I want to get into spearfishing and I just thought this would be the safest way, because I need to learn how to be able to stay underwater long enough and go deep enough safely before I can start to think about spearfishing! There are definitely mistakes I would have made, like hyperventilating, and I would have dragged someone else into it as a buddy, and neither of us would have known any of the safety and coming up and doing proper recovery breaths and all that sort of thing, and I wouldn’t have known how to save someone if they were having a blackout.
I did a reasonable amount of research online and went down to Portland first because I have climbed down there and know there are dive clubs down there. I had a look around and talked to a few people and they just seemed very nonchalant and disinterested. So, I started researching online, found Go Freediving, looked at the Google reviews and they were all amazing, looked through the website which seemed to give a lot of information and they seemed very positive about doing it right.
This course has made me realise that I am doing a lot of things wrong and I know that I need to relax more. I think I have relaxed more today and that was from just having some time to reflect on it. I think I need to practice.
Learning to be a freediving buddy was good – getting them to breathe correctly. It was good to learn the techniques for turning people over, because that is actually difficult in the water if you don’t know what you are doing, because your automatic reaction would be to pull them over by their shoulder, but actually it’s not efficient, it’s not quick and it is not going to put them into a position where their head is out of the water.
The part of the course I liked most was this morning where things clicked a bit more with the equalising, and that I am recognising the mistakes I am making. So, as I am going down, I will tuck my chin in. It’s not necessarily fixed but at least I am recognising it.
The benefits of doing this course is that you have safety – which from what I could tell other people really didn’t have in place. Vobster has nice clear water and it’s not choppy with currents or tides which I imagine could get you tired quite quickly fighting it. The key thing is the safety. Everything is all thought out. It is pre-planned, people know what to expect which means you can get the most out of it as you possibly can.
Freediving is a dangerous sport. I would recommend this course for the safety side of things. You read through the theory and realise it can be very dangerous. This course helps you be aware and know how to progress dives correctly. – Luke
I decided to do a freediving course because Luke was into it, told me about it and I thought it was pretty cool and something new to try. We had a look around and the reviews for Go Freediving were really, really good.
I have discovered that the pressure and depth is quite a challenge for me. I wouldn’t want to do it on my own! A freediving buddy is essential!
It’s been a nice, fun group and vibe. Everyone was quite relaxed and you guys were really good. It was nice that you were laughing and joking around to keep us relaxed.
I would recommend this course because of the quality of teaching, the general vibe and the relaxation. – Matt
I’d wanted to do a freediving course for a while. I Googled it and Go Freediving came up and was widely regarded as having good ratings, there was a small number of divers to instructors, so if something goes wrong you just want to know someone is there.
I have done a sort of freediving before, but because of confidence haven’t gone deeper. This course has made me appreciate that you can go deeper quite easily, but probably want to have someone else around!
For me, on the second or third dive when I went down and relaxed at 10 or 11 metres and levelled off I really enjoyed it. It felt good! When you go down you worry whether you have enough oxygen, but when you get there you are wow! This is pretty cool! So when we were going around the plane, I had some time down there for looking around – I enjoyed that.
I liked having a freediving buddy – knowing someone was there. We didn’t get into any difficult situations, but it does make you appreciate that if you are going to mess around at lower depths get buddied up or just don’t, don’t go there. I would definitely want to dive with someone if I was at depth – that made me wake up. It’s also useful to understand how you can help someone. It was quite different because when I have done swimming CPR, the biggest problem is that the person is in distress so you almost have to fight them. But here the person has already gone through the distress and has already flipped out and you’re trying to rescue them.
I think it’s been good doing the course with you guys. I think the venue here is good – you have a variety of things to dive on. I didn’t mind not diving in the pool on this course – I actually think it made me more relaxed. There has been no pressure to dive deeper. You just think, right, just do your dive – which makes quite a big difference mentally – just enjoy this.
I would definitely recommend this course. I’ve enjoyed it! It’s done what it advertised! It is so different to a scuba dive and it is about having the confidence to hold your breath – that is definitely something I can do a lot longer, but you want to have the faith, have a few people around you when you do it – that makes all the difference. So for me, it has definitely done what I wanted. – Sean
Being a scuba diver I’m used to being underwater, but relying on equipment to keep me safe. Going around under my own steam whilst freediving, enjoying myself, and being a lot quieter attracted me – I just fancied seeing what it was like.
I know Emma already through work, and it was a very easy thing to book. But I am very aware of all the good work she has been doing and I would have probably chosen Go Freediving anyway!
Having come into the course managing 5 maybe 6 metres on a breathhold and then managing 18 – 20 metres by the second day, just by making a few tweaks is pretty amazing really!
Having a freediving buddy is reassurance that when you are pushing yourself at depth and you are coming up and taking those recovery breaths there is someone there keeping an eye on you. It encourages you to be confident to push that extra bit. Towards the end when we were all playing around, one was diving, one was at the surface. It just all made sense.
I liked doing the whole course in Vobster, because that is what you are actually going to do. I want to go on to do spearfishing so doing it all there was a benefit.
The benefits of doing the course, for me, are personal development – that’s always good and learning all the breathe-up techniques.
I would recommend freediving to anyone. It’s low cost, easy to do, accessible and good for body and mind. I’m not sweating but my body knows I’ve had a workout! – Simon
I did this course because I wanted to become more competent at breath hold and understand those sorts of things. Also, I am in a bit of a unique position because I sell freediving equipment, so I wanted to gain more knowledge and understand from a sales perspective what freedivers need.
For me, the thing I am going to take away from this course is the recovery breaths. That, I wasn’t doing previously. So to recover quicker and be ready to go again, that’s really quite useful.
The banter on the course has been good fun and to actually push my limits was really good. I’m really pleased with it so overall it has been very positive.
The benefits of this course is locality – it’s a nice, central location, you guys are all fairly laid back which makes for a nice situation to come into, and finally, being able to get some visibility in the water makes it a controlled environment.
This is a good course, you leave feeling a lot more confident than when you arrived and the feeling during the course is nice. – Graham
I wanted to do a freediving course because I want to become a better and more qualified freediver. My dad got me into freediving by telling me to see how long I could hold my breath and teaching me cool things in the pool. I researched it and decided I wanted to try it out.
Doing the course has helped me to discover that I can do things that I didn’t think I could – like hold my breath for 2 minutes and dive down to 8 metres! Learning to equalise on the course has been very helpful and useful for the future. It was a cool experience learning to equalise with David Kent because he is a British freediving champion, he is like a celebrity!
Being so young I thought I was going to be like the black sheep but everyone has been so nice and understanding – the atmosphere has been great. Three benefits of doing the course with Go Freediving are the nice people, extremely good teachers and a great location.
I would definitely recommend the course. I have told all my friends about it and they think it is ace. Tomorrow I am going to tell them about it at school and hopefully some of them will come and do the course – Sabeeh
I have always followed Emma and Go Freediving on their website, Instagram and Facebook and was referred to this course by a scuba diving instructor. I have discovered it is not as easy as I thought. I have always struggled with learning to equalise but being on this course has sorted that and I have learned a lot about equalising and techniques that I can practise to make it easier. Having David Kent to teach us the Frenzel was really helpful.
Learning to do things properly has been one of the highlights for me and it has made everything easier. The amount of information was great and helped me reach depths that I haven’t before. I even made it to the plane which made it worth it!
The benefits of doing this course are that it helps with scuba diving, you feel more relaxed underwater, and I prefer freediving to scuba diving now! I definitely want to improve and come back and do another course.
I definitely recommend learning to freedive with Go Freediving because there is just so much information and I loved the course. – Stuart
I wanted to do a freediving course because I think it is really cool and it will help with my stunt person training. I chose Go Freediving because I know Emma and prefer doing things with people that I know. I learned that you can hold your breath longer than you think you can and you don’t really need that much energy to go anywhere underwater.
I found equalising much easier than I thought I would. Learning to equalise, I now know that there are different ways to do it which is helpful. I have just enjoyed being underwater. You go under and when you come up and hear how deep you went you just don’t believe how deep you have been!
This course will help me with my career and what I want to do in my life, and it is very relaxing.
You don’t have to think much about what is going on above and outside the water, you are just in the water and in your zone. You just let go of every single care and worry. The course and the dietary advice has helped with my sinuses which feel so much better, and made learning to equalise much easier.
I would definitely recommend the course for people that are really stressed or have trouble breathing because the diet would really help them with that. It just helps you relax. – Brooke
I came on the Try Freediving course and managed to hold my breath for over 3 minutes and it just blew me away so I decided to come on this course. I chose Go Freediving because they were the only freediving school I could find on the web and social media.
I have discovered that I am more adventurous that I thought I was and I really want to do this and make it work. The experience of learning to equalise, even though I had a few problems, was a really good feeling. I was given individual attention which was really good and never felt rushed or like I had done something wrong. The instructors really care and it was very helpful having David Kent help us with the Frenzel as well.
The course was really fun and you feel like part of a group. It is very laid back and a pleasurable weekend.
The benefits of learning to freedive with Go Freediving is that you are learning to freedive safely, the location is really good and it is a very professional organisation. I would definitely recommend the course for the personalised experience – you are very well looked after on the course and it is a pleasurable experience.- Robin
I grew up on the coast of Australia spearfishing and I have dived my whole life. I trained as a commercial diver in the early 90’s and I felt I could do better. So doing this course with Go Freediving is about honing my skills. I found the Bath freediving club and had read Emma’s book a few years ago and decided that this is my year to do it.
Doing the course early in the year means I get to really enjoy it for the rest of the season. I have learned how to do the things that I was doing more efficiently now. I want to become more aware of my breathing and the exercises have been really good. I want to see how deep I can get with all the gear.
Learning to equalise has been quite an eye opener, especially the talk from David Kent. it has given me so much more understanding of that side of freediving and will help me to go deeper. I have got a lot to practice!
Diving with such a great bunch of people has been really good fun and doing deep repetitive dives and feeling comfortable doing them have been the highlight of the weekend for me.
Three benefits of doing this course with Go Freediving are honing techniques, the instructors and crew are great and the weekend has been brilliant. I would without a doubt recommend the course and I think it is beneficial for everyone. The mental benefits, realising that you can do more than you thought you could would be good for everyone. – Giles
I enjoy swimming and swimming in the ocean on holiday, and I really wanted to learn more and how to get better and to do it properly. I was checking online and Go Freediving’s website was clear and legible, and easy for me to read which is why I chose them.
Doing this course has helped me to discover how calm and relaxing it is underwater, it is really nice to just feel at peace down there.
I had a basic understanding of equalisation but it is quite different when you are actually learning to equalise in practice. David Kent helped a lot with the frenzel and it was helpful having someone demonstrate it for you.
I just liked the whole freedom of being able to dive as much as you wanted to.
The benefits of the course are that you learn to relax and having good quality instructors with a 1 to 3 ratio was amazing! I would definitely recommend this course to help people understand that water is not as scary as some people think it is and that it is actually a peaceful and relaxing place to be. – George
I have done martial arts and mountain climbing and Stuart has done scuba diving and said he was looking into freediving and wanted a buddy to do the course with him so I decided to join him. He had received a few recommendations to do the course with Go Freediving which is why we chose them.
I have discovered that freediving is harder than I thought it would be and it has been really interesting. Learning to equalise has been really good and actually doing it was different to what I expected.
The highlight for me was how deep I could go. I didn’t think it was possible for me to do it.
The benefits of doing this course with Go Freediving are that there is no pressure and it is relaxed – which is as it should be. It is friendly and very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this course because it is a good starting point for me to progress from. – Michael
WI film a lot underwater, particularly with whales and dolphins and want to be a better underwater cameraman. Learning to freedive will help me with that. Everyone in Bristol at the Natural History Unit recommended Emma and Go Freediving.
I have discovered that I had a lot of bad habits and I now have the techniques to go and practice to get better at freediving. Today was awesome – the way the instructors were giving me critique and showing me what I was doing wrong and how I could improve on it to help me go deeper was great!
The benefits of doing the course with Go Freediving is that you get a certification, you get great instruction with one instructor to three students, and the small, well chosen groups help you learn more. I would recommend the course for anyone who wants to get started in freediving. – Patrick Dykstra
Since 2000 I have been a civil servant doing underwater technology. I am a Marine Biologist with a Masters degree in Subsea Engineering and Diving Technology and spent two years in the water as part of my degree. With a full commercial diving licence, I also taught diving for 4 years at the University of Malaysia.
Go Freediving is about half an hour from where I live so you were the obvious choice. After not diving for 15 years this course has convinced me I want to do more! Getting in the water and spending time with the instructors has been the highlight for me. Everyone is moving at a different pace and everyone is supportive of each other.
The freediving course equipment provided is good quality and there is a large array of kit such as masks that people can try out. Having a background and expertise in diving I am very impressed with the kit available.
The benefits of doing this course is that I get a certification out of it and I can keep coming back to Vobster to dive. I got to meet some new people and spend more time in the water.
I would definitely recommend this course because the instructors are professional and friendly, it is in a great location and it is just all round fun. – Adam
I have taken up spearfishing and I thought I’d better get some formal training so that I can learn to do it safely. I thought a freediving course would be a good way to do that and to learn some better freediving techniques. Through the spearfishing club I belong to, someone recommended Go Freediving.
Doing this course has helped me discover body streamlining, equalisation and finning techniques. For me the ability to do multiple dives with someone who actually knows what they are doing has been a highlight of the weekend.
Getting instant feedback on what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong has been a major benefit.
The benefits of doing this course are the safety and the techniques you learn. I would recommend it because the instructors are very helpful and knowledgeable. The whole set up at Vobster Quay has been wonderful. The course is short enough that it can be done over a weekend without having to take time off work. – Richard
My past scuba diving experience with all the kit is what prompted me to do this course because I wanted to be a bit more free.
I was Bohol in the Philippines in November last year and that was the first time I saw freediving. It was amazing that you could swim through the sardines so I gave it a try with my mask and snorkel. I saw freedivers doing it and that is what got me into freediving.
I have discovered that freediving is a lot harder than I thought it would be and that freediving is a lot more of a sport than I thought it was. I enjoyed been pushed further, the challenge and learning to do it properly. The freediving course equipment that we used was good and is really interesting – especially the fins.
The mental benefits of doing a freediving course are that it really helps with relaxation. The stretches in the morning were really good – especially out in the sun. The breathing techniques and fitness are good as well. I liked the pool sessions too. I thought they were quite useful and I would recommend the course. – Ben
I did the Try Freediving course last year and I really enjoyed it so I thought it would be a good opportunity to come and do this course. I just love being underwater! I would really like to use freediving more and go on to do spearfishing and spend more time underwater.
Karl did some research into freediving courses, and we have read Emma’s book, and everything just seemed safer and organised with Go Freediving.
I have liked the support. When something wasn’t working for you the instructors would approach it from a different angle and find something that works for you, there was no rush and no pressure. It was just a lot of fun really.
This weekend has helped me build up my confidence and I want to come back and do more and more! The freediving course equipment has been great. My wetsuit fitted like a glove, was just perfect and of great quality.
The benefits of doing the course with Go Freediving was that I got loads of support and excellent equipment and it was just a really fun and supportive environment. You can come back and have the support of the club and other freedivers.
I would definitely recommend the course. It is a great skill to have under your belt and you can have loads of fun with it overseas or in the UK. It’s a completely different way of life once you have got these skills.
For lots of people it is a great conversation to have. I think most people are actually just confused about what it is you are actually doing! It’s not that difficult or tricky it’s just holding your breath and going for a dive. I think it is a great course! – Melissa
I have always enjoyed being in the water, always loved being underwater and I am just fascinated with how long I can hold my breath for and pushing my body. I just googled it one day and found Go Freediving! The course looked good so I just went for it!
I think it was the clarity on the website and the understanding that it is a process and you don’t just throw yourself in the water and hold your breath. It also highlighted all the things that can go wrong, which shows it is a serious past time. This is what made Go Freediving stand out for me.
Doing this course I have discovered just how powerful our bodies are – way stronger than I ever thought – and how much the mind is still a nuisance whatever we do! The freediving course equipment was very good and there were loads of options to choose from.
Regarding the course, there is no one thing that stood out for me because it is the whole thing. The instructors are very knowledgeable and very friendly. They are very strict which just takes the pressure off the student because everything is very clear.
I would absolutely recommend this course and I am already thinking of all the people I would love to bring back here! The whole environment is amazing and I am loving it! – Simon
I have done a freediving course in the past but never completed it and I really wanted to try and complete it. I really fancy the idea of freediving and I think it comes with a bit of a lifestyle change.
The freediving course equipment is great! It is all fairly new and of good quality and it prevents you from having to buy everything before you know whether you want to carry on with it.
I have discovered that the course is more difficult than I thought it would be. I really like the ascents. You don’t get to do that with scuba diving.
The benefits of the course is that is local for me and an internationally recognised course. The instruction as well as the yoga in the morning is good.
I would recommend the course because I think people should be open to new things and it is a great thing to try. – Harry
I never considered doing freediving. I lived in South Wales where the water is so gloopy and gloomy, there isn’t any visibility. Then I went to Pembrokeshire on my motorbike and came over this hill and saw this clear water. I didn’t realise there was such clear water in the seas around Britain.
Then last year I moved to Devon and I was listening to a podcast with a women spearfisher, Valentine Thomas on it and I decided that I wanted to get into spearfishing. However I wanted to get some freediving training in beforehand because obviously spearfishing can be dangerous and I really want to know what I am doing.
I did a bit of research and from what I heard Go Freediving is the best freediving school in the UK. Whenever I take on a new endeavour I like to do my research and go with the best. I found the online freediving course material very useful. I now have a much deeper appreciation for how technical freediving is and from a social aspect I got to meet some great people.
I felt safe the entire weekend and the instructors were very knowledgeable. Vobster is an ideal location and it is a good environment to learn to freedive. Everybody is really friendly which helps you to learn. I would definitely recommend the course, the instructors are good, sociable and diligent and put learning and safety above everything else. Richard
I went on holiday to the cenotes in Mexico which were amazing and I found myself paddling on the top but didn’t fancy Scuba diving them, I wanted to freedive. So I came back to the UK and I googled freediving and I found Emma and Go Freediving and decided that’s who I want to go and do it with.
Coming on this course I have discovered that I can go down to 18m and swim through a plane underwater. I thought the social aspect of the course was really nice, the fact that you can come back and meet people and freedive Vobster with a group of people you know. You trust them more in the long term than just some random person.
I prefer to learn online so I found the online freediving course materials before the course very useful and easy to access. The benefits of doing the course are that you get to meet people with a similar mindset, you get to learn the safety aspects of freediving, and you can join the Go Freediving club and go to club days and continue your training.
I recommend the course because it has the best options of all the courses in the UK and offers ongoing support and clubs for future training. Owen
I have always wanted to freedive myself, but it was just something I never thought I could do. It just seemed a bit out there and for people that had bizarre physiology. I like adventure sports, I like climbing and I have been scuba diving. Then, last summer my daughter Lily decided that she wanted to scallop dive in Scotland so we chose to do a freediving course together. It was a nice thing to do together so that is why we are on the course.
I had read a bit about Emma Farrell and Go Freediving on Google. I watched some of the videos and Emma seemed very empathetic, fun and a nice lovely person. I wanted my daughter to meet someone inspiring and Emma seemed to fit the bill. I found the online freediving course material very easy to do and having done scuba diving I found the questions very easy. I am totally fascinated by the dive reflex and I love to read about science and how things work.
I have discovered that I can dive to 13 meters and swim through a plane which is really cool and I would like to do it again. It was an amazing thing to get to do with my daughter on her birthday weekend. Getting to do something fun and adventurous with her was the highlight for me.
The course has definitely made me think more about my body and what I put into it. I used to do a lot of yoga and now I would like to get back into that and rediscover my body. Being able to do something that I couldn’t do before is immense and a great confidence booster. I also got to see what lovely people freedivers are.
I would 100% recommend the course because I have learned a lot and it has been a really cool thing to learn, It has been brilliant and I really enjoyed it. Paul
My dad found the freediving course but I have been interested in freediving ever since we went to Scotland. We have a little house and I discovered scallop diving and scuba diving but I found it too much of a faff to do scuba so I wanted to learn freediving.
Doing this course I have discovered that you can do much more than you think you can. I went deeper than I thought I would and I can hold my breath longer. I found the online freediving course materials an easy way to learn because you can do it whenever you want so it is much more convenient.
Swimming through the plane was the highlight of the weekend for me, I never thought I would be able to do that and it was really cool. The benefits of the course are that it helps to calm you and if you ever need to calm yourself you can use the breathing techniques. I feel like I have achieved something and expanded my horizons on what I can do on holiday and in life.
I definitely recommend this course because the instructors are really good, it’s easy to learn and there is no pressure to do something you don’t want to do. I really like Vobster Quay. It is a nice place to learn and we have had nice weather. Lily
Katherine and I really like doing sport together so she referred me to Go Freediving to do the course. We are going to Bali at the end of the month and the idea is to be able to freedive together and so if I know what I am doing it will be a safe way to do it.
I found the online freediving course material very clear and easy to use. I discovered that freediving itself was harder than I thought but it is picturesque and beautiful here at Vobster so I would love to come back and do it again.
The best bit for me was getting on that rope and being able to pull yourself down and test the depths. Once you are down there and you relax, a whole new world opens up for you. You are relaxed and not rushing back up. It is just mind blowing and I can’t wait to get to do more of it. Doing this course has given me more confidence in the water and the benefit of being able to dive with confidence when on holiday. It is also a different form of confidence.
I would definitely recommend this course to all my friends and I will even join them when they do the course because I definitely want to carry on with freediving. Elliot
It was actually my Mum that talked me into it, the funny thing is I wasn’t really interested in learning freediving and I didn’t really know much about the trip, just mum told me I am going to love it and it is going to be so good.
I actually said to my mum that I wish she hadn’t booked me on the course because I just wanted to come and snorkel. And then the night before we came I went on the website and read everything and researched Go Freediving and I was like, ‘this sounds amazing!!!’ and I just got so excited about it. So yes, it was mum that talked me into it and I am so glad that she did because it has been so good and absolutely amazing!!
I have discovered that just being able to take my love of snorkelling to the next level and being able to actually swim underwater with the marine life and on the reefs and just build my confidence in myself has just been really, really cool. I have quite a few favorite things, but I really loved learning the skills. I loved static and dynamic, and even though I was more nervous going down the line I really loved it. One of the highlights was doing recreational and putting all that we had learned into practice. My mum was laughing at me because I was doing deep dives next to the coral reef and she said I just looked like I was having so much fun. I never would have been able to do that if it wasn’t for the skills I had learned so that that really special and amazing and then having the chance to do it again with the dolphins.
To me it was more about wanting to enhance that absolute love of snorkelling and being in the ocean and being able to interact with the marine life more so I think the first benefit of coming on a freediving holiday with you is if someone wants to take snorkeling the next level, it really does take it to the next level which is so fantastic. It just gives you so much more confidence in the water, I had no idea I could hold my breath for 1 min 30. If anyone wants to try it, it is really calm and they will be in good hands. It was just so lovely and everyone was so amazing to my mum and it was so sweet and I just really loved that.
The yoga nidra was completely amazing, I have never tried it before and it was so amazing and just a great experience I am gutted I didn’t do it the first few nights but I am so glad that I got to experience it. Honestly it was so fantastic and relaxing and I had never done anything like that so it was really cool.
I would definitely recommend this Red Sea Freediving holiday because it is just amazing and I have just had the best time. It just enhances everything and also you may just discover a skill that you didn’t think you had and you actually do. The whole holiday is really good and it has a really nice balance, the first few days are hardcore with the skills and then in the second half you actually get to use those skills and that just worked for me and I just can’t wait to get down to Vobster. Alex
My journey to coming on this holiday began four years ago. I am a very anxious snorkeler but there is a bit of a daredevil in me. My friend persuaded me to scuba dive and after few years of that we went to the Birmingham dive show because we thought we would look cool buying gear there, and maybe meet a bloke or two, but we never did! And then I spotted the Go Freediving stand and I thought that freediving looked rather interesting. I was just attracted to it for some reason. I managed to chat to Emma at the show and I won a 50% discount off a course so it was always on my mind and then life got busy so I could never really fit it in, but I always wanted to try it. So I persuaded my son Alex to come on the trip and do it with me.
On this trip I discovered that I do want to pursue it. Seeing the other freedivers go down has been amazing. It has been more difficult for me for various reasons, but I am very excited to continue learning. My first scuba attempt was a disaster but I progressed slowly which I am going to do with freediving as well. I plan to come down to Vobster in the summer. The times I went down and when I saw Alex going down I decided I wanted to be a mermaid too. Freediving with the dolphins has to be a highlight for me. I couldn’t keep up with the rest of the group so Pash asked if I would like to go and see the nearby reef. Pash decided to do a duck dive and as she came up 3 dolphins came to us! They were so calm. Pash managed to dive face to face with one and the other two were just playing. It was lovely because we were just there minding our own business and they just came to us.
The benefits of this trip is the safety. I had a lot of questions and I was very nervous. The caring approach, the safety approach, even at the airport was caring, and the teaching was patient with complete beginners. I would definitely recommend the course for all the above reasons and also because I have physical problems, for anybody that has something similar, then definitely I would also recommend it. Christine
I always wanted to learn to freedive ever since I went to university. I went on my first diving trip just after I had qualified and we went on a summer camping trip up to Cornwall and the last day of diving was diving was the first time I experienced freediving. It’s taken me 21 years to get on it! Emily and I decided together to go on the trip together and because she knows Emma we wanted to come and learn to freedive with her.
I was really nervous and I know how Emma tricked me into going deeper and it worked so I need to learn to do it myself! I have also learned to overcome my fear. The best part of the week for me was the dolphins because it is something that I have never experienced. Being able to swim with dolphins was on my bucket list so it is so cool that we have done that! I am really pleased that I completed the skills because I didn’t think I would and I think it is a good thing that I have because now I know that I can do this! I have done it, so it will encourage me to carry on with it. I am going to go to Vobster Quay and have fun and to keep practising.
I enjoyed the sunshine and the people. It was a really inclusive group and I liked that we are in this enclosed environment because you have to socialise and eat together and chat together and everyone is really friendly and I have met new friends that have interests in common. I loved the yoga Nidra, just loved it. I knew I loved it but it was just a great way to end each day.
The benefits are that everyone is really friendly and a lot of people come on their own so it is really nice that everyone feels included. Also, the level of teaching and the safety, I think the safety is really important. I think it is really nice that we can go home now and continue on with the Go Freediving club. Now that I know everyone it won’t be as scary and I will join the club and will make the effort to go down on the weekend or rock up at Vobster knowing that I know people and the standard of teaching. I would definitely recommend the trip as it give you time to learn the skills over a week in the sunshine with less pressure and with a nice lovely group. Sarah
I chose Go Freediving holiday because I have trained with Go Freediving and I knew what to expect. I knew it would be a great, well planned, safe trip and we will be seeing some amazing things. When ever you go abroad there are always question marks, but whenever you travel with Go Freediving you know you will always be safe and well looked after.
I discovered that all my expectations were satisfied, I was met with a beautiful boat that is well looked after with a crew that is fantastic, obviously Go Freediving chose them for all those reasons. We were looked after perfectly without exception. There were a lot of highlights for me, watching all the people on the trip and how they came together as a group. They were being trained through the week and I was watching their progress and their pleasure and a lot of people coming out of their shells and by the end of the week they didn’t want it to end. Having been trained by Emma I was assisting so I did some lovely dives with the instructors who are all absolutely fantastic!
The first benefit if you are a trained freediver from Go Freediving you know what to expect and you know that safety is first and foremost. If you are a beginner freediver you don’t get better training than with Go Freediving. The trip is a total and utter escape and I personally feel so spoilt and well looked after it is really going to be difficult to go back to the daily slog after being here.
I would recommend this holiday without hesitation, I have nothing negative to say, everyone’s needs are nurtured and even ones with difficult parameters are met with a smile.The food was fantastic everyday, we managed to see some dolphins up close and I just enjoyed the momentary communion with these extraordinary creatures. Mark
I wanted to spend a week where I could do as much freediving as I wanted. I didn’t get much chance to freedive last year so I wanted some time to do that. It was more of a refresher in freediving for me and I also wanted to see some really nice coral, fish and some marine life. I have discovered that my ears are an issue and I need to figure out a way to keep my ears healthy. I want to be a better diver so I need to push myself to be better at it. Although when I saw the dolphins I just had to dive and it was amazing!
I have enjoyed the people and I have got along well with everyone. It has been really nice and relaxing. I enjoyed the morning yoga and I also enjoyed the morning dives. I get a cramp in my foot when I dive and I found that doing the yoga beforehand postponed that quite a bit so that is something I need to work on back home. I struggle with sleep sometimes and with my Go Freediving club membership I got the free yoga nidra so I think I might give it a try back home because it is quite calming.
I thought the food was excellent and there was plenty of it. Diving really takes it out of you so having something warm and nice and healthy to come back to, I thought was really brilliant. I think the instructors did an amazing job taking groups out and a big thank you to them for sacrificing a bit of their holiday to help people dive a better. Jack
I never thought that doing something like this would ever happen in my life. I have seen it on tv but just never thought the opportunity would ever come up for me to do something like this then, there happened to be a freediving school, on my doorstep, that ran one. The biggest thing I have discovered, because I have done the first RAID course with Emma, was the confidence I have.
I have more comfort down to the maximum levels you are allowed so that will definitely help in my future freediving and have developed confidence in unknown waters – which is great. I liked the people most as these trips attract a certain soul.
The crew have been absolutely amazing and they couldn’t do enough for you. I would definitely come again! The benefits of the Red Sea Freediving trip are the people and the instructors are amazing and the safety. The food was outstanding. I would recommend this trip because it gives you everything you need. Simon
I have been meaning to get back into freediving for a really long time and when I heard Go Freediving had this trip it was serendipity! I have known Emma a really long time and I knew that Emma was the only person I wanted to go to for Red Sea freediving.
I have discovered that I can still do it and despite all the things that have happened in the meantime my body is still up to it and that my passion for freediving hasn’t diminished. It has been really amazing and I have learned a lot about myself and my body and that if you really love something you should keep doing it. I loved a lot of different things but the camaraderie amongst like minded people was great and everyone got on really well so it was really lovely. The marine life was great but at the top of the list is how great the instructors are and how well they worked together.
The instructors on the team are amazing and they have all got amazing strengths in different areas. Like one is the clearest most eloquent and when she talks you just feel like you understand and can do anything. Renee is so inspiring, and Pash knows everything about marine life and really fun. Emma is just amazing doing all the yoga and amazing teaching and keeping everyone safe. Between all the instructors they had all bases covered and I don’t think I would have been able to do my static without them as they just kept me calm and focused. The benefits of doing this Red Sea Freediving holiday is the expertise. You just feel safe and guided the whole time and for people that are really interested in learning to freedive the instructors feed off that so the more you are interestedand the more you are performing they are always there cheering you on while also looking after the people that are struggling. They bring people up with you and they just work as a unit teaching and inspiring.
The yoga was really brilliant, the yoga nidra must have been really good because I don’t remember much of it because I fell asleep! But you really need the yoga when you are in the water all day, you need to stretch out and relax.
I recommend this holiday for all the reasons above and the Red Sea is just a great location to do freediving because you get to see some great stuff. You get to see marine mammals, incredible wrecks and the coral reefs are just beautiful. Not only are you in great company with great, amazing instructors but you also have access to some of the most amazing dive sites in the world so it is a very attractive holiday. Emily
I said to myself that I am going to learn something scary this year so it was between freediving and skiing. Skiing meant possible broken bones! So, I went for freediving and I found this liveaboard holiday, which was the only freediving liveaboard that I could find.
I wanted a liveaboard because I have been on a few scuba liveaboards and because I am on my own I don’t have so much time and I quite like the immersive thing that you get when you are with the same people everyday, it’s just a different experience.
I wanted scary and it was scary – something very basic such as not breathing is scary! I wanted a spiritual aspect and I got that. The highlight for me was the mood of the whole thing and it was a good group of people which was great. Seeing the progression each day making really significant progress each day and the recreational diving was great. The dolphins were amazing.
The standard of training, the standard of safety and the good group of people are three benefits of doing this trip with Go Freediving. For all these reasons I would definitely recommend this holiday. Suzi
I have done some freediving before and I have tried to the AIDA course a few times but couldn’t equalise head first and pass the course so I wanted to come on the trip to do something that was fun and different. Mandy has been on the trip before and recommended it and said it is really fun.
I have discovered on this trip that I am capable of things I didn’t think I was, and I discovered Yoga Nidra. I found it really interesting and I wanted try it and it has been amazing – I really enjoyed it a lot!
The highlight of the trip was passing my RAID freediving course because before I was at the point where I thought I was going to stop freediving because I just couldn’t do it. But I did it!
I have always had problems equalising head down and all the workshops on board the boat have been really useful and I don’t know what happened but something must have clicked because after that I could equalise. Also all the different instructors had different suggestions and advice and it was really good to try different things and it worked in the end cause now I can equalise! The benefits of the trip are that Red Sea freediving is great, the course and the instructors are great and the people on the course are great and everyone just got on and the group atmosphere has been lovely. The location is really nice and I got to see some really nice coral reefs.
I have never been on a liveaboard before so I was really nervous about that, not knowing what it would be like but it has been really good and with lots of people it’s been lovely. The food was fresh and really good, it’s been amazing. I would 100% recommend this trip because it is really fun and the freediving is amazing. Mary
I like freediving and I wanted to complete my certification so going to the Red Sea freediving was a nice excuse to get away and experience a different type of holiday. As a member of the Go Freediving club, it just made sense to do some intense diving in a nice environment like the Red Sea.
This trip has made me way more in tune with my diving habits – what I need to work on and what my strengths are. I have new confidence levels! Before, 10 metres seemed like an occasional thing but now I look at 10 -12 metres and know I can do that. I even managed to do some hands free equalising which is amazing! It’s changed how I feel and how I see myself and my diving. I have a far better picture on equalisation, marine life, currents and tides, and everything relevant to freediving. The morning yoga was a really nice way to start the day and I really, really enjoyed it. I also really liked the Yoga Nidra it was just a nice way to end the day. The benefits of doing this holiday with Go Freediving is that it is really well organised and you know what is needed when and where, and you know it is going to be a benefit in terms of diving because you are going to learn a lot and you are in good hands.
I would definitely recommend this Red Sea Freediving holiday it has been an amazing week, the crew has been amazing the food was amazing (and I didn’t have to do any washing up!). The whole general feel of it has been relaxed and is very balanced and I want to come back next year. The dolphins were incredible! Cassie
I have never swum or seen the Red Sea before. I have seen lots of other seas like the Caribbean, the Atlantic and the Pacific in many different places and I wanted to see the Red Sea. So geographical curiosity brought me here – and I loved the thought of being on a boat for a week. That’s what made me decide to come on this holiday. The boat has been brilliant and I love the sea.
Coming on this trip I have discovered that I can do a 3 minute and 3 second static and I have been down to 12.4 metres. I set myself a goal of getting to 12 metres so I achieved that and it was brilliant!
I love this holiday because I just love being in the water, I feel alive in the water. The highlight for me was when we did our freedives on the third day at Marsa Bareika and the water was like glass – it was beautiful and just fabulous. Snorkelling was also amazing for all sorts of reasons.
Safety and the management of the trip overseen by Emma is just superb and the students are very supportive of each other. There are so many benefits of going on this trip. I really enjoyed having Cassie as a dive buddy as well.
I would recommend this Red Sea freediving holiday because it is the ideal environment to progress at freediving. If you do it every day you get better everyday and it doesn’t matter if you get a few skills or none of the skills it is a personal journey and I am delighted that I have taken part in developing my personal journey. Carol
I booked on this holiday because I have been on it before and I haven’t been Red Sea freediving for about 18 months so I thought it was about time I got back in and had another go. I enjoyed the holiday the last time and I feel safe with Emma and all the safety she has in place. I really enjoyed it all and I have enjoyed the mix of people.
The dolphins were the highlight of the week for me. I was between a pair of them and they just look you in the eye and it was just awesome and I will remember it forever.
The benefits of doing a freediving holiday with Go Freediving is that it is safe, it is relaxed and there is a bit of something for everybody. The yoga nidra was really lovely and on the last night it was windy and you could see the moon and I was all cosy and it was really nice. The food was very good and even though I don’t eat red meat there was plenty of chicken and fish for me.
I would recommend this as a holiday, and I will be going on it again! It is also brilliant for people who want to do courses as well. By the end of the week you can really see how the course students have gone on leaps and bounds! Amanda
I chose to go on this trip because I have never been on a liveaboard and I wanted to go on one and I also wanted to complete my level 2 RAID Advanced course in warm water. Coming on this Red Sea freediving holiday I have discovered that I am much more relaxed in the water and that my skills have improved dramatically. Mentally I feel more at ease, even if the surface is a bit choppy, underwater I am just happy I know what I have to do now and it just gave me a massive confidence boost.
Meeting people and the dolphins were amazing but the thing I enjoyed most was how much I progressed. My main reason for coming on this trip was to progress and I feel that I have done that so I am very pleased.
The benefits of the coming on the holiday are that you get to meet people who share your passion for freediving and you get to share the joy and frustrations which is really helpful.You learn a lot and you have the experience of different instructors who give their take on different environments and how they have dealt with challenges so you are constantly learning and improving. I loved the social aspect of the trip, it was lovely, I have met some amazing people and I will definitely see some of them after the trip.
I am a massive fan of the Yoga Nidra it’s helped me so much in my competition dives. It’s the perfect way to end the day because it puts you in the right frame of mind to sleep and then the morning yoga wakes you up and enriches you and helps you feel ready for the day. It helps for the stretching which is really important.
On the last day I managed to crack through quite a lot of skills really quickly because my body just felt really good and a lot of that was because of all the yoga and the breath hold practice. I don’t think I would have got through so many skills if it hadn’t been structured that way. The yoga was great, I definitely felt more flexibility in my diaphragm and when I was underwater I just felt a lot more relaxed at depth and the contractions I had were minimal so I felt everything was working the way it was supposed to.
I thought the Frenzel would be more difficult but having the opportunity to do all the exercises with Emma, Pash and Renee, just figuring it out and not overthinking it, just letting your body do it I know I can do it and I am ready to put it into practice.
If you want to improve your freediving in a safe and friendly environment I would absolutely recommend this holiday. It’s a great way to progress in just a few days and to just have fun. It’s not all just work, it’s beautiful weather, amazing locations and for me it has always been about safety first and I just feel safe with Go Freediving all the time. Tracey
I was coming back from a scuba diving holiday and I saw Guillaume Néry on Ted Talks and I just thought, I had to do this. So I looked up a place that is local to us, but they weren’t going to be able to book us into the pool before end of March. I then found this Red Sea Freediving holiday and there were only four places left so I booked on.
Coming on this Red Sea freediving holiday and learning to freedive I have discovered how to reconnect myself and push myself a bit more, a self discovery sort of thing. I really loved working with Renee, it was really nice to have been able to break through the mental barriers of ‘I can’t get down there, it’s really far’.
I just really enjoyed being able to get down. Being able to do some recreational diving and to dive along the wreck, and obviously freediving with the dolphins and seeing the turtle were the highlights of the holiday for me.
The benefits of doing this holiday with Go Freediving are that everything is done for you, you just need to turn up. I really liked the people and how well it was organised. I would recommend this course, because it is a great opportunity to learn to freedive. It’s nice to have the extra time over the week and the one on one time.
I thought it was nice that we got a lot of one on one time with our instructor and it is quite social. Victoria
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 instructors 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, with the help of the instructors, 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 team 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, Emma and team, are all 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
I decided to do a freediving course to see what, if any, physiological benefits there might be from freediving exercise that I might be able to take into my rowing. The statistics that have been quoted for lung capacity for freedivers are in excess of those for elite athletes in my sport, so I thought there has to be something in that and I’d like to explore if there was something I could take out of a course. My initial focus was on breathing & relaxation techniques. The theory side, together with emphasis on flexibility and diet, is very relevant for me, so the information and explanations in this course, particularly the RAID manuals and Go Freediving’s material, will be of use, but it was important to me to test this in a controlled and safe manner where there were experts who could reinforce that information and identify whether what I was doing was dangerous or not. That is the biggest take away for me – so I can use that in my training, together with the wise words “relax”, “focus on the process, not the outcome”, and “gradual adaptation”!. And when I heard and read that you are training Olympians & Paralympians – I know I’m on the right path! There are these other sports that think freediving can offer them something, so I am not on a whim!
The benefits of the course are the knowledge transfer and opportunity to practice in a safe & controlled environment rather than going off on your own practicing going down to depths. There are some things such as equalisation that you can’t necessarily work out for yourself, and could potentially be dangerous without appropriate training & supervision. And this course emphasises that it is not a sport for egos and that you should not push yourself any further than you are comfortable with or than you need.
I would recommend this course to anyone who was interested in doing freediving. When I was doing my research into available courses, it was the front end – the website, the look and the professionalism of Go Freediving – that really caught my eye. It gave me the impression that here is an organisation that really knows and understands the sport and how to put it across, and is offering the right sort of courses for people. – Andy
I saw you on television with Ellie Simmonds and I thought it looked great. I Googled and was absolutely amazed that this was on my doorstep and thought ‘I have to give this a go!’
I’ve discovered that it is not as simple as I thought it was going to be, I feel as though I’ve taken the first steps rather than achieved a level, and think I would like to do it again, but somewhere warmer! It’s a very interesting bunch of skills that are required simultaneously.
What I’ve liked most about this weekend is trying something that felt completely different, and feeling that it is a challenge that I would be able to complete.
The benefits of this course are; health and fitness. I would have to get fitter and healthier to progress. And it’s given me confidence to break through a barrier. It’s also setting me up for my goal of swimming with large mammals such as whales and dolphins.
I would definitely recommend this course. I feel this is an orderly, yet warmly, encouraging place to come, where you can progress your skills without being pushed. It is where safety and encouragement are high.- Lucy
I saw a film of freediving, Googled it and found the Go Freediving club in Poole. I spoke to David who told me I needed to do a course in order to join, so I booked a course. As it was my birthday weekend I thought I’d treat myself to a new adventure sport.
I discovered that it is like learning to drive. You can do all the theory and little bits, but when you get in the water and have to do your duck dive and pull out your snorkel and prequalise and bend and kick, all that stuff it’s a real challenge. So yes, it’s harder than it looks.
What I liked most about the course was moving fast with the fins on. And I loved it when I first equalised properly, I knew there was no limit to what I could do then. I knew that once I could equalise properly I could progress gradually to go deeper and deeper and when I realised I could reach that 12 metre point where the plane was it was really exciting.
The benefits of the course is the individual attention, the characters of the instructors, the venue and the team spirit from everyone on the course.
I would recommend this course because of the quality of the instructors, the level of attention.
It’s a really tough course, but if you could do this course over a week somewhere warm, it would be heaven! – Stewart
I’d been doing some breath holding with some yoga bits and I was curious and interested in freediving. I was also curious about underwater juggling and then I saw there were various Guinness world records for this and I thought, well, I can’t hold my breath but I could be a much better juggler than other freedivers! So on one level I wanted to practice the breathing and then just exploring what I could do with freediving.
I’ve discovered that the learning is very practical. One the first day I almost failed in the water section. I realised that I was struggling. I’m not sure if I might have had fantasies that I would have been a natural! And that progression where Heather was helping on the bits where I was stuck, breaking things down and doing it in a slightly different way to find a way that fits for us. And the bits that have been surprising have been that it was very relaxing – there wasn’t the anxiety of going down to the bottom, there wasn’t any panic – it was all quite calm and I think that was helped by the fact that the ethos with you guys has always been safety, safety, safety, don’t push yourselves. If there were any uncertainties, just stopping. It was helpful knowing there was no rush. By doing that I think the stuff I was doing towards the end I would have thought would have been completely impossible!
The thing I liked most about the course was the development practising the technique, the calmness, and when you get something right and suddenly you’re five metres down before you know it! That was enjoyable and the relaxing part of it, just floating in the water, looking down.
The benefits of this course are the sense of safety and the fact that there was a sense not everyone is going to pass, but that’s okay, you can always come back and do it. There’s no rush. The sense that your safety is the priority. The learning experience too. There are very few things you can do where you see such a tangible difference in just two days. From having stepped in the pool thinking ‘what the hell are these things on my feet – I can’t do this’ to then be going down ten metres and pulling someone to the surface and taking your mask off. I can’t think of another example of learning that would feel as dramatic.
You have a nice relaxed style, with those very clear parameters which is a very nice teaching style. I would recommend this course for the experience and to push yourself in a place that feels very safe, but the dangers are real – you can’t bluff. And I think you can carry this to other parts of your life. I think everyone who did this course has surprised themselves. – Matthew
I wanted to a freediving course because of the breathing thing. I read that freediving improved my breathing. I watched your videos on breathing which worked wonders for my gas consumption as a scuba divemaster so I wanted to do the course.
I chose Go Freediving because of the publicity and I read the comments and one of the things that was important to me is that all of your instructors are taught by you. You read what the comments on your websites say and you can see this is exactly why Go Freediving has that trust.
What I have discovered is that my bad finning action has come home to roost. I can’t get away with it any longer and what I liked most about most about the weekend was the fun. You made it a very relaxed experience.
The benefits of this course is the breathing, relaxing and I think it improves your fitness. Your staff are wonderful and you can have a good laugh with them.
I would definitely recommend this course 100% – It is the safety. It has got to be safe and you have got to have total faith in your instructor. You know that if any issue kicks in they are going to be able to cope. The level of instruction is very thorough – especially for people who have never done this before. I am really impressed with your operation the safety and the training of your staff. – John
Since watching the film The Big Blue, freediving has been a fascination of mine – to discover this underwater journey. And the films of Guillaume Nery have been really impactful. I am working on a project as a fine artist for the search of silence – finding the acceptance of nothingness, and finding this quietness. After seeing an interview with Guillaume Nery, it made me understand that freediving is more than just going to adapt, it is a journey for outside and inside.
I chose Go Freediving because I really wanted to do a freediving course as soon as possible. It has been a pleasure this weekend because I have really been looking forward to this for a long time.
I have discovered that I need a little more patience in my life! That it is not the end result, the end product but what is important is in between – the journey that takes you there. I am the youngest of the team and have a lot of energy and was really hoping to swipe through this session, but that didn’t happen. But I got to a point where I was more accepting of this and was looking around and enjoying it rather than trying to push another two metres.
What I loved about this course was that everyone was from such different backgrounds, some were looking for better lung capacity, some for their rowing, some wanted to improve their diving, some wanted the peacefulness, I was more interested in the quiet part. So whatever you motivation is this course forces you to relax and has a lot of health benefits. It is 50% technical and 50% mental and I think that is what my barrier was. I would really recommend this to a lot of people who are stressed in work.
I would recommend the course, it gives a good basis for freediving. All the instructors were really, really helpful. We had direct reflections, the groups were small. it worked very well. I only wish the course could have been longer! – Aron
I’ve always fancied freediving but never got around to it, so decided to start looking this year. And then I found the Try Freediving course and really enjoyed that and thought it would be really good to do it with some depth and do a bit more of an advanced course. I’ve done scuba for about 2 years but gave up scuba in the UK because of all the kit.
I’ve discovered you can do a lot more than you think. If we tried holding our breath on land we would probably get to a minute and think we need to breathe, but actually you can do more than you imagine. It’s resisting those urges. Before I thought the urge meant I needed to breathe, but it doesn’t mean I need oxygen.
I enjoyed yesterday because I didn’t have any problems with my ears. I enjoyed the swimming down. The pool was really good, but it was good to do the depth work because it was completely different and then trying to think of everything while doing that, so the equalising and the breath hold. So I enjoyed it when we swam down and touched the plane for the first time. That was an achievement. It was like ‘yes! I went down to 10 metres!’ That was the best part.
I liked that the theory was online, so you could do it on the weekend or fit it around work. I think this course would be very good if you are not a very relaxed person because it would make you relaxed. And, it helps you not think of anything else other than the course, because you are under the water and can’t think of anything else. You’re free. It’s just you and the water.
I would recommend this course if someone wanted to feel more relaxed or more comfortable in water. And if you do snorkeling and you wanted to improve. Because when you snorkel you go down and think you have reached your limit and pop back up. And learning to do it safely as well. Because if you haven’t done the course, you wouldn’t know how far to push it. We get to practice pushing our limits with you guys watching and you guys are going to stop us way before we get to any limits. You can’t practice this on your own. – Sarah
I’ve done scuba diving before and decided to challenge myself at something else. I’ve always been interested in freediving but never really looked into it all that much. And then Sarah said ‘Let’s go and do it’ so I said ‘yes’. Sarah is the one that did the main research into it and she said that Go Freediving had a really good reputation, so we booked onto the Try Freediving course about a month ago and really enjoyed it. We spoke to Emma a little more and were made to feel really comfortable, really happy, really kind of safety conscious from the instructors. And talking to Emma about the other courses it sounded like the RAID Freediver course was the best kind of course around so carried on diving with Go Freediving.
On this course I’ve discovered I can hold my breath for a lot longer and I’ve discovered how to zone out – which I thought I was pretty good at, living in London. But actually, it’s not until you have to concentrate on zoning out and focusing on what you have to do to achieve the depth or breath hold that actually, you need to focus on it a lot more than I actually did.
What I liked most about the course was the instructors – they have always made us feel really at ease. And we’ve had a joke with them and they can take a joke and can also give one too. It’s been a really nice, relaxed atmosphere. But they still keep pushing you to achieve the next step which is really nice.
The benefits of doing this course are that it really gives someone a chance to look at their health and how they are living their life. It certainly has me. It’s not about who can go the deepest or hold their breath the longest it’s actually encompasses food, dietary habits. It’s been really nice to step away from life and just focus on ‘right let’s not hyperventilate, let’s take those breaths and go for a dive’. Other benefits; I think the friendship and I’ve never felt that I can’t ask questions. And being able to eat really hot, stodgy food to warm you up! Also, for me I think learning the equalisation techniques for when I am teaching in Australia and also getting my future students to calm down and give them the confidence to do it. One day I am hoping to become a freediving instructor – there are not many in Australia and what an amazing area to do it!
I would definitely recommend this course. My brother is not interested in scuba diving at all, but I think I could get him to come on a course like this because he wouldn’t have to think about equipment or gas and things like that. I think my parents would really enjoy it too. – Alice
I decided to a freediving course because my cousins spearfish in Greece and I always wanted to join in.
The reason I chose to do it with Go Freediving because you seem like the best freediving school and you are the closest to us, which is convenient.
I discovered that freediving is not all about the breath holding, but I find the equalisation is much harder. But I am slowly getting it with the help of all the instructors and how they are so friendly. Freediving is not just something you do on the weekends, it’s all about your mental state and stuff like that.
The best part was when we had finished free immersion and were coming back and we weren’t doing any depth diving, we were just diving down looking at the fish and the underwater scenery and that was amazing!
I think one of the the main benefits of this course are that is calms you down as it is all about the breathing which helps you stay calm and number two is the physical benefit – you get fit and get more control of your body. And, number three, you really get to know yourself – your strengths, your weaknesses and how to improve.
I would highly recommend this course. Definitely! Of course! All the instructors were so friendly, so much help. It was great! – Ben
The kids in my snorkeling group out-beat me, so I needed to come on a freediving course! You are the only one’s on the internet that in reasonable driving distance that offers the whole course over a weekend.
I’ve really enjoyed the atmosphere. The instructors, the students, the lot! It has been really good.
I now know that I can hold my breath a lot longer than I initially thought and I can teach my snorkeling students techniques that are correct and makes sense. And I will be coming back!
I would absolutely recommend this course, it is perfectly safe, good fun and you learn an awful lot. Theory is done in advance which makes perfect sense. If it wasn’t so far away I would be here every week. – Volker
A friend sent me a video of a couple of people freediving around a wreck and thought that looks pretty interesting and that was it, I started having a look. I found three places that taught it. Your email was really enthusiastic, that really made a difference. It made you more approachable.
I discovered that I can’t equalise…yet! I’ve also discovered that I am not quite as calm and relaxed as I think I am – particularly when I’m 10 metres underwater!
What I enjoyed most was touching the plane. It plays such a big part of your videos, and I knew it was within reach. And especially after yesterday and not getting on with equalisation and not getting any way near the plane, to hit it several times today was fantastic. I was well pleased!
The benefits of this course is it is really relaxed, all the instructors are great! David has managed to help me without even realising he’s helped a couple of times. The facilities are great as well. It’s great down here. Even when it’s busy there is still enough room for everybody.
I would recommend this course because it’s approachable, great instructors and good facilities. In fact I’ve got a friend who I would bring when I come down to do the next course – they can do the beginners. – Peter
I’ve been wanting to freedive for a long time. I’ve always put it off because life has been very busy for the last 6 years, but over the last year or so I’ve just been thinking about it more and I’ve read that people do it not just as a sport but as a way to relax and for me I took it up thinking yes, I could learn a new skill and also relax my mind because of my autism. I’ve come away with a really great mindset and I’ve learned some great skills as well and that’s why I took up freediving.
I chose you over all the other people because of your website. It has videos, the way it is presented – it looks and feels professional, but doesn’t look business-like. It is personal, inviting, friendly and has your character. For me when I read something and think, that’s good, I want to be a part of that organisation. And for me, it was the right choice.
I haven’t been at peace for a very, very long time and although I haven’t passed the course, I have achieved so much and look forward to working with you, to build upon my skills, learning more and keep doing so well into the future, It’s been brilliant.
People who know me, know that I have to work twice as hard as everyone else because of the way my brain works. So I have a certain way of doing things. So for me, this has been absolutely brilliant.
I’ve discovered that whilst I was reading some of the pre-course notes about the breathing element, I found a new way of concentrating, for someone with autism that was brilliant. And then, being out on the water with great instructors who know their craft and have masses of experience over the years, I find that I’m really confident. They want to teach, they want people to move forward and I felt really comfortable, and this is a new skill that I can achieve and keep progressing with.
What I have liked most about the course is the amazing people, everyone is like-minded, I never felt under pressure, the student to instructor ratio, the way you delivered the course. It was friendly. It’s just been really good. I’ve learned new skills, basics like putting on a wetsuit. Being out in the water, having the confidence. I feel really comfortable. Finning skills, how to breathe, concentration on what you need to do. Basically, all the skills are going to come in and I’m going to feel yes I’ve got it! Maybe the Red Sea should be something I should be thinking of next!
The benefits of this course for me personally are inner peace, calm, a new skill to go and explore the oceans, seas and inland sites. Enjoy myself while doing it and continue to learn new skills and things about myself.
I would recommend this course because it is an ideal way to come into freediving. By exploring and learning about that environment in that way it also makes you feel at one with it.
It takes you out of your head and into your body. You’re learning new skills and about yourself and you focusing on things you want to do. I would recommend Go Freediving because the way you instruct people, your method of teaching, the website it is all done really friendly. There is a lot of vicarious learning. You have a package that all comes together, to make freediving students very welcome to this new sport. I would definitely recommend it! – Kristiana
I’ve always loved snorkeling when I’ve been abroad. I always liked the marine life and the sea. And when me and my brother were younger we used to have competitions like who can hold their breath longer, who can do more lengths in the swimming pool and he always used to beat me, so I thought I’ve got to do something about this! I came back from the Caribbean where we dived down on a boat and thought I really actually want to get good at doing something like this, so I did the Try Freediving course and then I’ve been practicing for about 6 months at the Poole club and then I thought I want to do the course and learn to do the depth. Because it’s completely different going down instead of doing lengths.
It’s a lot harder than I thought, to be fair. In the pool my contractions happen a lot later than they do here. I didn’t think I’d get as deep as I did, but I was surprised at how quickly they came on. But I’ve loved it!
I liked swimming through the two parts of the plane. It was a really comfortable depth where you could just swim along and explore.
The instructors are all brilliant. You are all laid back and have such a good laugh. It’s fun. It is a course, but you are having fun. Some courses are really regimented, but this was more laid back. I would definitely recommend this course. It shows you what is happening to your body when you are going to any depth, and the safety aspect of it – which is pretty important, really. – Mike
I wanted to do a freediving course one; because it looks really, really cool, two; because I wanted to conquer my fear of being underwater and three; just because it will get you closer to nature.
I came to Go Freediving because you were at the top of Google and seemed like the best instructor to go with and from the discussions we had on emails you kind of got where I was and just reassured me that I should give it a go.
I’ve discovered that I can hold my breath a lot longer than I think and go deep and down and do lots of different things – and it doesn’t have to be hard. It can be relaxing, it can be lovely! It is a couple of steps much closer to overcoming that fear of water. I’ve come out of this feeling very exhilarated and just want to do it again. Definitely do it again!
The thing I enjoyed most was the last free immersion dive, when I was pulling down and was streamlined, it was so much easier just going down, I reached that level of relaxation that I hadn’t before and it was fine, it was lovely. I saw the fishes. I was able to come up completely controlled and had a moment before I came up for air knowing I could have done more, and that was just wonderful for me.
Beyond the practical things you learn, the benefits of this course is being able to relax because that is central to this and then linked to that is breathing. Freediving is not about holding your breath, actually you learn a lot of techniques about how to become efficient with how you use your body, how to move your body, how to conserve energy. That kind of efficiency side of things is a real benefit.
I would recommend this course without a doubt because you are very well looked after, so if you are a bit unsure about it this is the best place to go. A very knowledgeable team, the tuition is great and David was fantastic today. That one-on-one tuition was perfect for me. You have a flexible team to adapt to different types of people and different types of tuition needed. Doing something like this one or twice or however many times is useful for you as a person. – Femina
I love being in the water and when I go on holiday I like to sit at the bottom of the pool and see how long I can stay there for. But now I know that is not wise, because I need a buddy. I decided to come on a course with you because of my brother. He found you and told me all about it.
I’ve discovered that it is not how long I can stay under the water it is about doing it safely. What I’ve liked most about the course is the people. I’ve had a really good laugh.
The three benefits of doing this course are that you learn how to do it properly – safely. You have a great time. Good people. No-one is hard to get on with. Everyone is natural and normal – apart from my brother! And the location is awesome! When I saw it online and I was seeing all the things that had been sunk in the water for you to dive around, I was so excited! I’ve done the boat, three parts of the aeroplane, the crushing works, some of the platforms and a car as well!
I would recommend this course 100% because it is fun and great people! – Matt
I’ve been scuba diving a lot and you get tired of having to carry all the stuff around. And with my son, who is five, we do a bit of diving in the swimming pool so, so I want to be confident with him when he is underwater.
I saw you on the TV show Wild Weekenders, and I had always been thinking about doing a course and there was just none around London, so I thought if you are on TV you are obviously a decent company.
As result of this course I have discovered, like most people, you can hold your breath much longer than you think you can. I’ve learned to realise when you feel you need to breathe, you don’t actually need to breathe, so I have been trying to recognise what that feels like and to work on that mentally. Quite often I’ve been swimming and thinking I’m running out of air and then start rushing to the top, but when I come up I’m not gasping for air, so I could have probably stayed down longer.
I love the location. It’s a one-stop shop and your instructor to student ratio was probably one of the best things. The last thing I wanted was to be in a large group – it can introduce a lot of stress when someone tries to push the entire group. I worked with all the instructors at one point which was good so you could see all the techniques and styles, the mental preparations. I liked that because of the small groups you weren’t waiting around.
The benefits of doing this course are that it is a recognised company, it’s got a good reputation and that’s definitely important when someone has got your life in your hands. The ratios was one of the best things. And training to realise you can do more than you think you can. You think actually, no, I can push myself.
I would definitely recommend this course to my swimming competent friends. I think you have to have a slightly adventurous personality to do this. Coming from New Zealand we’re born in the water so are very strong on water safety. It would be amazing for people who want to push themselves.- Mike
I went to see basking sharks with Heather and she went to the bottom with the seals and at that point I thought right, I am going to do the course. So it’s to improve my water skills. In surfing I am also starting to do underwater photography of surfers so it is to improve my water confidence in big waves where I haven’t got a surfboard, I’ve just got fins and a big wave. But also to do freediving on its own as a sport as well.
I knew I was going to struggle with this course. I think I should have done more breathing exercises, weeks in advance. I think I kind of expected I would struggle a little bit, but today was good and this afternoon, and I think the more you are in the water, the more comfortable you get, the easier it becomes. I learned a lot of the physiology stuff, which I didn’t expect. When I opened the coursework I thought shit, science!
What I liked most about this course is that I progressed. I started doing meditation recently and I think the breathing exercises from this will make me calmer. I want to improve my lung capacity anyway. So, I think calmness and increasing lung capacity are a health benefit. And you meet like minded people.
I would recommend this course. It is chilled out, all you guys are so nice. The instructor capacity to student was amazing. I didn’t expect there to be so many instructors. It’s good that you liveaboard and things like that.- Ros
I want to swim around sharks, that is a dream, so to me freediving is a really good way to go down in the water without all the equipment and see all the wildlife and hang around with the fish and the creatures. I also have a buddy here in Livia, and she wouldn’t have come if I didn’t come.
The reason we came to the UK was to get into Marine conservation more and there are more opportunities here than in Croatia. Livia did the RAID scuba diving in Croatia, but as we are living here now so it made it sense to do the course here. And, she found out one of the best instructors was you!
I discovered that at ten metres – as frightening as it looks like and feels like at first – after a couple of times it gets easier and I’m already thinking about when we can have two weeks somewhere nice, in warm water where we can get these new skills nailed.
The whole course was really nice. The last bit was the most fun for me. Today was much more relaxed, especially after we had done everything we had needed to do for certification, the freedives we did were very relaxed – it was very laid back.
It’s much cooler to be freediving than scuba diving. I saw this old man in the water and I thought I am not going to be one of them. It is also important that your body is enough for everything you need in life. You do not need tanks on your back. It is what I thought it was going to be and in the long term, It is about body awareness. If you are not doing this you are limiting yourself.
I would recommend this course because it is fun. Because most people just go to work and do their stuff like I do, but this weekend I didn’t think about work at all, not my creative work either. So you turn off everything that is just furniture in your life, you get rid of those things, so it is you and your equipment and the water. – Robert
I really want to have close up interactions with animals that are afraid of scuba diving bubbles like sharks and rays, whales and dolphins, so that was the main motivation to get closer and collect a DNA sample or to see any behaviour.
I wanted to do the course in Croatia, but the girl at the camp said that she is not an instructor, and there are not too many options in Europe, so when we decided to move to the UK I checked you out, and the reviews for you were better and obviously there is all this stardust around you and I was like ‘oh my God I am going to be trained by a superstar!’ The website was nice, the package was good, so yes, that’s why I chose you.
I discovered that I can go down to 10 metres and how awful this urge to breathe can be, but how you can kind of get used to it and it’s nice to have this body communication, because when you are on the surface and you are holding your breath or doing yoga this body communication is not the same, but when you are there underwater you trust your body and it knows what it has to do, evolution has done it perfectly. You have to keep the mind calm and just be part of it. Let it do what it needs to do. It is such a perfect balance – this is when you are really in the moment. If there is something else you are not in the moment and you come back. But if you are there, it is just your body and you, you are in balance.
I loved the fact that you were really patient with us, and I always felt safe – which was really nice, and the fact I got to 10 metres!
The benefits of this course are that you can trust your body more and that you can love your body, especially in the 21st century it’s a huge problem everyone hates their body. You are mind blowing even if you don’t have the shiniest hair and this is mind blowing and the fact that you can control this. You get this ego boost. You can say, I can control this, I am a superhero. It’s calmness but you feel like a superhero so it is a balance. So even if you don’t want to do it as a competitive person, for psychology training it is fantastic. You get more self confidence. It’s nice to get out and is good exercise.
I would recommend this course for all of the reasons above and because if you want to be a freediver, you can be sure you are in safe hands. And if you happen to live close by you have a chance to progress more after the course on the club days. – Livia
I love swimming, I love being underwater. I moved to the Portsmouth area about a year ago, and wanted a good hobby I could work on. I like that with freediving is that it is very mental as well as physical. If you are weak in one area you can’t ignore it you have face it, overcome it and work on it.
I chose Go Freediving because of the locality and if you go on your website there’s lots of information, lots of bits and pieces, you’re quite active on social media and you come here.
I’ve discovered that I need to work on my contractions, but I really enjoyed it. I didn’t want to leave the water!
I like how the course is divided, you’ve got theory, pool and here (Vobster). It felt quite fluid – nicely organised. The benefits for me is that you guys are close to me, everyone is very friendly, very approachable, so I never felt like I could not ask a question.
I would recommend this course because I really enjoyed it. It’s well run, really well organised, the pre-prep you get, the instructions you get are really clear. Nothing has been unexpected and I haven’t felt unprepared for anything. – Cassie
I had done an introduction to freediving with you about a year and a half ago and I love everything to do with open water – swimming, surfing , snorkeling, whenever I am on holiday, but I know I can’t equalise, so whenever I dive down it just gets too painful. I thought it would be good to get on a course, Emma recommended it, so I did the course. I have loads of new tips now of how to progress with the equalisation, so lots to work on, but some good knowledge gained.
I chose Go Freediving as I had done my taster freediving session with you and you are only half an hour away.
Doing the course I discovered there is a lot of technique involved, it’s not just about how long you can hold your breath and with equalisation there are a few different ways of doing it for example the Frenzel technique which I can’t do at the moment, but that’s something to work on.
I liked the relaxed nature of the course. It was very informative in a relaxed, fun way and the very act of freediving I found very relaxing as well, so that was the cool thing about it.
The benefits of this course are it’s relaxed but there’s lots of information – very informative. Knowing there is a club involved so that you can keep on developing in your own time and there are more levels to go to take it as far as you want to go. And the holidays too – it’s great to know there are people going to Egypt and other places.
I would recommend this course because it is fun and relaxed. You definitely trust your coach straight away which is very important. I always felt safe. Before I came here I read about other companies that pushed people which I don’t think may have been safe, but there is no way you felt like that on this course. – James
I originally came here as a scuba diver and was doing a lot of diving, but my interest was starting to wane and I wanted a new challenge a new experience and something that gave me freedom in the water and freediving seemed to be the obvious answer.
I have a bit of a connection with Vobster Quay. I would see Emma come here and the courses she would run. I found out about her book and her big reputation as a freediver and it seemed like an obvious choice for me.
I discovered doing the course that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was going to be. I didn’t think I was going to be amazing, but I thought my background as a scuba diver would have given me more of an advantage and more of an understanding, but I realised quickly that they are two completely different disciplines and you have got to treat them like that and you’ve got to keep trying and learning and not get down and just keep going.
David as an instructor is a great instructor. He was a brilliant instructor for me and I would say that was the best thing about this course.
The benefits of this course for me are; location – Vobster Quay is a great place to learn – a good environment to learn in, and I’d have to say Dave again. A good instructor – that was a major benefit.
I would absolutely recommend this course. I think the lead up to the course materials was good, the training environment in Glebe House was good, the open water training environment was good and I couldn’t really fault it. – Ben
I decided to do this course because I scuba dive, and I wanted to make my scuba diving better. I also snorkel a lot because we have part share of a catamaran in the Caribbean, but the snorkelling and diving is actually really demanding there because it is very choppy and there are often currents, so I wanted to use freediving techniques to make this better, and be better at scuba too.
During the course I’ve discovered that I can hold my breath much longer than I ever thought. And that I shouldn’t use my determination so strongly!
The instruction has been really good. I think the instructors worked very hard to help us through our fear or apprehension.
This course has taught me how to be better at scuba diving, better and safer snorkelling -and I’ve had fun!
I’d definitely recommend this course because of the quality of the instruction. Also Vobster is a very good venue, because you’re able to practice without the hazard of waves, currents, wind, tiger sharks etc. I wish I’d known about this place years ago. – Carol
I’ve done quite a lot of scuba diving in the past and when I found out about freediving it appealed to me. The fact that you’re much less encumbered with heavy gear getting in and out of the water. That feeling of freedom – being able to dive in with the minimum of equipment.
I had a look around online and liked the look of your profile and reviews. And the winner for me was the location.
As a result of this course I’ve discovered a level of confidence in deep water. I’ve never attempted to hold my breath before in my life and I found it easier than I thought – which was a pleasant surprise.
I liked learning new skills, finding out about something I knew absolutely nothing about – which is harder as you get older, challenging myself and being in a new environment with new people.
The benefits of doing this course is that it can boost your confidence, teach you something about yourself and it helps you to relax which is an added benefit, because you can’t really do freediving unless you are relaxed.
If someone wants to do freediving I would wholeheartedly recommend this course. The quality of the tuition is very good, the environment is very good and it is well organised. – Tony
Mark Karasick told me how wonderful freediving is and how relaxing it is – and I need some relaxation, and I live in the Middle East, so I want to do it out there, too.
I have discovered some relaxation techniques and some breathing techniques and discovered that snorkelling without knowing how to freedive is probably not a good idea because I end up trying to go down and not knowing how to do it properly. Now I feel I know what to do. I feel safer.
The best part of the course for me was the freediving in the water. Seeing other people going into the water with their scuba diving gear – I don’t envy them at all. It just feels much nicer to be in the water with nothing else. I’ve have done scuba diving before and it was enjoyable, but I prefer this – especially when I get to depths that would be more exciting. The course was very well run, the instructors were brilliant and so were the facilities. The information pre and post course has been great and the facilities at Vobster were equally as impressive.
The benefits of this course is that the tuition was relaxed, friendly and very, very professional. Certainly much better than any scuba diving training I have had. Much safer. And, the location – the water is amazing. I’ve really, really enjoyed it.
I would recommend this course. This was a mixed group of ages and abilities, but everyone was catered for and I felt completely safe at all times, and I’ve seen people succeed who were apprehensive at the start. It was really good.. If nothing else, the course will teach people how to breathe properly and also for those that snorkel it will improve their experiences no end. The safety techniques should be mandatory for anyone who enters the sea, particularly dealing with Rip tides, black outs and hypoxit fit. Simply knowing how your body is reacting to a lack of oxygen will hopefully prevent many accidents, perhaps this should be taught in school to all kids as part of the curriculum.
I very much enjoyed the course, despite my sinus problems and am determined to come back and get my skills signed off. The sinus block now appears to have been the start of a cold that I knew nothing about!! Hey ho, it is what it is. I’ll be practising the CO2 tables and regularly swimming to see when the block goes so that I can get back to Vobster asap.
That aside, I can’t wait to get in the water, free from sinus issues and experience what it is like to go down more than just a few feet, in a safe and controlled way – clearly with a buddy and once I have passed level 1. – Steve
I think this course helps me control my anxiety with surfing – I’m always scared of getting caught under so being able to get myself out of it instead of panicking, I feel a lot calmer now just for that safety reason. I would be panicked after every dunk of the wave.
This course has taught me to deal with the unknown when you’re being crushed by a wave and just being able to say ‘it’s OK’ – being in control and being able to trust yourself.
The best part of the course is that the trainers like are very calm when explaining things, so it doesn’t stress you out. They made you feel like you’ve done ok and tells you what you can work on, so you feel like you have achieved something. It was really good.
I think this course gives you a good skill to have, because you don’t know what’s going to happen – if you have to save someone in a scenario and knowing how to do it. You make good friends and to share the information with someone, to show them what they can do.
I would definitely recommend this course. All my friends definitely need to hear about this course and they need to do this course! We need trainers in Australia teaching this. – Novita
I grew up along the sea, and have always snorkeled and done some spearfishing, but felt it was time to do something to improve the quality of my snorkelling and spearfishing. Also, because I play underwater rugby I wanted to improve that and learn how to equalise because I can’t get deeper than 5 metres.
I have realised I have not equalised before, I still cannot equalise, but it will take a while to learn, but now I can do 10 – 12 metres, which was a great feeling. I think that was my best learning of the week. I loved being down there. It was great!
The benefits of this course is that you feel safe – every teacher is really confident. You can see they are like fish so you are in good company on this course. It was a great learning curve and it was a great atmosphere. I was very happy to be here. I enjoyed it lot.
I would recommend this course because there are quite a lot a spearfishers in my area, but not many freedivers, and I think we go about it in a bad way without knowing any rescue – I don’t think we have proper techniques for diving properly or equalising. So for that I would definitely advise them get to this course and at least learn rescue so that everyone is safer. – Sven
The main motivation to do this course was to improve my scuba diving. I did some snorkelling a couple of years ago and didn’t get to grips with the snorkel so thought I would give it a go and see if I could get better. The course is different than I thought it would be. I didn’t think I would make it through the skills test but did in the end because the instructors were really good.
What I liked most about the course was that the whole team was really great at looking after us and making it a good experience, helping us all through our individual problems. That was really the best thing.
The benefits of this course is that it teaches you a lot about yourself, you get better in the water, no matter what water sport you do, and I think controlling your breath helps you with that.
I would recommend this course because it was an interesting experience, the team was simply fantastic, and I felt safe all the time and very well looked after. I made a lot more progress than I thought I would. Brilliant. – Andreas
I’ve been interested in freediving for a while. I moved to Bristol for work and wanted to do some recreational activity and found the freediving course. I did a Try Freediving course first, and now I’ve done a freediving course – which I passed!
I’ve learned a lot about the oxygen in your lungs and how you shouldn’t breathe it out, as opposed to scuba diving.
I liked the very structured way in the course was taught, there was a lot of support and help and people around you.
I would recommend this course because it is safe, it is a controlled environment – the location is great – and the equipment is provided. I liked the instructors a lot. – Mark
It was Sam’s idea to book a snorkelling holiday and so we’re going to dive with humpback whales in the Dominican Republic. So we’re doing the course to build our confidence up and learn to swim underwater properly, get that depth, be confident doing it safely. I’m not the kind of person who will just do something without knowing what I’m doing so I really feel like I need instruction. I’ve just got over a fear of water so wanted to know how to do it properly. It will stop me panicking.
I’ve learned how to hold my breath – which I think was my big fear with water. And now I can hold my breath and I should have confidence in my own abilities, so even though I haven’t got to deep depths, that hasn’t bothered me at all. My confidence has grown. And Sam is amazing so I know she can rescue me on holiday if I need it! I loved pushing my limits. I’ve come on leaps and bounds. The last three dives for me were the best. I’d got deeper on some of the other ones, but the last ones, when David said ‘it’s fine you can’t equalise your ears, just go down until you feel the pressure and then swim along’. And so I was racing along and I had the confidence to feel the twitches in the tummy, to feel all of that but I loved it! I was pushing my limits by myself, but the water was just an inch above me. Two years ago I wouldn’t even put my face in the water! At the end, we were getting out, my snorkel was out and I just put my head in the water to see where the rocks were and I shocked myself, because I wouldn’t have even done that in the swimming pool. This is amazing for me. Because the instructors are cool and calm.
The whole course is a benefit. The breathing training is absolutely amazing, the guys are so good. They give you the confidence to do it. And it’s funny because they don’t push you to do it. The breathing training was absolutely amazing. I know the Dominican Republic is going to be 100% better than it would have been now that we have done this course. And because we both did the course we can look at each other and go ‘did I do that right?’. It’s brilliant, awesome, ten out of ten.
I would definitely recommend this course. 100% . And if I know anyone who has a fear of water, this is what I’ll tell them to do, not what I did, spending a whole year of jumping in and out of swimming pools and having heart attacks. I should have just come here! I need to write to my hypnotherapist and tell them to send people freediving! – Jennifer
So, last year I went snorkelling with Whale Sharks. Lots of people were swimming with the Whale Sharks and diving down but I wasn’t confident enough even to leave the surface, so spent a lot of time swimming behind Whale Sharks! So when I came back I said to Jen there’s a holiday snorkelling with humpback Whales in the Dominican Republic, I’m definitely going and you should come too.
I’d been googling a lot about freediving courses and you had come up before, and I was being stalked around facebook by Much Better Adventures who advertise your courses. I was with Jen at a concert in Hyde Park and we were sat there and I said ‘Shall we just book it?’ So we booked it. We wanted to do something that was certified and in a safe environment, and everything about what you did sounded relaxing and controlled. There’s a structure to it. A lot of other companies you read, and you just go out in the sea and do a bit of freediving. That’s not what I want. I want someone to tell me exactly what I’m going to do and then I’ll do that.
I love the breathe up! I’ve discovered that, just hanging in the water and focussing down, and I think that could be a new meditation technique for me, it was amazing. And you can just feel everything, I think that’s why I did okay at it, because I felt so relaxed. There was no point where I felt scared and I really thought I would! I loved the feeling of it, the diving. I was very excited to touch the plane! Just feeling that I had achieved that. At one time I thought it was out of reach, but I did it. In one weekend, it’s incredible really.
When you’re bobbing around in the water it kind of empties your head for you, it just makes sense. So when we go away and do it, I’ll just be visualising that, the line disappearing. It’s so relaxing!
The benefits of this course are being able to swim under water. Even if I never freedive like this again, when I go on holiday I’ll be using what I’ve learnt, when I go snorkelling and that will be amazing, immense. – Samantha
Taking this course was a natural step. The next thing. The bit between what I have and what I want! It was there deliberately as a stepping stone forwards and the reason I did it prior to my instructor course was because I needed more experience, more competitive experience. A instructor is all well and good, but an instructor with no experience isn’t really worth much, especially for something like this.
The biggest thing I discovered doing this course is that flexibility is king. Flexibility is the number one thing. So being relaxed is good, but if you’re super flexible you’re going to be relaxed. And performance-wise if you’re flexible it makes equalisation a lot easier. Perfect case in point; I always knew stretching was important, but because I never really pushed myself at depth, I never really saw the difference between doing stretches prior to a dive and not and then on the Masters course we did a stretching session before actually pushing my physical limit and the difference was pretty huge. It’s the first time I have done the stretches and then tried to push the dive, so that was the first time it made a direct impact on my actual performance and it did make equalisation a lot easier. I thought ‘I can do 30 metres and not struggle!’ It was good!
I liked being with buddies and instructors that are doing the same as me. Now, I am on the same level as them. My capabilities are exactly the same as the people I am diving with, so it’s nice, I’m pushing myself. Now I’ve got something to train for!
I also liked the practical application of advanced theory. You can read books, but you need the teaching, people who have got the experience doing what it is you’re trying to do. You need to get in the water and do it. This course has the ability to progress – that is the number one benefit of this course. And having people with the experience to help you do that. This course is for this purpose, you can’t make as much progress without a dedicated course. And the celebrities – having the best of the best training you. The mouthfill training David did was very valuable. The constant reminder of techniques that you have learned but might have forgotten was very useful
I would recommend this course. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who has just completed the Advanced, even if they are good. Simply because, for example, if you learn the mouthfill too soon and nail it, you’re going to not apply as much importance to other techniques. The course is not easy. Physically I found everything doable, but in my mind I was apprehensive. I would recommend someone qualifies as an advanced freediver and dives for a year or two before doing the course. The experience would give them lots of confidence. – Tom
After doing the Advanced Course I realised that I wasn’t close to my personal potential and had to fulfill that. Having done the Master Course I still haven’t filled my potential. What I am finding with the freediving courses that I’ve taken with you guys is that once you reach a certain level then another door instantly opens. Yesterday was a particularly spectacular day for me because I’d broken through with the mouthfill equalisation technique. The technique was new to me and it was a revelation as to how I will be approaching my dives from this point. I didn’t even know about it until I took this course.
I was amazed at how much I learned, and not just techniques for diving, but for things for myself applying to day to day things in life, calmness, dealing with stress in a much more capable manner and on the other side of it, from a training perspective, I didn’t realise how much other training things you can do not even being near the water. Just lying on your back in the living room. There’s so many things to practice. I’ve learned from everyone I’ve spoken to. They’ve offered me something and I’ve taken and thought ‘goodness that’s fantastic advice, and valuable’.
For me, the overall confidence I feel when I’m doing a dive has doubled since taking this course. I’ve always felt confident, but with that added confidence I feel even freer. That was a really big step for me and with the mouthfill revelation it has really opened a portal for me.
I was thinking I had plateaued a little before this course, but I was thinking this is where I am at, that’s good, I love it and enjoy it, but no, there is a whole way to go and I feel like I could keep going! It’s exciting to think what the potential is.
The benefits of this course is firstly, you are certainly much more aware of safety and you can see potential scenarios that would not be safe, more quickly. Secondly, socially I’ve met some really cool people that are very like-minded souls which is few and far between. Meeting freedivers when you are going through life is rare, so when you meet people who are on a very similar path to you that’s invaluable especially with diving because you rely on diving with buddies. The instructional team as always is first class and there is potential to go even further. A big door has opened – that was the most exciting thing out of everything. The master level doesn’t mean master level. It means a bigger door has been opened for you.
I would recommend this course for anyone who is curious about their personal potential because of the feeling when you reach a personal plateau and then progress. This is a fantastic course. The team that you have got together to help us realise those goals is second to none in my opinion and that personal reward you get from achieving that goal is why you should do the course. – Nick
I wanted to do the Master freediver course because I wanted to learn more training techniques, and I’ve realised that there is a lot you can do in the pool or on dry land without having to come to Vobster or anywhere else.
I enjoyed being challenged more and diving with people who are quite a lot better than what I have been diving with on the training weekends. So it has been a lot more challenging.
The benefits of this course are that you go deeper, you can challenge yourself, learn more while having fun. Henry
I like swimming and like being in the water but not too deep, so I like freediving because you can go back up and come back down. I can use these skills for snorkelling – and I can make bubble rings! I discovered that I can hold my breath for longer, and I really enjoyed being underwater.
I loved learning new skills, pulling on the rope, duck dive, rescue. The benefits of this course are that you can freedive with a buddy and you know what to do. You are just going to enjoy it more than swimming. The location of the course is really nice.
I would recommend this course because it is real fun! – Adriana
It’s taken a long time for me to do this course. I did my first course seven years ago. I was afraid and I stopped for a while. I thought it was a good time to start again with Mela (Adriana), and I don’t want to let her go through it on her own.
I’ve done so many things over the years, I thought I’m never going to go back to it, but it was fantastic! I loved being in the water when it was raining! I really feel it is a release to be here and to dive.
It is not only the sport itself, it’s trying to improve your health. I want to change my diet. It makes you question things about nutrition, and I want to get back into yoga.
Freediving is one of the best things in my life. I’m thinking all the time, but when I’m diving I’m at peace. If you love water and being in water there is no way you are not going to love freediving. Freediving – that’s the way! – Ciprian
I’ve always liked the idea of freediving and wanted to try it. I’ve discovered that I can hold my breath – for quite some time. I’ve surprised myself. I think the biggest thing I discovered was that I did have psychological barriers. I’ve never really had that before, so it was new to find myself stopping myself and realise that’s fine and get over it. I liked that a lot.
I would recommend this course. The benefits are the people, the location is pretty good and the teaching is great. I enjoyed it! – Michael
I love being in the water and I’m interested in different aspects of how I can improve my health. I’m interested in a lot of the psychological side of freediving and the breathing exercises. And it’s a bit of an adventure. It’s tapped into some of my limitations. I had some preconceived ideas of what I’d be able to do and some of things I’ve done better at and some not so, so it’s been a good mix – even today, things I thought I could do, I couldn’t and had to re-evaluate -which has been really good. I know I can be a bit gung-ho, but there was definitely a part in my brain today that said it’s not worth it, there’s plenty of time, if you’re not happy come back up and by doing that I’ve accomplished what I couldn’t do before, but still recognised 17 metres is not a depth to mess about with.
The best part for me was being in the lake, pushing our limits, doing the depth dives, It’s only a short space of time, but it’s been a good bunch of people so I think we’ve all bonded quite well. It’s the nature of buddying. You’re putting your life in someone else’s hands.
Benefits of doing the RAID freediver course for me are building confidence, pushing your limits, getting outside your comfort zone and meeting new people and new communities.
I would definitely recommend this course. It’s been run really professionally, there’s a nice bunch of instructors – a good mix. I felt safe all the way through, but you’ve allowed us to be ourselves too. – Jon
I’ve heard that you’re brilliant and you’ve trained all the trainers and I’ve just had a series upon series of injuries and just wanted to get back my confidence in the water. And I thought it would be the safest, nicest environment at Vobster to get back in the water.
I’m not very good at relaxing, and I know I rush things, so that is something I’ve learned – to not go past my limits and to slow down and enjoy the moment – which is the whole reason to freedive.
Gaining more confidence in the water and knowing that I can get to the depth I want, but I just need to get everything right. I just need to do it in a timely manner.
Having you as an instructor makes you really relaxed. I feel more confident and will go to the club training sessions in Poole knowing what I’m doing. I know that I now want to keep it up.
I would definitely recommend this course because of your way of training and teaching. – Michelle
I’m a cameraman and I use freediving for work as well as recreation but I don’t practice enough, so I thought it would be really good to get a reminder of the basics and get some practice and refine my technique. I discovered how quickly you can increase that improvement curve with a bit of practice and training – that improvement curve can be really steep!
I like how easy everything is here at Vobster. It’s nice having access to the depth, the visibility is great, the water temperature is great. We’ve been lucky with the weather too.
Price, convenience and location are the three benefits of doing this course. The training has been great and everyone has improved massively over the two days. – Dan
I had the course as a birthday present. I love water – so it was a good choice! Freediving is so much harder than scuba – it’s a whole different experience. I didn’t know how long it would take to master it. My ears messed up the weekend a bit, but I think if me and Dan came back again in the week we can practice our skills.
I thought you were good because you helped me through it, but you didn’t take any nonsense. Firm but fair! This is the first time I’ve been to Vobster, and I really like the set up. The water is a beautiful temperature. I would recommend the course – there is a lovely feeling of freedom that you don’t get with scuba. I can really see it could be something I could get hooked on. – Gina
I really enjoy scuba diving, but don’t enjoy the amount of kit that you have to carry around with you. I just want to be able to be spontaneous when we’re travelling and just be free in the water.
Freediving is much harder than I thought it would be. It is something I was to practice and keep going with. For Katy and me, we now both know how to look after each other safely, and that is actually the most important thing we will take away from the course.
I liked getting back in the water, and just having a play about and having the chance to do something a bit different. I like the environment at Vobster and it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be. It has been very relaxed. The whole experience has been great and I like that you are no-nonsense. I would definitely recommend this course. – Tamsyn
I’m not new to freediving, but wanted to understand a little bit more and how to develop. All the feedback, all the material on the site – the diving videos, the feedback from the people showed that Go Freediving was a live site, not just dry facts on a site – this is what made me come to you.
The main discovery for me was relating to equalising my ears – I didn’t know how to do it and I was going to quit it otherwise.
This is the first time I have dived in freshwater and I like the place here. I don’t think it would be the same experience somewhere else. I like the atmosphere here, the instruction was lively, I liked my class mates. It was nice.
As a result of the course I feel more confident, I have tried monofins and I have learned more about what I can do above water – Yoga, CO2 tables, review my diet and train more often.
I would definitely recommend this course. I was pleasantly surprised and want to continue. I can’t think of any way you could improve this course. It was perfect. – Vlod
I wanted the qualification and really enjoyed the idea of freediving. I heard about Go Freediving through Vobster – Amy recommended you and so had a few other people.
I really, really, really did like just being able to test my limits with someone who I knew was going to look after me. I liked someone with further ability pushing me harder. There were a few more rescue techniques I learned, different techniques, buddying at depth I didn’t know about.
The reasons I enjoyed this course: You learn the correct techniques, you can push to your limits, you can do it safely and you do it at Vobster – why would you not want to do it, here?!
I’ve been spearfishing without any training and advice I’ve heard from other people is to do a course. Go Freediving was recommended to me and I’ve discovered a lot of the safety aspect of it. It really is enjoyable and relaxing.
I enjoyed the exploring at the end and playing around. It’s not about the depth, it’s about the exploring for me.
The divide between pool work and open water work was really good. Having half a day in the pool and the rest of the time here was a perfect divide. It wasn’t too paperwork heavy. It was a good laugh!
I’d recommend this course. Me and Lucy came with a bit of experience, I think looking back the things we were doing were nowhere near as refined as they are now, and the safety aspects are there. I would definitely recommend you. – Jack
I have always loved diving and exploring life and I was doing a swimming a lesson once and saw people doing scuba diving lessons. And then I thought I don’t want to dive with a whole lot of equipment and then I thought about freediving. I watched a few videos and it really, really gripped me.
I have discovered that if I have the right confidence I am capable of doing what I believe in. I loved the monofin because it’s a lot easier and I like the way it makes you move.
The instructors were absolutely amazing. They didn’t let me give up – especially David. I would never have been able to dive the way I have dived without the instructors. Vobster Quay is amazing and I really want to come more often. There is so much I enjoyed! There was a lot of theory, but if you hadn’t done that first I think you would be hopeless on the course.
I would recommend this course because it has really helped me a lot. I really, really progressed and even though it is only two days, it has been really good fun and I really got along with everyone.
Thank you so much for the freediving course. This has been one of the best experiences of my life (13 years). You have showed me that with the right motivation, I can exceed my expectations and grow in confidence. You two have now made freediving my obsession and, perhaps, daily hobby. Thank you both! – Areti
I like snorkelling and freediving, but got stuck at a certain level and realised I was doing everything wrong when I took this course. So it was really worth taking this course which was greatly instructed. Initially I thought it would be nice to be doing it somewhere warmer, but actually the weather here in summer is beautiful.
I discovered a lot about my body – like you have the ability to go a lot further. I liked the atmosphere during the course. There was no stress. It was very relaxed. Nice people. A small group. I was very happy with it.
I would recommend these RAID Freediver Courses in the UK because you are very experienced, you react very well to the students. It was very comfortable. – Felix
I like snorkelling but I started to realise I was probably doing it wrong because I wanted to go deeper but it was hurting. On holiday in Egypt there was a freediving course at the hotel I was staying at –which I didn’t realise at the time so I came home, saw the freediving video Freefall and that was it. I had to book onto a freediving course. I chose Go Freediving as it was the highest rated and I researched Vobster Quay and it it had very clear water.
On the course I discovered I was doing it wrong – dangerously wrong, but was probably never in real danger of really hurting myself – I would have been hurt by bad equalisation. It’s opened my eyes a lot and gone way beyond my expectations.
The instruction is very relaxed. The course flowed perfectly. I learned more and more as I went along, and I was very comfortable on the course. I cannot see how any other course could be better than this, your experience is vast. I will be recommending you to anyone interested in freediving. My message to anyone thinking of learning to freedive is don’t leave it as late as I did! If you’re possibly thinking of freediving then get in touch with Emma and the team. Experienced, professional but most importantly, relaxed. When you look up from 12m under whilst driving the upside down truck and are completely chilled about it, you know you’ve been taught by the best!
I knew I wanted to get to 20 metres, I thought that was a prerequisite of the course. Everything at the bottom was great! It was absolutely perfect.-Wayne
I’ve done a freediving course before in Thailand a couple of years ago but haven’t dived since. There was so much going on in my life and I just put it off. I thought once I build my confidence up again, I’ll enjoy it more so I thought it best to come and do a course again and refresh my skills. I’ve discovered I am a really anxious person and I need to work on that. If I can overcome that, it will change so much. I loved challenging myself even though it’s been hard. I’ve been happy, mad, frustrated.
It’s so friendly, there’s a club atmosphere, so you know you can come back and practice – like a community which I think is really important when you are starting a new sport. Finding other people that are interested in what you are doing. There is so much scope to develop your skills. I would absolutely recommend this course. It has been fun. And if you can try something that is not within your comfort zone – it gives you so many opportunities to look at how you address other things in your life. Hayley
I had a bit of previous experience of freediving and thought it was really interesting and got the impetus from there. I know it is something I want to be better at. A friend told me about the course and I discovered more about physical self-awareness and how the body feels a different depths and how to deal with it. It has increased my confidence in the water, you get a completely different perspective of diving – you don’t need all the kit and admin that goes with it, which is good. It’s just a nice experience.
I would recommend this course 100%. It is very professionally run, and there is no pressure to push beyond your limits. It was delivered in a very mature and professional way. Matthew
I tried scuba diving but I wanted a more free experience of diving. I searched on Google and you seemed to be the best. This course taught me we are more capable than we think we are.
The instruction on the course has been really good. I think the benefits of this course are increased confidence in the water, ability to dive unencumbered, all the aspects really. I would recommend this course because of the quality of the instruction and you know what you are talking about. Matthew
I wanted the experience of diving without all the clutter and I’m interested in the way a body can be trained to do things that are out of the ordinary. I discovered it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I usually find things easy to pick up, but I didn’t find this so easy!
I thought Emma looked after us beautifully. I liked the fact it was a small group, I felt totally safe and thoroughly taught. I think this course taught me to overcome fear, mastery of breath and relaxation. I would recommend this course because of the quality of the teaching. Miranda
I’ve been observing freediving coming up in popularity in the last ten years and wanted to give it a go. I’ve snorkelled with wild dolphins in the Bahamas about 12 years ago and saw how much they played with freedivers and so I want to be able to do the same! I can see if I keep going it could be quite zenish. I found it very hard mentally to go down, even though I wasn’t running out of air because it didn’t feel natural.
For any person doing this course, Go Freediving is about freediving. It is your focus, so you are the experts. You are doing courses regularly, you have a good stock of equipment and for me the facilities are great. I would recommend this course – it’s been an interesting journey personally, so if anyone wants to challenge themselves, this is unique. Joanna
I have always wanted to spend as much time underwater as possible. I’ve done a quite a lot of scuba diving. I wanted to do something uncluttered without all the gear. I wanted something that was to do with long term wellbeing. I like the idea of there being a discipline that I can develop with myself.
It’s a lot harder than it looks. It’s about more than being comfortable in the water and being determined. I set very high expectations for myself, so it was hard on some levels not to achieve some things, but on another level it would have been disappointing if it had been easy because I do like a challenge. I think that I am my main piece of equipment which was both liberating and quite terrifying! I’ve been a bit like a child in a sweet shop – “..I’m going to learn more stuff!!..”
Three benefits of doing the course with you would be that you will laugh a lot, you will be taken out of your comfort zone in a safe way and I think it makes you start to develop a different relationship with yourself. I would recommend the course because you’re in safe hands, all the credentials are there – and I didn’t feel like I was competing with anyone.
Thank you for making it all such good fun, and a huge thank you to Emma and Heather for such a heady mix of laughs, challenge, wonderfully clear teaching and explaining of concepts and skills, gentleness and directness Tamsin
I wanted to do freediving for ages, and then I saw Emma on ‘The Wild Weekenders’ and thought instead of sitting there saying I really want to do it, get on and do it! I was really pleased you were teaching.
It’s a lot harder than I thought, I love it, but it is mind over matter – so it’s the discipline and the relaxation the whole package. For me the best part was meeting new people and getting down to both planes! Three benefits of this course are learning a new skill safely, pushing yourself and doing something different – and if you get it right, it’s relaxing. I’d recommend it because it is a safe way to learn, doing something that is fun, but you do need to learn how to do it properly. – Jacqueline
I am a qualified freediver but there was quite a long break, so I wanted to review my skills under a supervised eye to regain confidence
Go Freediving Instructors are passionate people, aiming to help people to discover themselves – there was not a single moment in the whole two days when you would try to impose on others what you yourself would think is best for them. Previously, when I learnt to freedive, most people put a great emphasis on competing, which in the end of a day takes a joy away, creates a tension. Thanks for proving there are no two snowflakes alike.
What drags me into free-diving is the feeling of a joy when I am in, that I want to go deeper, stay longer. I am very happy about the course to have met you guys and cannot wait to getting under the water with you again. I would definitely recommend this course. The course increases confidence and improves your techniques, It is also good meeting new people. – Gosia
I’ve always been interested in freediving. I thought it would be a good course to have and become qualified. Spearfishing is my main interest. I’ve always been interested in hunting and freediving is a logical step for spearfishing. I could just jump in the water, but that would never be safe.
I’ve learned there is so much more to freediving than you would think – the things that happen to your body and so on. I like the way that the course is run with other people. It was nice to meet other people with different aims and different goals – which makes it such a good course.
Three benefits of doing a course with Go Freediving are: safety – you massively underestimate safety. It’s not about just jumping in the water. Equipment – learning what each bit of equipment is for, and Knowledge -It’s horrible doing something at first, learning something new, because it doesn’t feel natural or right, but once you repeatedly drill it, it is the most efficient, most effective way of doing things.
I’ve really enjoyed this course and would absolutely recommend it! The last 2 days have been massively informative, I’ve enjoyed learning new things, Vobster is a really good place and I’ve just had a really good time. – George
I’ve always been interested in freediving. I’m an advanced open water diver and have a lot of experience in swimming (I’m a former Welsh champion in freestyle and butterfly) and sea swimming and triathlons and wanted to learn how to stay under for longer. It was very humbling, personally for me with my strong swimming background, as I have had to unlearn what I have learned over many decades. A steep learning curve!
Vobster Quay is awesome, the water clarity made a big difference. The instruction I very much enjoyed. The casual approach, you go to good lengths and successfully make everyone feel very relaxed. In a course like this it’s of paramount importance. The benefits for me were the breathing exercises and techniques – for my triathlons, sea swimming and so on and now I’ll have a few skills to stay down and do it more professionally when I next go to Europe and go sea swimming.
I would recommend this course. I’ve learned a lot – safety is paramount and I can see that clearly with Go Freediving. You can’t get a better location and instructors. – Andrew
