reviews everyone seemed really happy with it. Living just outside of Manchester it was also the closest course to me.

I really like the mental aspect of learning to freedive, it is like your own internal one on one. I really enjoyed the freedom to experiment and working out which technique works best for me. Having different inputs from the different instructors really helped a lot.

The benefits of learning to freedive are that you learn self confidence and how to push yourself. It is a different way of connecting with your body – it is a lot less physical and more of a mental game. I definitely would recommend the course because I enjoyed the fact there were a lot of instructors and really just nice people.  Sam 

My journey to freediving started with scuba diving, the love of being in the water and the sense of peace and calm that comes with it. While scuba diving I saw people who were freediving and I just thought it looked so much fun and they didn’t have to deal with all the clobber associated with scuba diving. Years later I did some googling and found the Go Freediving course and decided it was time.

As I suspected, so much of freediving is in the head, which is actually one of the reasons why I wanted to do the course. Over the last few years I have got into yoga mostly for the mental aspect, Being able to combine that and seeing it and feeling it while you are freediving in the water is brilliant. My favourite part of the weekend was meeting all the new faces. You are always apprehensive when you do these kinds of courses, wondering if the instructors and other students are going to be really good or really bad. But here everyone is in the same boat and always helping each other so that everyone has a good time.

The benefits of doing this course are that you get to spend time outdoors which is always fun, and there are so many health and mental benefits of doing freediving. You just don’t get the same from scuba diving as scuba is more mechanical. Also you get to spend the weekend with a bunch of new people.

I absolutely would recommend the course because for the price you pay you get fantastic bang for your buck and it’s a wonderful skill to learn, and even if you only do it for the two days you get to see the world in a whole new way.  Piers 

I do spearfishing but I always felt as if there was something missing as if I was doing something wrong so I thought I should learn to freedive properly. I looked around and found this course. I was a bit nervous in the beginning but I have now discovered that it is easier than I thought it would be.

The part I enjoyed most was the relaxed and fun atmosphere of the whole weekend. The benefits of the course are that you learn to do freediving safely and you realise that you can do more than you first thought you could. I would recommend the course because it has been fun, relaxed and has fulfilled my expectations.  Rui 

I have been doing some freediving on my own but I chose to do the course because I wanted to learn to do it properly so that I can go deeper and stay underwater longer to enjoy the environment.

I have been following Go Freediving on FaceBook and decided that now was the right time to do the course.

I discovered I was doing everything wrong and that if I stay calm freediving is really fun! The instructors are great and the groups are small which is good. I really enjoyed swimming through the plane and I would definitely recommend the course.  Jerome 

I wanted to do a freediving course because I booked a trip to swim with whales and have always watched videos of people freediving. When doing research on sperm whales I read that there are many freedivers and scientists trying to get information from them and it is very important to be able to freedive and interact with them. When looking at reviews and searching on Google for freediving courses, Go Freediving was the best one.

Doing the course I discovered that it is not as easy as it looks and that it takes a lot of technique to be able to stay relaxed and to hold your breath. I also learned that it is quite psychological as well and your mind needs to be in the moment. Even though you feel like you are going to give up you have to convince yourself to push through. Being able to dive past 10m has been the best part of the weekend for me.

The benefits of the course are being able to push yourself harder and know that that is safe and learning the skills to feel comfortable with doing freediving.

I would recommend the course because of the people side of it. When you are underwater and you see the instructors right there with you it is really comforting.  Irene 

I have never done any scuba diving or anything like this before. I work for a YouTube channel and I have to film underwater, so I was initially put on the course to help with work related things and to get experience underwater and holding my breath without any equipment. I have discovered that I really enjoy freediving and that I can be safe. All the people running the course were really helpful and supportive. It was a really good place to learn, I really enjoyed it and want to keep on doing it and improving.

I enjoyed being able to look around and to see what was going on around me underwater. I think freediving is kind of relaxing and helpful to all parts of your life. The benefits of doing a freediving course are that it helps you to relax, it builds up your self confidence and helps you to learn to trust other people.

I would definitely recommend the course because I think it is a great opportunity to push yourself and take yourself out of your comfort zone whilst still being in a safe environment.   Alex 

I have wanted to do a freediving course for a while now and when I saw a freediver practising in my local pool and having the time of his life, I knew that I just had to learn to freedive. Go Freediving was recommended to me by one of your previous students.

I have discovered that if I relax and calm down, I can hold my breath for much longer that I thought I could, and I can just chill and stay under the water for longer. I have enjoyed relaxing and been calm most of the weekend. I am never calm when I scuba dive, but with freediving I am. The ease of moving around and the freedom has been lovely.

The instruction and support has been great and the feedback I got every time helped me to improve. Go Freediving is an approachable, friendly and professional company and I am over the moon with that. I would definitely recommend the course because you are getting really good instruction, support and I felt really safe the whole time.  Stephen 

My wife Lucy is very interested in freediving, and after having a small taste of snorkelling on our honeymoon I thought it would be great to be able to do it better. Anything that helps me to go further, relax more and see more is what I am after. My wife did all the research and found Go Freediving online. I did a bit of reading and looking around and it seemed like a really good course.

The biggest thing for me, as I am not a natural water dweller, was the whole relaxation thing, because it makes such a big difference to my breath holding ability. It’s about getting into that kind of zen state, just relaxing and then going with it and I really enjoyed that.

I enjoyed the practical guidance while you are doing it in the water. Although there is a lot of theory to go over, I found I improved much quicker by giving it a few goes. The benefits of doing the course are the breathing for one, which is something that I didn’t know I wasn’t doing right, and that can translate into a huge number of other things. And then relaxing and enjoying the environment rather than just jumping in and getting out. It’s just really good fun to be able to explore a bit more under the water.

I definitely would recommend the course because of all the knowledge that the Go Freediving team have. Knowing that you are in a safe pair of hands makes all the difference and allows you to go and do things outside of your comfort zone.  Daniel 

I have wanted to do a freediving course for years. I wanted to learn how my body works, and how to breathe properly and I want to be in control of myself underwater. I chose Go Freediving because they were the top hit on Google, I wanted to do it in the UK and the RAID freediver course seemed like the most logical, sensible and decent place to come and learn to freedive.

Doing the course helped me to discover that I need to practice more and which kit I need. I didn’t even know you could do this in the UK, which is amazing. I didn’t realise that there was actually a whole freediving club. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming and it is just nice how friendly everyone is. The knowledge of the instructors helped me to talk through every problem I had as they would break it down. You feel so safe as there is always someone watching and looking out for you which is really good.

The benefits of doing the course is that you find out what you are capable of doing in the water. If you are a diver I think you should definitely do the course. You get to get out, meet new people and have fun. I would definitely recommend the course as it will help you to be more in control and it is a really well run course, safe and in a really good location.  Lucy 

I wasn’t a very good swimmer so I set myself goals learning to swim, learning to freedive and then learning to spearfish. If I am going to do something I am going to do it properly. So a few months ago I got a swimming instructor to teach me to swim properly and now I am learning to freedive. I like to learn to do something properly rather than teaching myself bad habits. I watched the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall River Cottage Episode with Emma and that made me realise I can learn to freedive in the UK from professionals. I remembered that it was in Bath and looking on the internet found Go Freediving and saw it has a really good reputation and Emma’s history made me choose this course.

I have discovered how to put it all together and that learning from your mistakes is a great way to learn. Having that one on one tuition almost the entire course is rare in any learning experience and being able to have that was really good. Having someone tell you what you doing right, what you doing wrong and why you are doing it wrong, how to improve on it and then progressing from there is just a nice way to learn to adapt things.

The atmosphere is really friendly and relaxed and that helps a lot and everyone feels comfortable to ask as many questions as they like no matter how stupid they think the questions are. I think that is really important and there a really nice feel about the whole course. The way the kit and course is put together, is really balanced and is really good.

The benefits of doing the course for me is gaining more confidence, building more skills and enabling me to do what I am doing even better so I enjoy it more. Being able to learn new things and new skills is really important to me. I would recommend the course because it has all the elements that I like, it has the theory, it’s got the practical, its got the positive as well as the negative feedback, it’s honest. The fact that everyone is so happy to become involved and help out, the camaraderie and the team effort within the training course unit gives it almost like a family feel which I like.  John 

 

I really enjoyed the RAID Freediver course I did earlier this year. I got a lot out of it and I felt I could progress so I decided to do the RAID Advanced Freediver course – and have really enjoyed it! Because I live far away it is difficult to do proper training so I was doing dry training in preparation, naively thinking that if I could get my breath hold right, everything else would be ok. I quickly realised that you need more time in the water to really work on getting the techniques nailed first.

On the advanced course I really enjoyed being in a group with people of a similar skill level so you can chat about what you are doing. For me, doing the advanced course was about feeling more comfortable in what I was doing and finessing techniques. This was what I enjoyed most about the course.

If you have done the RAID Freediver course, the benefits of doing the RAID Advanced Freediver course are that you improve your techniques, feel more comfortable at depth and have fun with like-minded people. I would recommend doing the advanced course because you get a professional critique. To have someone focus on what you are doing and giving professional feedback is very beneficial.    Tim 

I decided to do the RAID Advanced Freediver course as a step up from my previous course and I already have it in my mind to do the Masters course next! Doing the advanced course was a good start to get comfortable at 20m and then move on to 30 or 40m.

Progression and depth are important to me and I am really chuffed with what I have done! Doing this course I have discovered that I can do it (even though I didn’t expect to). It really put a spring in my step and I can’t stop smiling. I was diving with some really strong divers and to be able to keep up with them was really good.

The insturctors are absolutely fantastic teachers. It was my first time with them and I had such a good vibe with them it was lovely. They are spot on on with everything – safety, critical when needed –  and they just helped make me so much more confident.

My favourite moment on the course was when we were doing the rescue dives and the mask off skill and we were all underwater giving each other high fives. It  was just fantastic because everyone was doing so brilliantly so quickly. It was really good and the whole atmosphere was just joyful and lovely.

The benefits of doing the advanced course are understanding your body’s limits and pushing them more, and it’s more challenging!  Freediving is my passion now – it’s just a lovely atmosphere all round. I would definitely recommend the advanced course and I would even do it again myself! Delphine 

I want to eventually become a freediving instructor so the advanced course is a mandatory step towards that. I chose Go Freediving because of the proximity, Emma and David’s reputations and I wanted to try a new dive school.

I have learned things that I didn’t know before. It was nice diving with people that know more than I do and be able to suck information out of them! It is nice doing the course here at Vobster because there are no weather and boat considerations and there are loads of interesting things to look at.

The benefits for me of doing the advanced freediving course for me was learning and knowing that I am doing it properly. The knowledge and location is really good. Rotating through different instructors is great because you get different bits of information from each one.

I would recommend this course because it teaches you everything you need to know at this level.    Dan 

I felt like I had reached a point in my freediving where I was ready to take it to the next level. I have been training a lot and it just felt like I was ready for the Advanced Course. The course has given me the ability to relax more. As I pass 18m it becomes colder and the environment becomes harsher, but I was able to relax and I really surprised myself. My favourite part of the course was the line diving and I managed to make it down to 29m!

Doing the advanced course meant I benefited from instructors looking at my diving techniques and correcting any bad habits I had picked up.

Spending time in the water is always good and Vobster is such a nice facility. The entire atmosphere of the course was great and it was just a fun time.

I would recommend the course to anybody who is comfortable up to 20m and wants to improve their diving by going deeper, improve their buddying and refine their technique. Thomas 

When I was in Greece, while everyone was cliff jumping I found it more fun to go down underwater – and I wanted to get better at it. When looking for a freediving school on google Go Freediving came up and looked the best.

Doing the course I have discovered the importance of diving with a buddy, that it is all about confidence and that you have a lot more breath than you thought you have.

Knowing how to do it safely and knowing that I can now help myself and that I am doing it the right way is what I like most about the course. The benefits are that it gives you more confidence, you learn to freedive and gain more control over your breath. You also learn your limits a bit more. I would recommend this course because anyone can learn how to freedive. It is a fun thing to learn and know that you can go out and do it properly. Jacob 

I was a competitive swimmer and I have never tried freediving. I am a scuba diver and also studying wildlife conservation so I just felt like I need to do it. I researched which dive school was the closest and the best and that brought me to Go Freediving. Learning to hold my breath and equalize without equipment was great!

The course has just been so much fun with so much laughter the highlight was getting to try the monofin and the rescue dives. I think learning to freedive will benefit you in so many ways, like if you are surfing and you are hit by a big wave using the freediving techniques will help you to remain calm. I would recommend the course because everyone is amazingly nice, the location is good and the instructors are great. Aliz 

I have worked for years in the water lifeguarding and swim teaching. I became a divemaster and would go freediving on my off days without having full training and a buddy system. I got to the point where I wanted to make sure I was doing everything properly.

I have always wanted to do a freediving course and Go Freediving is just down the road so it was perfect. Doing this course has made me realise that I was doing a lot of things that I shouldn’t have been doing previously and I have learned a lot of great techniques and I am actually more relaxed. Learning how to buddy and knowing how even small facts can impact a dive and just enjoying it were really important. Getting to have a go of the monofin was my favourite part of the weekend and it was really fun.

The benefits are that I now have new skills that I can go and practice in a social environment and I have made new friends here that I can go and freedive safely with and practice with. It’s great to learn a new skill and to learn to do it properly.

I would definitely recommend the course to anyone who is even just vaguely interested or even someone that comes from a swimming background to give it a go because it will improve their technique across the board. Zoe 

I chose to do a freediving course because I have always enjoyed being underwater and  wanted to do something for myself that was challenging. Freediving came across as something that I could learn to do in the UK that would be useful for going on nice holidays.

As a freediving obsessive I follow a lot of freediving stuff online so I knew of Emma from early on. I wanted to try the RAID course as it has a slightly different approach as the AIDA one and also more opportunity to practice and learn new skills. So it was new learning and reinforcing the stuff that I know already.

I have learned that freediving is quite an individual thing and what works for one person doesn’t work for the next. It’s about finding the right solution for you and knowing that there is a solution you just have to remain calm and not think about it.

The benefits of doing the course with Go Freediving is having so many instructors on the course – the ratio to students is very good. The location is good and having the pool and open water in such close proximity is hugely beneficial. Meeting the other students and the people from Go Freediving was great!

I would recommend this course, its very well organised, very enjoyable, great fun and you will meet like minded people, and it has great facilities. Everything is excellent and the fact that Go Freediving provides all the equipment for everybody if they need it, is just outstanding service. Miranda 

I decided to do a freediving course because I find it interesting how humans have these special abilities that we can tap into and I find freediving really peaceful and relaxing. To be able to see what my body is capable of and actually experiencing these reflexes is quite exciting. I chose Go Freediving because I really liked the ethos of the course and I the small group numbers was something I was more pulled towards. Hearing Emma’s voice and how enthusiastic and passionate she was is what made me want to do this specific course.

I learned that freediving is more of a challenge than I thought which makes it even more rewarding.  I am going to need to do a lot of practice. It makes me want to keep going back and keep on pushing. I like the idea of exploring the ocean and seeing things that the majority of people can’t see.

It was very rewarding to come here and find that I could actually Frenzel because I had been practicing all the techniques. The instructors are very encouraging and the group quickly felt like a team – we were helping each other and encouraging each other and it was really good to see.

If you have ever been stressful and want to relax, this feels to me like I am coming away from a yoga retreat. If you love the ocean and are curious about the ocean then you should jump onto this course because it is well worth it. I would definitely recommend this course as it is the first step to opening up the majority of the world –  which is ocean – to more people and it just a very pleasant place to be underwater. It’s a well thought out course which all the instructors are passionate about. Fin 

I stopped smoking 4 years ago and every year I treat myself to something with the money save from not smoking. My wife and I saw a freediving video on YouTube and I thought I would give it a try. When looking on the internet I came across Go Freediving and read about Emma and the other instructors and the course seemed like the right fit for me personally so I knew it was the right one to choose.

I have discovered that Freediving is not as easy as I thought it would be. But everything has just come together and I am going through all the skills and it has just been spot on. What I learned is that the more you relax and the less you stress about it, the easier it is.

I have enjoying trying something that I never would have tried before, the concept of it seems simple but the more you get into it the harder it is. The Go Freediving instructors break everything down into smaller bits until everything just fits and just clicks perfectly. Doing this course gives you confidence to know that whatever you are going to do you are going to be ok at the end of it. It’s a natural instinct that you shouldn’t be doing what you are doing, but it is completely safe.

The emphasis is on relaxing and if you can take that away into your everyday life you are onto a winner straight away. The fact that everybody on the course is at the same skill level and that teamwork of everyone congratulating each other no matter how small the achievement was fantastic. The teamwork developed over the course of a weekend and it’s not often that you get that natural friendship and camaraderie.

I definitely recommend the course because there is absolutely no reason not to do it. It’s a brand new skill and everyone can do it, there is no reason why you couldn’t do it. Even if you are not a great swimmer you can do the course and it is just brilliant! Christian 

My cousin Matt wanted to do a freediving course and was looking for someone to go with him. I do canoeing and a lot of the time I feel it would be great to pop down and see what is down there. It is actually quite frustrating not being able to reach things at times.  A lot of the time I am on my own doing this so I thought it would be a great opportunity to come along and see what it is about and I have certainly learned a lot from it.

I have learned confidence to hold my breath for longer periods at a time and equalization. I think with people telling you what you can do it enables you to push beyond what you thought you could. Learning to freedive could help anyone in their swimming and giving them more confidence in the water. Having tried scuba it’s such a relief to not have all the noise and kit that comes with it. I would recommend this course. The location is great and it’s a nice environment to be in. Gavin 

I have done spearfishing and diving before and when the kids learned to dive I did some snorkelling with them and went down a bit but I was not relaxed at all. Then Mark gave me a book and after three years of saying I am going to come and do I course I am finally here!

What I have enjoyed is, going down systematically to depth (I am learning about the physiological changes it has on you) not worrying, and just been able to put the theory into practice down there.

The weekend has been lovely, the instructors have been great and I have really enjoyed it. If you listen to everything you are taught you will live a much healthier life.

I would recommend this course because if not done properly freediving can be exceptionally dangerous but the course is run very safely and I thought it was very good. Matthew 

I was in Ibiza earlier this summer and really enjoyed swimming down and doing some anchor rope with the boat and looking at fish and sitting on the bottom in the sunshine. So I liked but I thought if I did a course, especially somewhere around here where the water is colder and murkier, then that would teach me how to do it safely and make me more confident. I found Go Freediving on the internet and I liked the sense I got from the website. The ethos was a bit more relaxed and less macho and that is what I wanted.

I was surprised at how comfortable I was going down right from the start and the less you try the easier it gets. When I was relaxed the technique all just came together in a way that it didn’t when I was fighting it. I will definitely be more comfortable now when diving. It’s a totally different environment and I really liked that.

It is an interesting thing to do just as an experience in life. It is definitely good for your confidence in the water and its quite good for your confidence in yourself. I would recommend this course because it allows you to get on at your own pace. David and the other instructors were great and I just enjoyed the whole tone of the course. Matthew 

I have two degrees in marine biology and my speciality is sharks and shark genetics. A lot of the sampling techniques being used nowadays is achieved through freediving because it allows you to get much closer. You can sample the animal while you are in the water with it, so it doesn’t cause them stress. Freediving just works so much better than scuba diving.

Go Freediving was the highest rated of the two dive schools on the RAID website. I just felt so safe on the course and the instructors managed to balance everything and everyone out so well.

I think the breathing techniques will help me in running as well and it is just nice to try a new skill. It is something that I can keep doing.

Of course I would recommend this course because it is always good to learn new skills and I would certainly recommend it to all marine biologists because they will get see so much more this way. Because you are calmer, the fish are calmer. Even if you just want to learn to breathe properly it is a good thing to do. Kathryn 

The reason I did a freediving course is because I am not very comfortable underwater so I wanted to learn how to be more confident and relaxed underwater and that has been achieved! Go Freediving was recommended by a couple of stuntman friends of mine that dive with Go Freediving and so I decided to do it.

Doing this course has helped me to discover that I can do it. We went down to the platform at 10m where we were hanging around, chilling and posing for a photo. I just felt so relaxed and looking back to yesterday morning I would never have believed then that I would be able to do that. It’s difficult to choose just one thing, but what I liked most about the course is that I got out of it what I wanted to achieve. It gave me the tools and the knowledge to get what I needed which is good.

Three benefits of doing this course are getting the knowledge of freediving instead of just trying to do it yourself, the facilities are everything you need and Vobster Quay is perfect and the instructors are fantastic. I would absolutely recommend the course and if you are going to do freediving, you have do it with Go Freediving. Dan 

My husband found the course and wanted to do it and I am always up for trying new things. I have done some snorkelling and I generally like to play in the water.  My main challenge has been the equalisation but it has been fun. The course has given me more confidence, which is what I really wanted, to be able to go down and to stay under. I liked learning new skills and how you challenge your own body. It was something completely different and I would never had gone that deep on my own. I also saw lots of perch which was nice.

I have been selling the course to people in the changing room all weekend because mostly they have a “I could never do it” response but I tell them that it is actually not that scary because you feel like you are in control all the time. The benefits of doing the course are water confidence and becoming more confident with your own limits. Also, being in control of your breathing, when you’re at that point where it is challenging and you really feel like you want to breathe, but being able to calmly get through it is a great confidence builder. I thought it would be scary but its not because you don’t go further than what you feel you can.  For the swimmers and the scuba divers it looks scary, but its not, it’s a learning experience and accessible.

I am just so much more confident now for when I go snorkelling to be able to go deeper. I feel more in control and I know my own limits. It was really interesting spending time with the different instructors because each one has their own approaches and techniques, especially with equalisation, and it helped me to go down deeper than I had gone with no problem at all. Hannah 

I have spent quite a bit of time underwater when doing canyoning and there was a challenge to keep yourself down for as long as you could whilst climbing down the rock face underwater and it felt nice down there. So I looked around for what other sport that might offer that same feeling, found Go Freediving online and booked.

I have discovered that I really enjoy Freediving which I had hoped that I would. I have enjoyed the underwater experience being so deep and without fear so there is a natural feeling of freedom. It feels good to know that you can do it. The benefits of the course are that it builds your confidence in the water, knowing that you can do it and that you know how to do it. I would recommend the course because it is good fun. Ian 

When I was on holiday in Greece I was doing some freediving on my own and I so wanted to do this course to learn how to freedive properly. I googled and found this course for this weekend and I was free so that was great. I have learned how to use less energy to go down, to duck dive and how to conserve energy and how to breathe. It was all quite fun.

The best thing was going down to 20m and feeling comfortable without feeling like I had to go straight back up. The benefits of doing this freediving course are you learn to know your limits, how to rescue people and the duck dive was quite nice to learn. I recommend the course if you want to learn to freedive because you will learn to do it properly. Marius 

I love being in the water and I have been scuba diving for many years. I have been trying to freedive myself and the course has helped me to discover that a lot of what I was doing was bad habits that I have to forget now that I have learned to do it properly. Learning why you should do certain things was really interesting. It’s a challenge to change bad habits and also learn the things and steps you need to remember. Even though I managed to get down to depths, I struggled with some of the steps like the duck diving so it was a really good opportunity to learn to do it right.

Diving down to the crushing works was the highlight for me. I came to it and when I got to the end of it I felt like I had more reserves to go further but I decided to stop there and it felt good, it felt good all the way up.

The benefits of doing this course are that you get to learn to freedive correctly so whether you are holidaying in Greece or spearfishing in Norway you now know how to do it correctly with correct techniques and what you should and shouldn’t do. Learning about the body system is good and I can see the importance of that with freediving now.

I would absolutely recommend the course, especially to people who like to snorkel and who like to try the odd deeper dive. It’s a relatively compressed course and the number of instructors to students is really good so I felt like I got a lot of feedback and because the instructors rotate I got different feedback which I thought was great. Ole 

I scuba dive and I saw some people freediving on a holiday abroad and it looked quite interesting. There was a program on television about four or five years ago called Britain’s secret seas, that Emma was in, and I just thought she looked so cool, it was amazing. The way that she prepared and just glided down and I really did just think that was so cool. It triggered something inside me and it was amazing. I then watched The Blue Planet and I watched the camera operators filming the whales and of course the whales are scared of the bubbles so they had to freedive. I just thought it would be really cool to learn to freedive a bit so that is how my journey started and my wife got me this course as a gift.

I have discovered freediving is very skill dependant and it will take me time to learn the skills progressively. The week before the course I went to the pool to do some swimming and prepare for the course and that definitely helped me. The instructors are amazingly patient and encouraging which comes from their love of the sport and the difficulties they went through to get where they are today. The instructors will definitely get a big tick from me, they were brilliant.

The challenge of the course is definitely one of the benefits of doing the course and should you become sufficiently competent then suddenly snorkelling would become a whole new dimension. As someone who sails a lot it would definitely help me as well. The camaraderie is very good and being able to dive with my family definitely brings us closer. I would recommend the course to anyone who is up to the challenge, because learning to freedive is great. Stephen 

My friend Ian found the course and as I like to try new things and learn new things I decided to give it a go. Before I started I was a bit wary of the water, I don’t have much experience in the water, I’m not much of a swimmer, I’ve never been snorkelling or anything like that so it has been a lot of new experiences for me. I have been able to relax into it and had a lot of fun doing it. I like that freediving is a lot of mind over matter as I am interested in meditation and stuff like that so I enjoyed learning how the mind controls the body and how the body reacts to certain things like being at different pressures underwater. Experiencing that and also what you thinking and it quite good having those two things, the physiology and the psychology.

The benefits of doing the course with Go Freediving are that you get really good instruction, it’s very personal as well so there is no real pressure to do stuff if you are not comfortable with and it is very safe. I also met a lot of cool people. If you are interested in doing something like this, I would recommend Go Freediving to get proper instruction, it is better to do it with someone who knows what they are doing than going off and doing on your own. Tony 

I scuba dived and then discovered freediving at a dive show and I just loved the concept of it. I went online and watched loads of videos and found Go Freediving and I think that freediving is calming which suits my personality. Doing this course I have discovered that I can go deeper than I thought I could and that I can understand the technical side of it which I thought I might struggle with. But getting down underwater and putting everything into practice I discovered that freediving can be everything that I thought it could be which is great.

The best part of the course was the instructor student ratio, the smaller groups made it easy to ask questions straight away and the fact that the instructors are so patient. Doing this course helps build up your confidence in yourself and your capabilities. You get to meet people that love what you love and you have the ongoing club nights to help support you afterwards it is just not a one off but can actually become a way of life.

I would recommend it because I think I am a good example of someone who wanted to do it but had no idea what is involved and actually came out of it just on a high really and feeling like I have achieved something that I have wanted for a really long time. So test yourself and you will be surprised at what comes out of it. Tracey 

My wife got me into open water swimming because she is a keen open water swimmer and she got me a ticket to swim the River Dart 10km this September so I have been coming to Vobster to train and the freediving interested me. I think it was really to feel a little more safe or more connected with being in the water and just to feel more at one with it. I was in Greece 3 weeks ago and had I had the knowledge of equalising that I now have I would have been able to swim deeper with the turtle that I swam with. Learning more about the water and learning about the currents and that sort of thing was something I wasn’t expecting to learn about but did.

Go Freediving is here in Vobster and I know that Go Freediving knows what they are doing and that people travel great distances to learn freediving with them and that is why I chose them for this course. I have now been able to identify my equalisation problem and know what I have to do achieve it. You learn about your body and what it is capable of doing and it has been really interesting. The instructors are really laid back and easy going and very knowledgeable so I always felt safe with the instructors. I never felt in danger, right from the start I never felt like I was out of my depth as I was learning what I was capable of doing and to not push past that, and that was important.

The benefits of the course are that you learn more about being in the water, you learn your capabilities which makes you feel safe and know your limits, and it is fun to be in the water and engage with the underwater world. Freediving could be a great hobby and I can see myself getting into it and once I have the capabilities, enjoying it with a friend on holidays and abroad. I would recommend the course because it is very structured, and with a lot packed into it there is no shortage of information.  Jeremy 

I have been diving and swimming under the water for pretty much as long as I can remember and have been snorkeling from the age of about 10.  At the pool I would often do some lengths under water, what I now know as Dynamic No Fins. Snorkeling on holiday I would easily be diving deeper than the other holidaymakers, often swimming underneath them while they were bobbing around like corks, or going down the anchor chain and sitting on the seabed on boat trips when they stopped for snorkelling. Of course I didn’t know this was Free Immersion at the time!

In the 90s I did a BSAC sports diver training but I was uncomfortable with all of the gear and equipment and all the prep it needs and didn’t follow it up, I was always happier diving with the freedom provided without it. Soon after I saw the Big Blue and was of course captivated and knew that’s what I was inside – a Freediver. I assumed though that nobody in the UK did it though and didn’t follow up with research. I just continued to snorkel whilst on holiday, but began to realise as I got older (and possibly wiser) that what I was doing was quite dangerous, ie out on my own a couple of hundred metres offshore with no surface support and diving to 10m+. By now freediving videos were appearing in my newsfeed and on Youtube etc. so I decided to investigate.

I initially searched for Freedivng tutorials and of course learned about the dangers and necessity for training and not diving alone. I knew about Vobster as I’m local and wondered if freediving training was there. Of course it is and as I learned more about Go Freediving and Emma’s background and credentials I realised how lucky I was to be local and that there was really no other choice.

Doing the course I discovered just how remarkable the human body is and what an amazing thing the Dive Reflex is.

Other than the dives themselves, what I really enjoyed was the peace inducing effects of the breathe up and knowing the buddy/instructor was there keeping me safe. It was almost a spiritual experience.

The benefits of doing a course with Go Freediving are first and foremost the instructors. I really appreciated that we communicated on an equal level as it were, some training I have received in the past was quite ego driven by the instructors and there was none of that. If you want to be the best you can be then be trained by the best possible you can find – Go freediving provides that. And Freediving, is just that ‘Freedom’ – it helps you be present in the moment without being encumbered by modern life.

I would definitely recommend the course. No one was pushed and we all progressed at our own pace. My pace was quite quick due to my previous freediving experience and was placed in a group with students of similar ability. I know that every student had complete confidence in the instructors. Simon 

My course was a gift that I had been talking and hinting about for quite a while. I have always loved swimming in the sea and swimming underwater but I have always felt limited by my ability to stay down long enough to enjoy it. I have progressed over the two days so I want to keep going with it.

The diving experience, meeting new people and the instructors have made it all really fun. The light hearted tone of the course helps you to relax and helps you to learn.

I would recommend this course because it gives you the opportunity to spend some time in the water, and improve your fitness because it motivates you to modify your lifestyle. With Go Freediving you get to do some great weekends and holidays away. The course is very professionally run, it’s a great location to come and practice and it is really fun and enjoyable. Steve 

I am a scuba diver and while I have been scuba diving I have seen people diving with these long fins and I was curious to learn what it is about. I am going on holiday to Turkey to a yoga/sports camp and there are some instructors that will teach children and adults to freedive and I wanted to get some practice before I go there. I chose Go Freediving because you are the closest and had course available that fitted my schedule.

I achieved quite a bit more than I expected but at the same time I want to do more. I enjoyed spending the time in the water. If you don’t enjoy yoga then freediving is the in-water equivalent to yoga and it helps you to relax and sense your body. I would recommend this course because everything is so well organised.  Kirill 

Some of my friends scuba dive but I like to be awkward and take the path less travelled so I saw freediving and it just looked a lot more fun with a lot more maneuverability and freedom in the water. I really want to swim with sharks and it just looked more natural to swim with them without all the gear and equipment.

I found Go Freediving through Much Better Adventures and I had a look at some other freediving companies as well and Go Freediving stood out and seemed to have better safety records and standards. What do you learn on a freediving course? This course helped me realise that I am a lot more comfortable under the water than I thought I would be. I will definitely be back for some more courses and further training. It was a lot more fun than what I thought it would be.

The highlight for me was being underwater with the rest of the group and as we went through the plane together I just felt a sense of belonging and friendship that was really good and I liked that.

The benefits of the course are the new friendships, pushing yourself and learning something new. The course has such a friendly environment, it is relaxed, efficient and you don’t feel stressed out at all so I would definitely recommend it. I will be telling all my scuba diving friends to ditch their oxygen tanks!  James 

I enjoy being in the water and I love swimming underwater. Chris wanted to do this course and he wanted someone to do it with so I agreed to join him. I have discovered that there are very specific techniques that help you to efficiently use your oxygen which have been quite interesting.

What I found really interesting was that when you feel like you’re running out of air you are not, you are actually ok and that it is mind over matter. I found that very fascinating.

It’s just been so nice doing something different and outdoors, learning new skills and meeting new people. It has been a really lovely weekend. What do you learn on a freediving course? You learn more about yourself, your limits and your body. You learn what you can and can’t do and how far you can go, and you might surprise yourself with what you can do.

It’s been a really fun, relaxing weekend away from phones, TV, restaurants and stuff like that. I would definitely recommend it because it just a fun and wholesome new thing to do. The instructors are great, Emma, David and Heather have all been amazing. Mark 

I decided to do a freediving course because all my holidays involve the water and I have been an avid snorkeller and duck diver. I took to scuba diving but it’s getting more expensive. A friend of mine put me on to Go Freediving and you were top of the list.

Doing this course has helped me realise that in the past when I have been duck diving, I have not been able to do a full equalization, and I do have a problem with equalising when doing scuba which I am only finding out now, and is quite frustrating. In the past when I have not succeeded and pushed, all I have done is cause myself problems and unnecessary ear discomfort, and blocks and ear pain.

I have enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere on this course the most. With my lifestyle I don’t have much time to relax. Coming here it is chillaxed but serious at the same time. The monitoring and mentoring is there constantly. Diving around the world you can tell immediately if the instructor and the equipment is up to it and Go Freediving ticks all the boxes.

Being free of all the tanks and weights has just been great. What do you learn on a freediving course? For me is being able to achieve equalisation as that is something I have always struggled with. I would recommend this course because without it you are missing what life is all about. I have already recommended it and told all my clients and colleagues about it because they are fascinated when you start talking about it. Go Freediving is the most professional outfit I have ever come across and I know that I am in the right place. Brendan 

I had the weekend free and I saw the course advertised on Facebook and it looked like a sensible thing to do. I have discovered that I don’t need to freak out so much under the water!

On day 1 at first I found it a bit scary and was freaking out a bit when I was going down. Now on the second day there has been a massive change that has been really nice and I am so much calmer now going down to the plane and going deeper. Yesterday when I got here I was quite nervous but the fact that I have overcome that is definitely the best thing and a very nice feeling.

The course has been very well taught, I haven’t felt stressed about doing anything. Even when I was really nervous there was no pressure which was very nice. I would definitely recommend this course because the fact that you realise you can hold your breath longer and go deeper than you think you can gives you a nice sense of achievement. Kieran 

My husband was interested in freediving so we tried it abroad and it felt very natural and very free. I wanted to get more comfortable in the water and take it to the next level so we are safer, so I did some research on freediving courses and the first company I got in touch with were not very friendly. I then heard Emma doing an podcast interview on The Modern Mann  and she sounded so lovely and friendly so I looked her up and booked a course.

The course has been really, really good. It is quite structured which I like a lot and I love the way the instructors make it feel more personal and real. What do you learn on a freediving course? You learn that you will achieve more than you thought you could and doing it over two days is really good because it allows you to take the pressure off and the instructors have all been so friendly and supportive. I would definitely recommend this course.  Katie 

I love been underwater and I have always loved playing around underwater. I have done surfing and I just love being in the sea. I have learned that 10m is a lot further than what you think it is but at the same time if you just relax it is very achievable and good fun. I experienced problems on day 1 with my sinuses which was really depressing but on day 2 with the tips and guidance I managed to get down and it was a great birthday present.

The relaxed atmosphere and concentrating on the more important natural things is what make this course better than the other courses I have done. What do you learn on a freediving course? Learning to relax, learning to control yourself and enjoying being in a completely different environment are just some of the benefits of the course.

The instructors are so relaxed and there is a definite feeling that they are interested and excited about teaching and passing it on rather than just going through the motions and doing it as a job and that is a really good thing.  Andrew 

Yesterday I had the privilege of doing a one-to-one freediving session with Emma Farrell. It was an amazing experience and I exceeded my own expectations (as well as those of Emma I suspect). With the Frenzel technique mastered (otherwise known as the FFF to those in the know) I was so much more comfortable in the water. Emma’s patient and clear instruction enabled me to meet the physical and relaxing challenge of freediving. With the added benefit of Vobster Quay and the glamorous assistant what more could a girl want when its over 30 degrees. One-to-one is simply a better way to learn and so worth the investment with a professional.     Carol 

 

I have done a bit of swimming, snorkelling and diving and I just fancied learning more about freediving so I decided to do the course. I enjoyed doing snorkelling in particular so I wanted to advance on that and also learn to do it properly.

I looked around on the internet and Go Freediving just seemed like the best option. It looked really professional and the testimonials I read on the website were all really positive. It just seemed like the right place to come. Doing this course and learning to freedive I have discovered that getting to the depths we have achieved so far is just incredible. When you start off going to just a few metres it is pretty nerve wracking really, but as you progress you learn to relax and follow the techniques and you can do it and after two days I am reaching depths of 16m which is really just incredible.

The entire weekend has been really good, it’s really relaxed and good fun. The instructors have been great and I have achieved more than what I was expecting to achieve. You get to learn to do freediving safely and correctly in a fun and relaxed atmosphere which is really good. I was unsure about diving in inland water as most of what I have done has been in the sea but I was pleasantly surprised and actually the location was the ideal place to learn. I would definitely recommend this to anybody really, even if you are remotely interested in freediving, just do it.  – Daniel 

I did quite a bit of research online, and Go Freediving seemed far and away the best option for me and it was well worth the journey down all the way from Halifax in West Yorkshire. I have minimal experience in the water, obviously I can swim and have been on a few foreign holidays but obviously not enough, hence this course. Go freediving just looked like a very professional setup and the feel of the website is what drew me in and I just knew this was the course I needed to do.

I have learned that I am not a natural freediver but it has been good because I now know what I need to work on and which obstacles I need to get over so it has certainly being good for identifying my weak areas. I will absolutely be back to work on these things. For me the knowledge that I have gained has been superb and given me a background to be able to carry on with freediving. The three benefits of doing the course for me are the knowledge, the instructors have been great and very patient and the setting and location have been great. I would strongly recommend the course.

The whole setup was fantastic, the instruction superb and the knowledge gained priceless. I want to say a big thank you to Heather and David. Heather got me thinking positively despite struggling with equalisation and David was so patient in working with me to break down my barriers and getting me down close to 10m. I had a glimpse into what it must be like to be able to dive and relax at depth and I cannot wait to do more. The course had a great balance of fun whilst still delivering the instruction. What a shame I am so far away. I’m really pleased I chose to attend a course with Gofreediving, I hope to work on improving my equalisation and then redo the course to get my freediver certification.  –  Paul 

I do quite a bit of spearfishing and my friends told me that I should do a safety course, so I thought I would do a freediving course so I can understand the safety aspect of it more. After doing the course I understand a lot more and feel 100% more confident now. I do spearfishing, surfing and a bit of open water swimming so I am pretty comfortable in the water. When googling freediving courses I found this one and two of my friends also recommended it. One had done this course and the other had done the Try freediving course and both said they were great.

Doing this course I have discovered that I can go a bit further than I expected I could and that the main part is being calm and chilling on top of the water. Don’t think about the scary bits of going down to the different depths, just stay relaxed and enjoy it. Going down to the boat and seeing it in the clear water and also going down to the plane was pretty cool, but I enjoyed all of the freediving actually.

The benefits of the course are the safety aspects of it and understanding how your body responds and getting more comfortable in the water. I would recommend this course because the instructors are really easy going and friendly. The setting and location is really, really good. The instructor to student ratio is great and it helps you to progress faster. – Phillip 

I love the underwater. My children, Tom and Alice are freedivers and they know that I love the underwater. When they were children I was keen to get them to learn to swim, and encouraged them to do as much as they could do, and I think that is what has led to their love of the water,  because I have got it as well.

Doing this freediving course I have learned that I can do more than I think I can do! Coming into it I thought I would struggle, and not have enough breath to get down to the bottom. I also thought I would be too frightened to go down. I thought everything would be all black, but with the visibility being so good, it has really helped.

What I enjoyed most about the weekend is the support, everyone is so supportive. When I was having a hard time and needed to get out of the water, the instructor was so supportive and today everything just came right.

The course is definitely a growing experience and gives you a skill that you can transfer to anything. You can do what you want with it and it gives you the chance to do freediving again and again. It is just amazing to get down there and feel that sensation, and then coming back up, you just float up and I just love that feeling.

Depending on the person, I would recommend this course because it is a growing experience. Even if you don’t want to carry on with it afterwards I think you grow as part of it because you have to, you have got to do this and you are so supported. Everyone is part of the team and I love the way you all work together and you all sound off one another and the communication is excellent. And if you are a water lover I would think it would be the natural thing to do, unlike scuba diving you are totally in control and you are totally dependent on yourself when you are freediving  – Jane 

Rachel and I read a few books and freediving looked fun. Your course came up and was highly recommended so we booked on! I have discovered that you can apply the skills such as the breathing into other aspects of life. Rachel and I will definitely freedive again, now we can look for places to do it, a lot of the places we go you can freedive. Normally when you find a place you can surf, you can freedive as well. I think it is going to be useful and fun for everything we do.

I like the mix, the way that the theory and practical stuff is balanced because it’s not like you feel like you are stuck in a classroom, it is the perfect balance of both. Besides learning to freedive the benefits of the course are that you actually learn to do it safely as well. Also being around and getting to experience the freediving lifestyle is pretty cool. We are absolutely going to recommend this course to our friends. Living in London you don’t get to do this kind of thing that much, and this is one of the better courses that I have ever done and it’s been great. –  Alex 

It might sound a bit bizarre actually, but I have been in the army for 21 years and I have had serious knee operations, and I have titanium in my left leg. Both legs have been damaged, cartilage and meniscus damage and my physiotherapist recommended that I find something to do to invigorate me and to promote exercise as I will not be able to run anymore. He suggested I look up a freediving course.

I swim every week in the pool but it is boring and monotonous. My physiotherapist referred me to your website specifically. I was terrified to begin with! I have been in many high pressure situations and I tend to panic after the event and not during. But with this course, all week long beforehand I have been building up anxiety, especially worrying about ears, because to me pressurization and equalization are things that will make your head pop like a melon and I feared that more than I feared anything else.

I was excited and nervous all week long, but once I got into it, it was my fear that made everything work. The things I have enjoyed the most are the people that I have met, the instructors are very approachable, very into it and very easy going. You can see their love of it translating into what they are trying to explain to us. I loved the camaraderie, doing this makes you feel like you are part of a community and that is really lovely.

For me the benefits of the course are lung capacity, and knowing that it is bigger than I thought. It’s going to improve my swimming and my confidence has grown because of this. I know I will get physically stronger because I will be exercising to get better at this rather than exercising for no real end. I would definitely recommend this course because you will surprise yourself at how much you can actually do and what you are capable of. –  Paul 

Anna actually got me this course as a gift for my birthday about a year ago but we had to delay it because she was pregnant. What got us into it was while snorkelling on holiday we found that we quite liked going deep and we wanted to give ourselves a means to get further.

I have discovered that freediving is more about your mental state of mind than physical because when you get to a certain point you discover what you can do and each time you can push yourself just a little bit beyond that. I discovered that a lot of the instructors came on this course and liked it and progressed on to be instructors so you don’t have to be a super human being or be an extreme freediver, you can just be a normal dude.

The best thing for me was the start of the second day when you can apply all you learned on the first day and it all sort of just clicks into place. The first benefit of doing the course is that if you like it you have a new hobby that you can pursue, and the second thing is that it gives you more confidence when swimming and in the water which is good for lots of reasons. Thirdly, the relaxation aspect of it can be used to generally help you relax and slow things down a bit.

I would recommend the course because I have never done freediving before and already on the second morning I am getting down to more than 10m, so you can get to a place where you don’t think you could get to in just one day which is pretty cool!- Mark 

We have always loved being under the water and whenever we go away we always try to spend as much time underwater as possible and I wanted to get better at it instead of just playing around with it and also for my mental health. I am the kind of person who always has a lot of tabs open in my brain at one time. It’s not like having all the ducks in row but more like squirrels at a rave, and freediving is the only thing where I only focus on just one thing. Besides that you were local, you seemed like the best! After watching some videos of you, you seemed kind of cool and a friendly bunch that had fun on the course so that is why I booked with you.

I never thought it was going to be easy but I have discovered that there is a lot more to it. There has been a really nice atmosphere in the group and I love feeling like I have progressed over the two days. I think it is healthy to focus on something and have a hobby that requires a bit more focus and promotes teamwork. It helps you overcome any mental barriers or fears that you might have.

I would recommend the course because all the instructors are professional but approachable at the same time, it never felt intimidating and was run with care and planning. I felt safe the whole time and it is an amazing thing to do.  – Anna 

I really like scuba diving and I always thought that freediving was quite cool. Then Alex suggested doing a freediving course as he wanted to hold his breath right for surfing, so I thought this was the perfect way to get him into diving as he would never do it with me before, so we got this course for each other for Christmas. We also read a book about freediving that a friend gave us and we then found you on Google.

Doing this course I have discovered how to freedive and that I can get deeper than I thought I would be able to. Normally, I can’t hold my breath for very long. Mostly I have just enjoyed been in the water.

Relaxation is definitely a benefit of doing the course, you are just better at it if you relax and when you are just floating about underwater. It’s also just quite fun. And, when you are travelling, instead of paying loads of money to go scuba diving you can just go freediving and you also have less kit. I would recommend the course because it is loads of fun and nice to just get out a bit.  – Rachel 

I have been doing open water swimming for many years and I love it. I came to Vobster to do the Glow Swim and that is when I saw the freediving posters and I also saw some of the videos you have on YouTube. Watching the videos made me feel like freediving has got to be like flying and I wanted to experience that.

With open water swimming I use my arms and my legs simply for balance, whereas with freediving you use your legs rather than your arms so I have discovered that I need to learn to use my legs more. I also realised how important equalization is and once I got that right I was reaching 10m easily and comfortably.

I have liked the course because I have learned so much about myself. I have gone from frustration to elation and through it all the instructors have been so supportive and are always encouraging.

The relaxation part of the course itself has just made it so much more enjoyable. While there is so much to think about there is no pressure to just get it right. Everybody is so friendly and everybody has different strengths and it’s been really nice to just have a whole weekend where you are just concentrating on this one sport. It could become a lifestyle really. It’s been really, really good and the location is fantastic, Vobster quay is just lovely.

The first benefit of the course is realising how being calm about something makes it so much easier to do. Also realising that on the physical side you can actually hold your breath a lot longer than you think you can and it helps you feel in control. The third benefit is just getting to experience something just out of this world really, there is that one moment when everything just comes together and you do feel like you are flying and you just feel like, wow! This is freedom!

I would recommend this course at the drop of a hat, seriously, right from the preparation, all the communications about everything right from the start were absolutely fantastic. You get all the information with plenty of time to read beforehand, and having to do the small test before the course starts makes sure that you read all the information. Then you get here and everyone is great and want to make people enjoy the course and it just feels really relaxed so I would seriously recommend you guys at the drop of a hat. –Neil 

I went to see an art video with Martina Amati about freediving and it was so beautiful that I came out and I googled and got your name. I rang you, just to discuss it but I signed myself up on the course at the same time!

I am still learning to freedive and I have discovered that equalization is not something I can do that easily and look forward to learning to do everything properly. I enjoyed how the course and freediving makes me push my boundaries.

The benefits of learning to freedive is that it teaches you to keep calm when your impulse is to panic and its very good for learning breathing techniques and relaxation, and feeling at one with your environment.  – Emma 

I wanted to learn to freedive safely in the water for my family. My wife and daughters can’t swim so I need to be better for them. I found you on YouTube and I liked the way you teach people, the way you show them stuff and it’s calm. It’s good for me when I am stressed that there is someone that is relaxed and cheerful.

Doing this course I have discovered that I can do more than I thought I could. I thought I was going to quit but last night I slept well and today is so much better. It’s not that hard when you listen. Mostly, I liked the course because it was so relaxed and no one was pushing me.

The benefits of doing this freediving course with you are that I have learned to relax, learned to equalize and because I am relaxed I managed to appreciate the nature around me which was also a form of relaxing. I would recommend this course because everyone can learn from it. –Sylwester 

The main reason I did this course was because I do a lot of surfing and wanted to be more confident underwater, but I really enjoy spending time in the water too. I knew the midweek course was coming up and I really wanted to do it. It was the first convenient time, as I spend a lot of time working. I had two days off and I could have gone to Yorkshire for a sheep shearing competition, but I thought I’d rather come here instead and do this. It seemed like a good opportunity.

I chose Go Freediving because it was local. I’ve been freediving in Bali before on a two week holiday, and this was the first centre I have seen offering it here, so I thought I’d give it a go. I did well on the first day, but on the second day I had trouble equalising, which was frustrating but the instructors said I just need to try again later, which I’m going to do. I changed from the Frenzel to the Valsalva which helped a bit, but I think I still have a mental block. I can reach the point where I have the problem equalising and then struggle to visualise getting past that.

I like the relaxed atmosphere. It seems very calm here – which is nice. The water is really clear and comfortable. Before when I did freediving it was in the sea, it was very choppy and it was really difficult to get into a relaxed state before the dive.

The benefits of doing this course are it improves confidence and it helps you overcome mental barriers. For example, yesterday I was having contractions because you feel like you have to have a breath, but when you realise you can push through that, you actually start calming down and you can go further than what you first realised and you can push yourself further than what you were capable of.

I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who is brave enough to get in and have a go. I’ve had friends ask about it and I tell them it is very rewarding, just being more comfortable in all aspects, not just in the water, but in your everyday life as well. I think those two things are pretty much tied together. – Danny 

The reason I did this course is because I love the water! I have done a lot of scuba diving and also, having known David Mellor and seen his transformation over the years since he started freediving. I said to him recently ‘one thing I notice about you is that you never get angry and nothing ever annoys you!’ He was so calm about everything and he just smiled and told me about freediving.

So, the main reason I did the course was because I have difficulty relaxing. Even if I have a day off, I still think about work or need to be doing something and Dave convinced me to try freediving and it is something I have always wanted to do. There are always restrictions around my work at the weekend as I run restaurants, so weekend courses don’t really work for me so David told me about the midweek course and I thought I would do it. My timetable is more flexible at the start of the week than at weekends – because that is my busiest time of the week. I can take time off then, but invariably I am thinking about what is going on with the business in the restaurant so my mind is never really here. During weekdays I find it easier to not worry so much. It has a massive advantage for me having midweek freediving courses.

The biggest thing I have discovered doing this course is that you have to be relaxed, because if you’re not it is the difference between going down an extra metre or coming up early. Yesterday when my breathing was supposed to be relaxed, it wasn’t – even though to me, it was. Which tells me again, I can’t relax. I have been so unrelaxed for so long, it is difficult to remember what relaxed means anymore. If this location was closer, I would do this all the time. I could even stop going to the gym and just do this! I would love to do it, to be honest. It’s teaching me something new in my life – like relaxation!

The thing I liked most about the course was the interaction – meeting new people who want to freedive. I like to see the different abilities and seeing what someone else is doing next to me spurs me on as well. And also David, it’s good to see people like him because he is a great model for this type of sport. I watch his Facebook videos and see his achievements and it is amazing. I find it fascinating. I don’t think I’d ever get to that level, but I believe that if I can come away from this and remember how to relax again, that’s good. You know when you’re relaxed because you dive well.

The benefits of this course are the relaxation, the health benefits – it’s a hell of a workout, and, it is just an amazing thing to be able to do – to go out into water and have no real fear.

I would absolutely recommend this course! I don’t think many people know about it, but the benefits….! I don’t think it is an expensive sport, if you’re looking for a healthier lifestyle I don’t think there is anything better. –  Ronnie 

I lived on a reef in Australia for a year when I was travelling and snorkeled every day, straight off the beach. And then I came back to England and was a bit depressed and needed to get back in the water! I started scuba diving last year but found myself quite stressed under the water and thought that’s not how I remember feeling under the water snorkeling and I thought ‘I’m not enjoying this, why don’t I try freediving?’ so I just booked on to the course!

I spent a long time Googling and I looked at London and I came to your page and I saw Somerset-based, Vobster and thought I’d rather come to Somerset and do it here than pay someone in London where it is a bit stressful and a bit hostile (or that’s how I found scuba diving anyway), rushing to a pool after work and so on. Midweek freediving courses give me a chance to relax. It gave me an excuse to book a week off work, come down, spend some time with family, just be back out in the countryside and chill out.

I’ve discovered freediving definitely helps me be a lot more relaxed. I found yesterday, pulling down the line, there was just nothing going through my head apart from my hands and the line. My head is usually busy, so it was incredible! And just feeling much safer, more natural, just chilled!

I’ve loved everything about the course. I never thought I would get down to 6 metres. When I looked from the top yesterday, I thought ‘no way. I’ll never get down there!’ and I got down there and I wasn’t pushing myself I was just there. And floating back up to the surface was incredible!

The benefits of doing this course with you is that you are all very patient, you are obviously all knowledgeable because you are all good freedivers but you are so patient and I haven’t felt pushed in a negative way at all. I’ve just felt confident about taking the next step and also doing a freediving course in general. I think the biggest benefit is the relaxation.

I absolutely would recommend this course. You guys are amazing! Everyone should do this! If you are stressed out in life, or have a busy job just take a little time out. It’s really good for your health. –  Rachel

I booked to go on the blue sharks trip with you and I just wanted to spend as much time underwater as possible and spend time with the sharks  rather than being on the surface.

Midweek freediving courses appeal to me because I work as a stand up paddleboard instructor. Because of teaching, weekends are booked up until September so I wouldn’t have been able to get on a weekend course so midweek suited me perfectly – and it’s quieter and it’s nicer!

I’d seen Go Freediving on Instagram and Facebook and I just loved all the students comments. It looked really relaxed. I’d also spoken to you. You also do the holidays too, so it’s not just about coming down and learning to do something. It’s having a purpose. I can come down and learn with you and go off on a really cool holiday as well. So the two combined seemed to make perfect sense. There’s no point training with anyone else. Plus I’ve just been told you’re the authority on freediving and helped write the manuals so I picked the right school!

This course is so relaxing. I thought it would be. I’m used to going in the sea, but this was in a quarry, so I was a bit apprehensive about going underwater, but it’s amazing! It’s so tranquil. You’re so relaxed! I’m really enjoying it. Over the two days, what I have enjoyed most is being under the water, good instruction – which is helpful, but actually, spending time underwater and progressing. Yesterday I was a bit unsure that I would be able to equalise. Today it is working perfectly. I can just relax, chill out and enjoy.

The benefits of this course is that it is super relaxed, super chilled, there’s no pressure – which for a lot of courses you can feel like you are being rushed through everything. The instructors are really relaxed and chilled which helps. The student to instructor ratio is really comforting because you feel like you are getting individual tuition constantly. You never feel like you are on your own. You’ve always got someone with you and the group is really small, so you can ask questions. And I like asking questions, so can ask as many as I like! And the kit you provide for the course is good quality, fantastic, comfy and warm.

I would recommend this course to anyone – and not just people who like water, but also people who want to de-stress and relax. It has got so much to it. If you are a water person then you really need to be doing a freediving course because you are missing so much by just being on the surface. There is so much more going on underneath. And it is so much more freeing than scuba diving.  You feel like you are flying underwater because you are not restricted. –  Samantha 

Freediving has always appealed to me. I have done snorkeling and a little bit of scuba diving, but my friend Nic  has been freediving for a long time and the way she talks about it, I thought ‘I’ve just got to try this’ And, I’m finally getting around to doing it, and loving it!

Because I am self employed and it is not an issue for me when I work, the appeal of midweek freediving courses is that they are quieter.

I haven’t done any formal training for a very long time – more than 20 years, so I have found myself over thinking things, which is frustrating because I want to do things really well, straight away – which everyone does, but I know I am progressing and getting it right, so that is the important thing.

I am incredibly impressed with where we are diving. What a beautiful place and beautiful water! I’ve done diving in some really unpleasant water, but this is just fantastic! And I know from what Nic has told me that you know what you’re doing which is reassuring.

It is essential to do a freediving course if you are going to freedive. It is just crazy not to do it – you’re asking for trouble. I’ve done other exciting sports and would not do them without the correct knowledge.

As I expected, freedivers are rather like rock climbers – they are a friendly bunch and I see a lot of similarities. It is the same bonding process, you get the same synergy with your buddy as you do with rock climbing – which I found really interesting.

I’ve always done loads of sports, but because of health issues I have not been able to do what I want to do anymore. I know that freediving will suit what I am able to do because it is about calmness and relaxation, and this is so exciting for me because I can do an exciting sport again without having to really exert myself.

I would definitely recommend the course. It is hard to fault the instruction I have had. It’s in fantastic surroundings. I wouldn’t want to do this course in murky water or in the sea – unless the sea is really amenable to it.-  Matthew 

I decided to do a freediving course because of my desire to be under the water, there is something that appeals to me about the silence and the isolation. I just feel that there is something that is calling me to dive down. I have done a bit of freediving in the Philippines, in some of the beautiful lakes there. I found out that you can’t go out on a freediving boat without a freediving qualification. It’s good to have a qualification though and I have learned so much. I wanted to know what happens on a freediving course so I googled freediving courses and the closest to me were here in Bath and Welwyn Garden City, which was much closer. But the videos and information you had online about your course was much better and I saw that this lake is very pretty. I also received prompt replies whenever I had questions or anything, which was great.

What happens on a freediving course is that you learn there is a lot more to freediving than one would think. The breathing techniques that I thought were suitable are incorrect and quite hazardous. The community of freediving seems to be a nice group of people that have similar interests across the board and not just freediving. It’s a very relaxing way to spend time in a very pleasant environment. The part I enjoyed most was reaching new goals and pushing myself. For me I think that is where scuba diving falls short, you put on the tank and that is it, there is no challenge. With freediving you can set yourself a goal, and it may take months or years to reach it but you can incrementally build up to what it is you want to achieve. It was great to see that even the instructors, who were working, were still having fun and enjoying themselves.

The course is very good for your mental strength, for overcoming fears and anxiety, as well as having lots of physical benefits, because you have to regulate your breathing. I think it would be good for anyone with anxiety problems, because you have to go into that place of unknowns. Physically it is great because you are learning about stretching, about the human body, and everyone, even if they do freediving or not could do with more information about how their body works and what you can expect from it if it is treated properly.

I would definitely recommend this course. I actually think it is a very cheap course for the amount of time and the amount of  instructors we have had. It is great value for money. The location is really beautiful, the instructors have been fantastic and I have met some lovely people as well. I also appreciated the fact that we had a lot of material before the course so that we were coming here with quite an in depth knowledge of what to expect and to also start our brains on the process of learning what we needed to learn when we got here. – Joshua  

I watched the Big Blue and used to dive with my brothers and I was the one that could dive to the bottom and pick up shells. I always loved it and wanted to get into it. My partner also does freediving and I wanted to learn so that we can freedive together and buddy each other. I found Emma through Joshua but I also googled because I like to do my own research, and you are everywhere with lots of videos of you which helps because I was looking on Youtube for videos. It just looked so organised and this place looked brilliant with loads to see under the water which makes it more exciting. Coming on this course I discovered that I am very frustrated with myself because I desperately want to be able to do it, I can hold my breath for 4 min and quite regularly for 2 minutes so I know that I can do it but when I am having problems equalizing and my brain is thinking about all these other things I start doubting myself. But it’s not put me off and I will persevere.

I have enjoyed the course because everyone is so friendly and nice and there is no pressure. I was in a group with the two best students and it was intimidating and I felt I was slowing people down, but the instructor made me feel very comfortable with what I was doing and they were doing what they were doing, so you don’t feel like you need to keep up with anybody and you go along at your own pace.

I enjoy anything that pushes you beyond the point where you’re comfortable so it is an adrenaline sport, it takes you out of your comfort zone and pushes you to do things that you wouldn’t do otherwise which is good. Even though everyone thought it’s mad for me to do it, it is fun. It’s something that you can do while you are on holiday and I like to add new skills to my skill set of things that I can do. I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone who was interested in freediving specifically or someone who wants to try something different and likes water sports. It’s more exciting than scuba diving. –  Angelique   

Freediving is something I have wanted to do for a long time, it looks really cool. I have done scuba diving and I thought that freediving is something I could do alongside that or even help me improve that. I looked online and this seemed like the best course that wasn’t a million miles away, it was the best course out of all of them.

I have discovered that freediving is really fun and that I need to relax more. I have enjoyed the diving all day with these people and just learning a lot which was good. The benefits of the course are the freediving, meeting all these wonderful people, and learning more about your body and your mind. I would recommend the course because it is really fun and I have learned a lot. –  Kieran 

For stunt doubling for films and modelling and advertising you need to be confident in the water. I originally did a PADI course and then realised at work I am not really using any scuba equipment, I am just diving to depth and then been held down there for quite a few hours so having control of my breath is the most important thing and scuba didn’t really teach me that it just taught me the technical stuff.

Also RAID is an internationally recognised qualification which is worth having rather than doing some random freediving course because RAID has value to it. I also wanted to get experience and build my confidence up with someone that knows what they are doing. You offered the RAID course, and you have worked with stunt people before and I like your mentality and you are easy going.

I like an adrenaline buzz so I like that feeling of being free, it’s fun and it’s a nice challenge because it’s completely you on your own and I think it is good for mental health and anxiety and it helps put things into perspective. The course is really easy going and you push yourself outside your comfort zone but you know that you have always got someone there for you. There is no way I would feel comfortable doing this this on my own. Even though I am physically capable of doing it, it is nice to know that there are experienced people around that know what they are doing in case I get into trouble. It’s good to learn good habits at the beginning, so I feel like I can go into anything with confidence because I now know what I am doing because I have been taught properly.

What happens on a freediving course is that it gives you a sense of perspective, it’s nice for your mental health it just makes you feel good, and it’s nice to feel the freedom that you don’t get from other sports. It’s nice to challenge yourself and you can use the skills in scuba diving, swimming and it’s good for lifeguards and surfers. The breathing can also be used with yoga. I like it because unlike scuba diving, it’s more of a sport. Instead of using equipment you are fine tuning your body, so it’s actually about your body, what you do with it and your health. I would recommend this course because it is all within your own limits, everyone is going at their own pace even if they are in the same group, everyone gets along and there is no pressure.-   Genevieve 

I started scuba diving when I was 15 and got into marine biology from there so it just always seemed like one of those ridiculous things that you should just do, so the more people told me that it was dangerous the more I wanted to do it! I started following people on Instagram and the more I saw it the more I wanted to do it. I was going to be a mermaid. I feel like it was the fear of freediving that drove me to do freediving!

I knew I wanted to do a RAID freediving course and your course came across as the most reputable one. I now know that it is more possible than what I thought it would be and the potential to get better has just increased ten fold. The best thing is being in the water without the scuba gear, I have never been underwater without the heavy scuba gear on my shoulders so I enjoyed a new way to explore underwater. I will definitely be coming back. The opportunity to see other people freediving has been a highlight for me and it has inspired me.

If you want to go into freediving the benefits of doing the course is that it is safe. As a marine biologist it helps me to get closer to nature without causing too much of a disruption. Emma is so nice and put me at ease so if someone wants to learn to freedive I can’t imagine any reason not to use Go Freediving. –   Anna 

I chose to do a freediving course to help me manage my anxiety and to be able to explore the underwater world more comfortably. I called Vobster and they put me in touch with Go Freediving. This course has helped me to discover that I need to believe in myself more and that the course is everything that I wanted it to be, I just have to be brave enough to do it. It is incredibly fulfilling and it settles your mind to help you cope with the rest of the day and life in general.

The best thing about the course was that I was never rushed and I was able to take everything at my own speed and time. The benefits of the course is that the self control you learn underwater is something you can use in everyday life. Your body is a temple and you need to look after it and the more you look after it the more you actually get out of it. The friends that you meet, the people that you meet, the social side of it is really, really important.

I would 100% recommend this course because it is just hilarious fun, you get to meet people and experience new things. It costs an absolute fortune to go into space so why bother when you have something so beautiful on earth.  –   Louise 

I really enjoy snorkelling so I thought that freediving would be a good addition to that, so that I can dive down and explore more if I see something interesting and cool. I found Go Freediving by word of mouth as people recommended Go Freediving and also Vobster is the nearest inland site as we are based in Southampton.

As a result of this course I have discovered that freediving is a lot more difficult that I thought and that it is just not about holding your breath. It’s the first time I have done freediving and been to Vobster and there is such a nice community aspect of the course and everyone is so friendly. I surprised myself that I could hold my breath for 1m 40s in the pool session as I didn’t think I would be able to do it. I just loved everything about the course really!

The benefits of freediving is the relaxation, because it makes you really think about your breathing and whether you are relaxed or not. It was really fun and I would definitely recommend this course because the skills you learn are very valuable and the instructors are very flexible, allowing you to do more things if time allows it and also I got one on one time with an instructor which was brilliant. –  Saskia 

Being in the water as a scuba diver, freediving helps boost your in water abilities knowing that are are ok underwater for x amount of time. It helps your breathing patterns. I decided to do freediving through Go Freediving on recommendation from Ryan and from reading up. Go Freediving has a very good reputation and is professional. I have enjoyed reading the newsletters we have been getting, I haven’t come to any pool sessions yet but the club environment is great and keeps everyone involved.

I have discovered that if you listen to and trust in what you are taught and relax, everything actually works. I went from doing 6m yesterday to doing 18m! I have enjoyed the teaching pace because of the student instructor ratio. Even when I had equalisation issues I wasn’t keeping up the whole class I was able to do it at my own pace, which was great.

Three benefits of this course is that it improves your in-water abilities, increases your confidence and teaches you how to be more relaxed. I would recommend this course because I have learned a lot, the teaching style and pace of the course is really good. You don’t feel like you’re being given a badge just because you paid, you feel like you have actually earned it. – Ashley 

I did the basic course and I enjoyed that so much that I went to the club weekends. I enjoyed that so much that this was the next step up. I came from the basic course qualified but not confident. I joined the club weekends to build my confidence so for this course I was relaxed from the beginning. I was worried because I couldn’t Frenzel, but it was not a problem at all. All the instructors helped me, and it is now something I can practice more on my own. It’s on to the masters next!. The instructors, as usual, were brilliant and it was nothing but good for me really.

What surprised me is the depth and how comfortable it is. When I look up and can no longer see the surface I realise I am actually comfortable down here. On my first free immersion at 27m I stopped at the bottom just to look around, even though I had a few equalisation issues, instead of just bolting for it. It is because I knew how to do everything I was comfortable and just had to freefall. The freefall was absolutely amazing and once I have my Frenzel sorted out I will be able to enjoy that so much more.

The freefall was one of my favorite things of the weekend, but the whole weekend was great. Swimming through all the planes at the end was also amazing, just knowing the actual distance of it. On the basic course I would never imagined been able to do it. Most will look and see it as huge and impossible on one breath. The practising at club weekends and some static work at home really helped me to be able to do it. Now that I am doing it correctly I am really, really enjoying freediving.

The benefit of doing the advanced course is that you come away comfortable with your abilities, and being able to reach new depths is just fantastic, it gives you such a sense of achievement. The advanced tips and tweaks that the instructors give you bring you along from basic to advanced which is amazing! I have enjoyed the course and I would recommend it because it makes your freediving even more enjoyable. –  Wayne 

I wanted to do the advanced course for the knowledge and ability to try and go further and deeper. I have been in the sea snorkeling most of my life, I am not a spear fisherman but I just love being in the water and I think freediving has a competitive edge to it making you want to try dive deeper all the time.

The benefits of the course is having a better knowledge of all the items, I did a 2 star AIDA course about 3-4 years ago and most of the time has been in a pool so it so it just bringing all of that stuff to the fore again but also understanding it all a little bit more technically from a body perspective – what actually happens. And then spending more time in the water because I don’t get the opportunity very often and on a course you have to spend the time in the water. Having the instructor in the water with you picking up on things that you can improve on, even if they are small things, they make it so much easier.

I have achieved all I came here to do, the company and the instructors have been good and very patient and have the knowledge and ability to help and direct when needed. When you have a positive environment it becomes a lot easier and the patience and the positive attitude of the instructors has been great, the balance between seriousness and fun is perfect to make it more enjoyable.

More knowledge, more confidence and more experience are the three main benefits of the advanced course. I would recommend that anyone wanting to do the advanced course join a club day to acclimate themselves before doing the course, especially if it has been long since they were last in the water.

I would recommend it because as with anything you do, the more knowledge you have the more confidence you have.– Douglas                                                                                                     

I wanted to do the advanced freediving course because I got to 20m on the basic course and I really wanted to challenge myself a little more. I have found the pool sessions very beneficial and it’s a really nice group of people. I discovered the mental barrier is more pronounced going down below 25m, just thinking about going that deep is a struggle to relax my heart rate a bit!

The best part of the course for me was breaking some barriers, meeting new people and just overall enjoying it.

The benefits of this course is that it has made me a more competent buddy now and I think I am now a safer diver as well. I reached 27.9m this weekend, I don’t think I have reached my limits but I have found what my safe depths are. I would definitely recommend this course if you want to increase you depths and diving capabilities. –   Michael 

I decided to do the advanced freediving course because I enjoy the personal endurance part of freediving, as I do with my other sporting activities and my first experience with freediving in Cornwall inspired me to do more.  I wanted to achieve greater depths and greater breath holds with more confidence. Having done a lifesaving course with Emma about a year ago I liked her style and I feel comfortable in her presence. I like Vobster Quay, I like the water and felt it was the right way to progress, and also to moved from AIDA to RAID as I quite like the way that RAID is set up.

I have discovered that I can overcome my inborn and ongoing fear of deep water, I would never swim in a swimming pool as a child so being able to do this is pretty cool for me. Mostly I have enjoyed overcoming my personal challenges to a point where I realise I could be confident before going down on a line or to fin down to a significant depth without feeling fear or insecurity.

The benefits of the advanced course are first; the personal challenge to push yourself beyond your own limits, both physical and mental. Second, it is a good environment to be diving here in the quarry. When I did my 2 star AIDA course it was in the sea which was turbulent, cloudy and unsettling and I think to train here at Vobster Quay, initially as a beginner has big advantages in terms of it been a stable and safe environment, and thirdly, the crew.

I would recommend the course for all the reasons I have already mentioned and because the club provides opportunities for you to progress even beyond RAID, no matter what level or experience you have with freediving, when you come to the club you have the opportunity to progress.  – Chris 

I was attracted to freediving because it is a challenge. I do a lot of other sports such as triathlons, ultra-running and swimming. I enjoy the challenge, it’s more about getting through them. I don’t know, I think it is more about mind control. I do get overly excited about things and see it as overcoming mental obstacles. It’s quite effective. It’s like one of your instructors said about the breathe out thing, because it’s instantly hard and within a few seconds you need to breathe. Mostly I’ve breath-held in the pool and the most I’ve done is 3 ½ minutes and thought wow, but the interesting factor has been the ears rather than the breath.

I wanted to be able to do it safely. We went to holiday in Antigua last summer and we were snorkeling and I was going down about 5 metres and though ‘oh, my ears’ I didn’t really know what I was doing. And then, you want to go a bit further, but you’re not sure.

I wanted to do my course with you because it was a weekend course. I have been talking about doing a freediving course for years. I have discovered that it is actually a lot harder than I thought. What I liked about the course was that the company was good. The benefits of this course is you know you are doing it safely and learn the principles of the buddy system. I would recommend this course. It has been really good-   James 

My son wanted to do a freediving course, so I joined him. We found the course last year, but pursued it after the winter. I have discovered how interconnected it all is – dive, breathing, anxiety, relaxation, the fast pace of life. You can see people’s traits come out after a while, but is is surprising how many people use breathing techniques.

I’ve liked that is has been friendly. It’s good all round and very encouraging for my son. The benefits of doing a freediving course are broad and wide – and more wide-reaching than you think they would be. It’s about more than just going into the water, the external stuff’s very important. It’s quite a good community where people know each other all around the world. There’s not many freedivers compared to scuba divers, so it is more closer-knit. You all seem to be very patient. I would definitely recommend this course for all the reasons I have given you. – Jeff 

I have done diving before. I am a scuba diving instructor, but I had to stop diving after an injury which meant tanks and equipment became cumbersome so I thought I would try out freediving so that I had a little bit less equipment  to deal with. It was something I had tried before and wanted to learn how to do it properly, rather than just winging it.

I was looking for freediving clubs around the Oxford area and saw an old post from when Go Freediving used to train in Oxford. I looked around and saw that Go Freediving offered a course that interested me because it was from an organisation that appears to be a little bit different from what I was familiar with with PADI so went for it.

I have discovered that there is even more in the brain than you think there is. Because I had done some of it before I knew it was more of a mental game than getting the techniques right, but it is even more about the brain side of things. Even if you can hold your brain for ages, your mentality once you get down a couple of metres really changes. So I definitely developed that side of it!

My favourite part of the weekend has been the assistant instructors, purely because of having done some freediving before I was able to progress slightly easier than some of the other people, so passed all the skills quickly. So the other course students got to be looked after on a more one on one basis with the main instructors and I got to spend more time with the assistant instructors who developed my practice alongside what I was being taught by the main instructors.

The three benefits of doing this course is that it builds your confidence, it changes your mindset towards freediving and encourages you to keep going.

I would definitely recommend this course to people who have some experience already but are not formally qualified or are complete newbies to try this out. If you have some idea of what you are doing – you probably don’t! So it is really good to start learning how to do it properly and if you don’t have any idea it is a perfect stepping stone into freediving because it is not about how deep you go, how long you do it, it’s about where you go from where you started and when you leave on the final day. – Thomas 

I really wanted to do a freediving course. I discovered that freediving was harder than I thought it was going to be. It really is. The depth was really hard for me, but I did like trying new things and learning new skills. Definitely.

I’ve learned how to equalise much better, I’ve learned new techniques like finning, I have a longer breath hold and also definitely improved on my duck dive.

I would definitely recommend this course. I have learned a lot from it and I think others will benefit too.  – Jack 

I was freediving  in Barbados on holiday and it was a beautiful sight under the water and I have fallen in love with it and I thought my diving technique could be better especially after seeing the amazing videos of a French man going into a cave very deep, so I thought why not go and kill two birds with one shot, so I went to Barbados to enjoy diving and also enjoy the serenity of the underwater. I found you guys online – I searched a few websites but as far as I was concerned you were the only ones that were offering the deep water experience which was more than 5 m deep. All the others I found were only in a swimming pool and I cannot see how we can do freediving in a swimming pool without having the depth. Go Freediving doesn’t seem to have much competition there!

The most important thing I discovered doing this course is that the whole pleasure of freediving comes from being relaxed, so if I am in the right mood and not stressed, the dive just goes beautifully. It’s nice and easy, there’s no stress, I have all the time in the world down there at 11 m. At the beginning it was a bit of a stress but I have a dive with Dave and I was ‘yeah, I’m absolutely fine’. So I took my time, positioning correctly, and it was all good. That was the break-through. That moment was my favourite part of the course. I realised the problem was in my head, so I went on a confidence trip at 5m and staying there as long as possible. Straight away I knew I could stay there a lot longer. After this 11m was very easy!

The benefits of this course is that you actually have your equipment fitted correctly, my scuba mask gave me mask squeeze – but it was good that it came out in a controlled environment and you gave equipment advice and I could change to a low volume mask. Another was there was plenty of specialist knowledge which is not written anywhere. It can only be passed around the campfire.

I would recommend this course for people who are stressed out, because this course is about learning to relax. It for people who have too much in their heads and cannot relax.– Thomas 

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