Beginner Freediving and Spearfishing Combo Course

Learn the fundamentals of freediving and spearfishing with a professional freediving instructor and spearfishing guide. This action packed course includes the classroom, pool, and skills session of the Beginner Freediver Course. On the final day of this course, instead of the depth session you will have a full day of spearfishing (Beginner Spearfishing Course)

We recommend this combination course for those who have experience in the water and are already confident with 10-20' dives at a minimum in cold water. To be completely new to the sport and add spearfishing on in the same weekend, is often too much too quick. If you don't have freediving experience we recommend the Beginner Freediver Course, followed by the one day Beginner Spearfishing Course. The price is about the same, and you'll get an additional depth session with an instructor if you do them separately. 

Course schedule:

• Friday
  • 5-7 PM
    • Just Get Wet Headquarters, 3719 Mission Blvd San Diego
    • Classroom
• Saturday
  • 7-10 AM
    • Pool Session
    • The Plunge, Mission Bay
  • 11 AM - 2 PM
    • Open Water Skills Session
    • Mission Bay
• Sunday
  • 7-9 AM
    • Spearfishing Theory and Gear 
    • Just Get Wet Shop, 3719 Mission Blvd
  • 10 AM - 6 PM
    • Charter to Coronado Islands (Passport Required)
    • Dana Landing Fuel Dock, Mission Bay

Equipment

• For the duration of the class, students are eligible for 15% off ALL freediving and spearfishing gear in the shop! After the class a 10% discount is available
• A 5mm 2 piece freediving wetsuit is required, along with fins, mask, snorkel, and a weight belt with ~12lbs of weight. Booties and gloves recommended. All gear can be rented through Just Get Wet at a cost of $80 for the full kit for the full class length (you will see this options as you book). 
• We recommend a 3mm surf suit or something similar for the pool portion of the class. With just a swimsuit you will get cold, and with the 5mm dive suits you will need 16-20lbs of weight.  We have some 3mm suits laying around that we might be able to set you up with, we can’t guarantee they will fit but leave us a note if you need one.
• Spearfishing - speargun, float line/float, and a dive knife. We have all of these available for rent if you don't have your own

Charter Information

• We have found the Coronado Islands to be the best place around to learn spearfishing. While the local kelp is a shorter boat ride, it typically has much lower visibility, and higher swell/surge. We have had a lot of people get seasick or be overwhelmed in these conditions
• The Coronados have excellent structure loaded with fish in depths as shallow as 5', down to well past 100'. By being able to tuck in on the lee side of the islands, we can get shallow without getting hammered by the waves (not the case on the coast)
• You will need a Mexican Fishing License (~$15) and a passport...bring them both on the boat!

One of the biggest challenges to overcome in freediving is mastering your equalization. By signing up for a Molchanov's program you will gain access to their frenzel fundamentals course that has a 90% success rate with teaching students how to equalize before even showing up to class! 

Freediving classes taught by most major agencies are very similar. We used to teach for FII, and have personal experience with PFI, SSI, and AIDA courses. Currently we certify through Molchanovs for multiple reasons, one of them being the workout generator you will get access to after the class, and another being the frenzel fundamentals mentioned previously.

Are there any pre-requisites? How do I know if I'm ready?

The most important aspect of freediving is relaxation, and while we will teach multiple relaxation techniques and ways to be more efficient, it is essential to already feel comfortable and have some experience in the water. The pre-requisite for the course is a 200m non stop swim in the pool, and we highly recommend some experience with snorkeling (having your mask down in the water and breathing through the snorkel as well as being able to clear the snorkel), surfing, or any other type of swimming activity. If you don't yet feel comfortable and relaxed in the open water, you can select the pool only option which will go over the same theory and pool sessions as the Beginner course, and you can come back and complete the open water sessions when you're ready.

We also highly recommend checking out our friends at Deep End Fitness - DEF runs underwater CrossFit style workouts multiple times per week, and we have found that those who join a few of their classes before going through a Freedive Course have a much higher success rate.  This is not a requirement, but they are cheap and easy to access so we highly encourage you to check them out before / while starting your freediving journey!

What are the requirements for getting a certification? 

Like we said, our biggest thing is helping you develop in a comfortable manner so don’t sweat the requirements! Also in this combo course the focus on the final day will be on spearfishing more than certification requirements, but in order to get a Molchanovs certification you will need a static breath hold of 1:30 and a depth dive of 12m or 40’ (both free immersion and constant weight…aka pulling down the line and kicking down like a normal dive). 

If you don't meet the requirements in this course, don't worry! We have line diving sessions every Sunday where you can continue to develop your comfort and technique, and meet a bunch of great freedivers in our community.