AIDA 3

About this course

3-Day Advanced Course

AIDA 3 is where depth diving becomes efficient rather than effortful. You learn to equalize far more easily as you go deeper, relax more completely on the descent, understand what pressure is doing to your body, and take on real responsibility for your buddy’s safety.

Three new techniques are introduced on this course:

• Free fall — past a certain depth you stop being buoyant and start to sink. Free fall is the skill of stopping your kick at that point and simply falling, relaxed, which saves a great deal of oxygen and effort.
• Frenzel equalization — a way of equalizing your ears using your tongue and throat instead of your chest. It works much deeper than the method most people arrive with, and it is usually the single biggest unlock for getting past a depth that has been stopping you.
• Training tables — simple structured breath-hold exercises you can practise on land or in a pool, on a set schedule, to build tolerance safely over time.

You will also cover what pressure changes do to your body and how to minimise the risks. These skills are trained across the four common disciplines: static apnea, dynamic apnea, free immersion, and constant weight.

What's included in this course

• Knowledge development (you study the theory at home at your own pace) plus practical theory lessons in person
• Pool session: static apnea
• Pool session: dynamic freediving
• Open-water training at depths appropriate to the student, up to a maximum course depth of 30m / 100 ft. The AIDA 3 certification depth requirement is 24m.
• Free fall, Frenzel equalizing, and free immersion technique
• Equalization techniques & rescue skills
• Breathing & freediving techniques

Before you book

• Price: $550 per person.
• Daily schedule: 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM, all three days.
• Class size: maximum 4 students.
• Equipment provided: fins, mask, snorkel and a weight belt.
• Wetsuit: not provided and highly recommended. You can rent one from any scuba shop in Waikiki — arrange it before the morning of your course, not on the day.
• If you do not finish every requirement: booking a course does not guarantee certification. If something is still outstanding at the end, I will tell you exactly what remains and what to practise, and you have one year to complete it. If certification is your goal we stay in touch and keep working on it.

What to bring

Bring the following on each day:

• Wetsuit
• Reef-safe sunscreen
• Water
• Towel or yoga mat
• Change of clothes
• Notepad
• Slippers or sandals

Prerequisites

• Be 18 years of age or older (16 or 17 years old with parent or guardian consent)
• Can swim at least 200m non-stop without fins or at least 300m non-stop with mask, fins and snorkel
• Have completed the AIDA 2 course, or an AIDA 2 crossover evaluation — a short assessment for divers who certified with another organization, to confirm your skills match the AIDA level before you continue
• Be able to speak and read English

Back to the two-day AIDA 1+2 beginner course · Next step: the AIDA 4 master course · Compare all Oahu freediving courses · Struggling to equalize? Read the guide · Prerequisites and FAQ · Work on a single skill: private training