Freediving Certification Courses VS Coaching: Which One Should I Choose?

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When I started my freediving journey, the first thing I did was signing up to a beginner’s certification course (SSI Level 1). This did me well. I learned about the most important basics when it comes to freediving: breathing technique, relaxation, duck dive, equalisation, safety, equipment, and so on…

After that, there are generally three options to continue progressing in depth training:

1) dive with buddies (and do safety dives for each other),

2) dive with instructors and get coaching that is tailored to you, or

3) take the next level freediving certification course.

There are other slightly different options outside of these mentioned above, such as training with safety provided but no coaching, or attending specialised workshops.

All of these can be good options to learn new skills and continue exploring your potential. They are also enjoyable in their own ways.

Here, I will discuss choosing between certification courses vs coaching, as this was something that I wanted advice for a while ago myself.

My Situation

In summer 2022, when planning my next freediving trip, I was trying to choose between SSI Level 2&3 courses and getting some coaching. I was diving to around 40 metres at the time, and only had a level 1 certification (in which the depth requirement was 10-20 metres).

My only intention was to continue learning. The reason why I wanted to choose between courses and coaching was because I had limited resources. I wanted to make the most of the couple of weeks and hundreds of pounds I was going to spend, and wanted to know what’s most suitable given my experience and the challenges I was facing.

I spoke to several freedivers, including experienced divers and instructors. To my surprise, the recommendations were almost unanimous: go for coaching.

Why?

The reasons they provided were somewhat personal.

• Firstly, they said that I had already been diving to the depths beyond beginner’s level for a while, so I was probably not going to learn much from the Level 2 course. They reminded me that the maximum depth of SSI level 2 is only 30 metres, and advanced equalisation technique Mouthfill is not taught until Level 3, which is up to 40 metres (I was diving to 40+ but with Frenzel).

• Coaching, on the other hand, would be more targeted at my needs. I can work on equalisation which was the main bottleneck preventing me from diving deeper, and I can also get a coach that is good at teaching Mouthfill.

• In addition, certification courses are costly. The price for a course will allow more dives with a coach in an average price range, which means more time in the water, and more opportunities to work on the issues.

The conclusion was that I should go for coaching, with one exception - if I want to become an instructor. Because in order to take the instructor training, it is required to have appropriate certifications as prerequisite. I did a quick mental math: right now, I have no desire or plan to become an instructor, and if that changes in the future I can always acquire the certifications later on. And by then hopefully I will have the skills already so it’ll probably be easy and fast to do anyway.

So coaching was what I went with. Or at least so I thought.

Fast forward a few months, I ended up doing both coaching (remote) and certification courses (both SSI Level 2&3) at the same time. While this arrangement was due to some specifics of the circumstances (I will save the details of the story here but if you are interested to hear it you can get in touch), the learnings are valid nevertheless.

Below is a summary of my learning.

My Learning

1. Courses are structured and systematic, while coaching is targeted and individual.

Courses are comprehensive in covering different aspects of knowledge for freediving that is relevant at a certain level. For instance, when I took SSI Level 2&3, I learned how to set up the buoy and the line, make and SOLVE different knots, how to handle bottom weights safely, and so on. These are really useful skills to have as an intermediate freediver, especially if you want to go diving with buddies without instructors taking care of everything for you. In the theory part, I learned about partial pressure, why and how FRC (exhale dives) simulates depth, and how to dive safely with this more advanced and potentially more risky technique. In the pool, I learned about the standard procedure for pool training, how to design a program, and tried out a few pool exercises (how to do duck dive and how to turn in the pool are completely different skills compared to those in the open water!) I also practised doing static coaching for my buddy, which I failed the first time as I find it much harder than doing static myself!

On the other hand, coaching can be more targeted at specific issues that you might be encountering or want to work on. Experienced coaches can sometimes spot what you are doing wrong fast and accurately, and point you to the right direction. They can help correct your equalisation or finning technique, provide tips on how to better achieve full relaxation, or give suggestions on what you could try in the next dive. They can help diagnose what might be the hidden physical or mental barrier that was not known to you, and give you exercises to overcome them. Sometimes you take those tips and shift attention as they direct you, and it immediately changes the whole dive! Other times it might take some more time and practice to master the new technique, and you can gradually see results as you internalise it through more dives.

2. You can make an informed decision

Another realisation I had when comparing coaching versus courses was, experienced coaches are usually very knowledgeable on all the topics that certification courses cover, but you need to be asking the right questions, or there needs to be scenarios where such knowledge becomes relevant for you to learn about certain things, since coaches will not go through the various topics systematically and comprehensively as a course does. For those that have only taken the beginner’s course, even if you are diving deep, you might have knowledge gaps and don’t even know what these are. As they say, “you don’t know what you don’t know”. In that case, taking the next level(s) of certification courses is a good way to check and fill those knowledge gaps. The theories can help deepen your understanding of the sport, which can be essential in managing risks and ensuring safe dives for yourself and your buddies.

One way to check knowledge gap is to read through the syllabus of the certification courses you are interested in, so that you can perform a self-check. Are you already familiar with the topics listed? Did you see any terms or phrases that you have never heard of? Can you confidently explain the topics to another freediver?

You can also check the requirements (depth, static breath hold, open water swimming, rescue, etc) for passing each certification level online. These will give you an idea of your level versus the level of the certifications.

Lastly, you can always speak to instructors that teach courses and/or provide coaching, who can help assess your ability and needs, and recommend what they think might be best for you.

3. There is no right or wrong choice; find what you need in the moment is key

If you are diving at a level that is quite far from the next level certification requirements, and you want to manage the risk of not able to finish the next level course during your diving holiday (which might cause frustration and financial loss), you can consider doing more training (with or without coaching) and gain some more experience and confidence before attempting the next certification level.

If there are specific techniques or skills you want to learn or improve, such as Mouthfill Equalisation, consider finding a reputable coach that is specialised in those areas. It is worth the investment since good teaching makes a big difference, and it is beneficial to have a thorough understanding and build good habits from the beginning.

I learned Mouthfill for the first time with Harry who is known to specialise in this. He breaks down the technique into several steps which made it easy to understand, and he explains each step with certain exercises that help you master that part of the technique. Good teaching sets a good foundation from the beginning and might save you headache later on.

4. Not all coaches can help you, but that’s also okay. Courses and experience will make you better at self-assessment and weighing the feedback you receive

Coaches have different approaches, coaching styles and even expertise areas. Some are more instructive or corrective, some are inspiring and encouraging, some are very observant and experienced. They don’t have to help you fix everything, but maybe one thing they say will stick with you for a long time and form a part of your diving routine.

That said, sometimes you may receive tips or suggestions from coaches that don’t work for you, or maybe those are based on incorrect assumptions, that’s also okay.

Coaching relies on a certain level of the diver’s self-awareness. As much as your coach will try to observe you during a dive, there are a lot of things happening during the dive that is not visible from the outside. So information you provide, such as description of what happened or how you felt during the dive, become an important source of information. Together with observation and a certain level of assumptions, they make recommendations. Naturally and unavoidably, sometimes these assumptions are not correct.

The good news is, in most cases there is very little risk in trying the tips from the instructors. So give it a go, and see how you feel. The point is, there isn’t one method that works for everyone, so it’s useful to try them out and see what works for you. The most important thing is to make sure you do it safely, and observe yourself during the process so that you build up a good level of self-awareness on what works for you and what doesn’t. The more experience and knowledge you have, the better you become at observing your body and mind. Better self-awareness complements coaching advice, and will help you get more out of coaching sessions as you experiment with your own feedback and adjust accordingly. It’ll even make you better at assessing the various advices you are going to receive from other divers, as some topics remain controversial in this sport.

Summary

As an intermediate freediver who is considering certification courses and coaching:

If you can take the next level certification courses and then train with coaches afterwards, that would be ideal. The courses will help you build the knowledge structure, check gaps and ensure good coverage of important skills, and the coaching can go deep into targeted areas to provide guidance and feedback needed to overcome personal challenges.

If you are constrained and have to choose between the two, it depends on the objectives and main focus of your training at that specific time. Consider what you need the most, and go for what suits you, but know that whichever option you go for, you will certainly learn something useful.