Learn the basics of freediving and immediately apply that to spearfishing. In just one weekend you will learn the basics of breath hold diving, and get to hunt side by side with seasoned instructors and guides. Getting this type
of knowledge from someone who has been freediving and spearfishing professionally is THE best way you can start your spearfishing career.
We follow the standard freediving course schedule for the first two days, but on the third day we will go out for fish! No matter the depths you are comfortable at, you will be able to hunt effectively. For the spearfishing portion of the class we have a ratio of 2 divers to 1 instructor/guide, which ensures you will get very personal feedback as well as practice hunting with another diver.
In order to get a formal Freediving certificate there are some requirements you need to pass, and usually Sunday is the day we would focus on those depths. That being said, we want you to focus on enjoying the sport more than anything else. If you purchase this class and don't pass, you will get a free line diving session to use so that you can work out the kinks and get certified at a later date.
Over the past 4 years our team has taught over 1000 students and put what we have learned into our program. Here are a few things that differentiate us from many other freediving schools.
- Stable platform
- Our 32’ center console boat is steady, stable, and extremely efficient. This helps keep the cost down and the comfort up for the charter day
- Focus on comfort, rather than certification
- Our singular goal is to have each student progress through the class in a way that they are comfortable and confident. There is no pressure to complete a bunch of requirements in one weekend…you have a full year to do this, so throughout the class we just want you to absorb.
- We run weekly depth sessions at La Jolla shores on Sunday mornings. This is the perfect opportunity to complete your requirements (if needed) and take your newly developed skills and get more comfortable with them. With your class, you will receive a free code to one of these sessions.
- For the spearfishing class, we usually focus on hunting for our final day rather than depth requirements. We want to show you as much as possible without exhausting you, and our line diving sessions are there for you to complete any depth requirements that may still be outstanding
- Personalized development
- We enforce a high instructor to student ratio…max 1:4, usually 1:2 or 1:3. This allows us to cater the class to each individual student, no matter what level. We will be able to give you the next step for you to work on, while the student next to you might have a completely different step for them to focus on.
- Top tier instructors
- The instructor is what matters, not the certifying agency! For this class, our instructors are also our spearfishing guides who have a massive level of experience, passion, and knowledge they love to share
- We look for instructors who can tune into what the student needs, and who can make the class fun and informative without sacrificing safety and comfort…among many other things. You will be amazed at how these instructors handle themselves and bring you along in your journey.
- Structured approach
- There are so many new sensations felt at pressure and depth, and knowing what to expect/how to react will help keep you calm and comfortable in that moment. The knowledge from the classroom, and the experience of holding your breath in the pool (both lying still and swimming for distance) will introduce you to those new feelings and sensations in a safe and secure environment before we take it to the open water.
- We add the spearfishing components on after the freediving foundation has been established
- Community engagement
- Classes don’t make you a better freediver as much as they give you the tools to progress safely and effectively. While you will see gains throughout your class, freedivers truly progress through consistent training and interaction with community. The thing that we are most proud of is the incredible group of humans we have managed to attract, from our crew to our regulars to the brand new students.
- At the end of our Sunday open water session we have a cookout where you will be able to mingle with the people in our community who have gone through the class before you, many of whom are looking for dive buddies! This is an awesome way to get introduced to our active and welcoming community.
- Safety
- I can not tell you how many people have come through the class who have spearfished for 20, 30 years and got dragged there by someone else. At the end of the course, they ALL say “I can’t believe I didn’t kill myself”. This class won’t force you to change the way you do everything, but it will show you just how fine of a line there is between adventure and disaster…and also how easy it is to move that line so that disaster is almost out of the picture.
Charter:
Location is dependent on conditions. Between the kelp at La Jolla and Point Loma, the wrecks off of Mission Beach, and the Coronado Islands, we have some incredible spearfishing right in our back yard. Our crew is out on the water constantly and in touch with other captains and guides, we use all of this information to make the best game day decision for where to go.
Not Included: Passport, Fishing license (CA license unless going to the Islands, in that case a Mexican license is required. Both cost around $15/day). If going to the Coronados, an extra $50 will be charged due to biosphere and visa costs.
What are the requirements?
Like we said, our biggest thing is helping you develop in a comfortable manner so don’t sweat the requirements! But in order to get a piece of paper you will need, a static breath hold of 1:30 and a depth dive of 10m or 33’ (both free immersion and constant weight…aka pulling down the line and kicking down like a normal dive). We also have safety requirements which are the most important. There is no spearfishing certification
We have found that freediving classes taught by most major agencies are very similar, and that the instructor is the most important aspect of a class. We can say this as we used to teach for FII, and have personal experience with PFI, SSI, and AIDA courses. Currently we certify through Molchanovs and PADI. If you would like the PADI certification, it must be requested at the time of booking (If you request PADI after you have been entered into the Molchanovs system there will be an additional $50 service fee), PADI certifications won’t change how we run the class but will get you the piece of paper you want.
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!
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!
Molchanovs Wave 1 Freediver
PADI Intro to Freediving
Course schedule:
Weekend (Fri - Sun)
- Friday
- Classroom
- 5-7 PM
- Just Get Wet Headquarters, 3719 Mission Blvd San Diego
- Saturday
- Pool
- 6:45 - 9:30 AM
- The Plunge, Mission Bay
- Open Water 1
- 1100 AM - 1:30 PM
- Mission Bay
- Sunday
- Open Water 2 + Spearfishing
- 8 AM - 2 PM
- Mission Bay Aquatic Center (behind the shop)
Weekday
- Day 1
- Classroom
- 9 - 11:30 AM
- Just Get Wet Headquarters, 3719 Mission Blvd San Diego
- Pool
- 1 - 4 PM
- The Plunge, Mission Beach
- Day 2
- Open Water 1 & 2
- 8 AM - 3 PM
- Mission Bay Aquatic Center (behind the shop)
Equipment
- 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.
- 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.
- A speargun and a knife. Available for rent from JGW for $50
If you're looking for a place to stay, please check out our beautiful loft that is right above the shop! With a queen size bed and a pull out couch it can easily sleep 4, and if you plan on taking the boat out with us it’s a short 3-5 minute walk from the shop! Please email us (info@justgetwet.com) with dates you would like and we can book outside AirBnB in order to save you from paying their service charges.
