When Is The Best Time To Do A Freediving Course?

The best time to do a freediving course depends on many factors. These factors can range from age, general health, fitness, mental wellbeing, through to location, time of year and even which course providers are available at any given time.

If you are wondering when the best time to do a freediving course is for YOU, ask yourself the following questions:

How old am I?

Many people assume that as freediving is classified by many to be an ‘extreme sport’ there must be lower or upper age limits. While we have seen many very young freedivers , at Go Freediving, we abide by the standards set by RAID, where the minimum age is 12 for the RAID Freediver Course. We believe this is the earliest we can safely and confidently teach our younger students this level (It should be noted that a parent or guardian will also need to take the course with a child of this age). In relation to an upper limit, there really isn’t one. We have taught a wide range of more mature students up to mid eighties. So, provided the student is able to pass the standard diving health questionnaire, we don’t place any restriction as a result of age. In fact, many of our older students out perform younger students as they have the maturity and wisdom to remain calm and relaxed throughout their dive. In the competitive world many record holders actually achieved their world records in their 50s and 60s! So in terms of age, there really is no ‘best time to do a freediving course’!

How fit am I?

Having some degree of fitness is required for freediving. This does not mean you need to be an athlete. However, it does mean that you need to be able to swim comfortably in open water and also be able to complete a number of techniques and rescue scenarios. You also need to be able to enter and exit the water in a comfortable manner. Also, getting your wetsuit on can be quite a feat! If you are recovering from an illness or believe your general fitness may be an issue, it may not be the best time to do a freediving course. We want our students to enjoy their course and feel challenged and motivated. We don’t want your course to feel challenging for the wrong reasons. Here is a link to our health questionnaire, which may help you better assess whether you are healthy enough to undertake a course.

How mentally capable or available am I?

Some students choose freediving because of the positive impact it can have on mental health. We have had many students who suffer with stress, anxiety and fear come to us as they search for alternative ways to manage their condition. Your mental state, in general, should not have a detrimental affect on your overall enjoyment or progression during your course. You do however, need to be honest with yourself and your instructor so that we can take your condition into consideration.

Do I have time to study for a course?

Part of your freediving course is completed online. On average most students can complete this part of the course within 1 – 3 hours. This includes reading the material, completing mini quizzes and passing a knowledge check at the end. For some students this is felt to be the least important part of the course and so they will either complete it a day or so before the practical element of the course, or will rush through the quiz and not absorb the information they have been provided. The knock on effect of this is that it can impact on the enjoyment and feeling of preparedness on arrival for the practical element.

For complete enjoyment we recommend completing the theory part of the course at least a week in advance, and then re-reading the information at leisure in the days leading up to practical sessions. With this in mind the best time to do a freediving course is when you have a little extra time outside of your hectic schedule that can allow for some preparatory work that is an enjoyable part of the course rather than a chore.

Is there a specific reason I need/want to do this course now?

Some of our students do have specific reasons they attend a course at the time they do. For example, they have a job requirement that involves freediving or they are going on holiday or trip and want to maximise their freediving and snorkelling experience. For many however, it is just that they have been considering freediving either in the weeks, months and sometimes even years before and have decided now is the right time. Whenever the best time to do a freediving course is for you, we recommend booking courses as early as possible to ensure you  are able to attend a course on a date of your choosing. Many of our freediving courses are booked well in advance and some even have wait lists for cancellations.

Will the water be cold?

This can be a deciding factor for many students trying to figure out the best time to do a freediving course. Last November we had a group of die-hard students who wanted to freedive regardless of how cold it was. (In fact they are not alone – take a look at this gorgeous freediving film Johanna Under The Ice and you will see how beautiful it can be). For most students, the water temperature is without doubt a factor – and the warmer, the better. We get that! The freediving season in the UK runs from the beginning of April through to mid October. This takes advantage of the best weather we are going to get in the UK and also ensures the water temperatures range from around 16 – 23 degrees. At Go Freediving, to accommodate our British climate we have different thickness wetsuits so that our students who feel the cold can enjoy the comfort of a thicker wetsuit.

Some students will simply decide that diving in the UK at any time of year will simply be too cold, so it is not necessarily when is the best time to do a freediving course, rather where is the best place to do a freediving course! And for those students we offer freediving holidays where they can enjoy learning to freedive in the balmy Red Sea, the Canaries or even further afield. They can live on a boat for a week and literally jump out of bed and into the water, or can stay on land and have a broad freediving holiday mixed with other land based activities.

Is there a course running, local to me?

We understand for many students time can be a factor when deciding the best time to do a freediving course. Travelling to a course can not only add time away from home, but it adds additional costs such as overnight accommodation and all the extras that are associated with travelling. However, our courses have attracted students from as far afield as Australia, US, Europe and Canada, all keen to complete a freediving course with an internationally recognised and respected freediving instructor and school. We truly believe we offer an exceptional learning experience for all of our students – one worth travelling the extra mile for. We also ensure we provide a wide variety of accommodation options within their course information to cater for all budgets.

Do I Want To Practice My New Skills After The Course?

Go Freediving is a thriving freediving school. Not only does it host courses, but it has two busy clubs in Poole and Bath, offers freediving training holidays, freediving relaxed holidays, short UK trips, Club weekend meets and a host of year round offerings to keep students motivated and enthusiastic about their sport. For students who learn at a slower rate, Go Freediving offers ‘returning student’ deals for students to complete elements of their course. Even though the freediving season ends mid October, our clubs run all year so you don’t need to worry about what may be the best time to do a freediving course as you’ll always have opportunities to practice your skills.

When Is The Best Time To Do A Freediving Course With Go Freediving?