How Long Does It Take to Learn Freediving?
It’s the first question most people ask, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you mean by “learn.” Getting a taste takes an afternoon. Getting certified takes a few days. Getting genuinely good takes as long as you want to give it, and that’s the best part. Here’s a realistic timeline.
A first taste: half a day
If you just want to know what freediving feels like, an introduction session is all you need. In a couple of hours in the pool you’ll learn to relax, take a proper breath, hold it calmly, and duck under. Add an open water dive and you’ll take your first real breaths of the Red Sea. No certification, no pressure, just the experience.
Most people who try it are surprised by two things: how calm it feels, and how quickly they progress in a single session.
A full certification: about 2.5 days
The Beginner Course (AIDA 2 or SSI Level 1) takes around two and a half days. That’s:
- Theory: physiology, safety, equalisation and the buddy system.
- Two pool sessions for technique.
- Three open water sessions to put it together.
By the end you’re certified to dive with a buddy to 20 metres, and most students reach somewhere between 12 and 20 metres during the course itself. In under three days you go from beginner to a certified freediver who understands what they’re doing.
Going deeper: a few more days
The Advanced Course (AIDA 3 or SSI Level 2) is three days and takes you to 30 metres, with new skills like free-fall and Frenzel equalisation. Many divers do it a season or a year after their beginner course, once the basics feel natural.
The honest bit: real skill takes longer
Here’s what no course can shortcut: relaxation and consistency come with time in the water. A certification gives you the tools and the safety. Turning them into ease, depth and control is a longer game, and a rewarding one.
That’s exactly why so many people book a training week rather than a single course. Diving day after day, your body adapts, your equalisation settles, and technique stops being something you think about. A week does more than a scattered month of one-off sessions.
So how long, really?
- An afternoon to try it.
- 2.5 days to get certified.
- A week to make a real jump.
- A lifetime to keep getting better, if you catch the bug. Most people do.
Whatever pace suits you, we teach in small groups of two students per instructor, so you progress as fast as you are ready to, never faster. Have a look at the courses to find your starting point.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a freediving certification?
A first full certification (AIDA 2 or SSI Level 1) takes about 2.5 days. That covers theory, pool sessions and open water dives, and certifies you to dive with a buddy to 20 metres.
Can you learn to freedive in a day?
You can get a real taste in a day. An introduction session in the pool, with an optional open water dive, teaches you the basics of relaxation, breath-holding and equalisation. It's not a certification, but it's a genuine first experience of freediving.
How long does it take to freedive to 20 or 30 metres?
Many people reach 12 to 20 metres during their beginner course, and 20 to 30 metres during an advanced course a few days longer. Beyond that, depth comes from consistent training over weeks and months, not from a single course.
How long before I can freedive on my own?
You should never freedive alone, at any level. Freediving is always done with a trained buddy watching you. What a certification gives you is the ability to dive safely with a buddy, not to dive solo.
Emilio & Liam