AIDA 2 Freediver · Course Guide
What you're
getting into.
The world's most widely recognized entry-level freediving certification, taught over 2.5 to 3 days at La Jolla Shores. You'll hold your breath for two minutes, swim 40 meters underwater on one breath, descend to 12 meters on a vertical line, and know how to rescue a buddy from depth.
What this is
The foundation certification for recreational freediving.
AIDA International is the oldest international standards body for freediving — founded in 1992, governs the world championships, and sets the credentialing standards every serious freediving school uses or maps to.
AIDA 2 is the level at which you become a competent, autonomous freediver: comfortable with breath-hold physiology, capable of recognizing and responding to safety issues in your buddy, and trained to descend on a vertical line under your own control. Most students at LJFC are first-time freedivers — no prior certification required.
Performance Standards
What you'll need to do.
Four requirements, verified against the current AIDA International standards.
Static
2:00
Breath hold in confined water, with buddy
Dynamic
40m
Underwater swim with bi-fins
Depth
12m
Constant Weight on the line
Exam
75%
Written theoretical exam
These numbers look bigger on paper than they feel in practice. Most students hit the confined-water requirements — the 2-minute static and 40m dynamic — on their first or second try during the course. Depth is more variable, but with proper Frenzel technique and relaxation, 12 meters is well within reach for almost any healthy adult. It looks daunting from outside the water. Inside, it's doable.
Course Structure
2.5 to 3 days, structured.
Day 1 · Evening
Classroom theory
~3 hours covering physiology, equalization, safety protocols, equipment, and the freediving disciplines. In person or Zoom. The full AIDA 2 Manual is provided in advance for self-study.
Day 2 · Full day
Confined water + ocean
Morning static and dynamic apnea with rescue scenarios — at calm shallow water at the Shores when conditions allow, in a pool otherwise. Afternoon open-water session — first depth dives at 5–8m on the LJFC mooring line.
Day 3 · Cert
Cert dives + exam
Morning 12m cert dives in peak-tide calm conditions. Written exam on the beach. Logbook stamps. Cards processed in AIDA EOS within 24h of course end.
What you'll learn
Ten subject areas across theory, confined water, and open water.
Theory · the why
- Basic physiology of freediving
- The freedive breathing cycle
- Equalization (Frenzel introduction)
- Safety, LMC, blackout, rescue
- Freediving equipment
- The disciplines (STA, DYN, FIM, CWT)
- AIDA Green — environmental responsibility
Confined water · the mechanics
Pool, or calm shallow water at the Shores.
- 2-minute static apnea with a buddy
- 40m dynamic with bi-fins
- Surface LMC recovery
- Blackout response with weight-removal protocol
Open water · the application
- Equipment setup and weighting
- Equalization on the line, head-down
- Duck dives, vertical finning, controlled turns
- Buddy supervision from the surface
- Rescue from depth — blow-tap-talk protocol
- The 12-meter Constant Weight cert dive
Pricing
Two ways to take it.
Group · 2+ students
$575
per person
Group rate kicks in at 2 students. If you book solo and another student locks in your dates, you both pay group.
Private · solo
$800
one-on-one
Same curriculum, taught one-on-one with flexible scheduling around your week.
Includes: AIDA certification card, full course, digital manual, instructor time, LJFC mooring line access. Not included: personal gear (rentals available), AIDA membership (first year free with certification), optional extra ocean training days ($150/day if needed).
How the cert actually works
Skills are recorded individually. You can always come back.
AIDA 2 isn't a pass-or-fail exam — it's four separate performance standards (static, dynamic, depth, written) that are evaluated independently. Your logbook records exactly which skills you've met and which you haven't. If you complete three of the four during your course, that progress stays with you. You come back to finish the fourth on a follow-up day, with us or with any AIDA instructor worldwide.
The AIDA standard gives you up to 12 months from your last signed skill to complete the remaining requirements — with us or with any AIDA instructor worldwide, no redoing what you've already passed. Most students who need a follow-up finish within a few weeks. The year window gives breathing room for life, travel, weather, schedule shifts.
Most students get everything in the standard 2.5 to 3 days. Some don't — and that's normal. There's no pressure to force a skill that isn't ready, no penalty for needing one more session, no expectation that you'll certify in a single weekend just because the schedule suggests you might.
Three certification variants
AIDA officially recognizes three AIDA 2 certifications based on what you complete:
- AIDA 2 Freediver — the full cert, both confined-water and depth requirements met
- AIDA 2 Pool Freediver — confined-water requirements met, depth not yet completed
- AIDA 2 Depth Freediver — depth requirement met, confined-water portion not yet complete
Whichever partial cert you receive, you complete the remaining portion within 12 months and upgrade to the full AIDA 2 card. Most students who don't hit depth on cert day get there within one or two additional sessions. Follow-up days are $150 each, or join our Saturday Sessions once you have the partial cert and your own gear. (The certs are named "Pool" and "Depth" in the AIDA system — confined water can happen at the Shores when conditions allow.)
After certification
What the card lets you do.
Globally recognized
Honored by every AIDA-affiliated dive shop, club, and instructor in the world. Line dives, dive shop rentals, group dives — wherever you travel.
Eligible for AIDA 3
The next step — depth to 24m, more sophisticated equalization, longer performances. AIDA 2 is the prerequisite.
Saturday Sessions
Open to AIDA 2 Freedivers with their own gear, lanyard, and dive computer. The LJFC weekly ocean session at La Jolla Shores.
Spearfishing, safer
The safety curriculum is the missing piece for most self-taught spearos — buddy protocols, surface intervals, breath-hold management.
Prerequisites
Is this for you?
- Swim 200m non-stop without fins, or 300m with mask/fins/snorkel
- 18 or older (16 or 17 with written parent/guardian consent)
- No serious medical contraindications — full AIDA Medical Statement completed before course day
- No prior freediving experience required
What you bring
Gear and the practical kit.
Your own mask, snorkel, and fins if you have them. Wetsuit, weight belt, and lanyard rentals available — sized to you and coordinated by email after booking.
Towels, warm layers, sun protection, hydration, snacks. Notebook for theory. Photo ID for cert paperwork.
Medical Screening
How we screen for medical safety.
Freediving puts real demands on your cardiovascular, respiratory, and ear/sinus systems. AIDA's job — and ours — is to make sure those demands are safe for you specifically. The standard tool is the AIDA Medical Statement — 11 questions you answer honestly before any in-water training. We send it in your booking confirmation; you complete it before course day.
What we ask about
- 1. Regular medications
- 2. Mental and mood conditions
- 3. Neurological — seizures, blackouts, migraines
- 4. Cardiovascular — heart, blood pressure, pacemaker
- 5. Pulmonary — asthma, lung function
- 6. Ear, nose, throat — sinuses, eardrums, hearing
- 7. Eye conditions, eye surgery
- 8. Diabetes
- 9. Prior diving accidents
- 10. General conditions affecting judgment under physical or emotional stress
- 11. Pregnancy
"Yes" doesn't mean disqualified
A YES to any question triggers a physician review — not an automatic disqualification.
Your doctor signs the form stating they find no medical conditions incompatible with freediving, or they decline to recommend you. Most students with mild, controlled, or seasonal conditions get cleared without difficulty.
Usually workable with planning
- · Seasonal allergies (pre-treat in the days before)
- · Mild, controlled asthma (with physician sign-off)
- · Sinus issues — time the dive day, plan equalization
- · Past ear infections, fully resolved
- · Most routine prescriptions
- · Mild, controlled hypertension
- · Corrected vision (contacts/glasses; LASIK with clearance)
Generally incompatible with breath-hold diving
- · Severe, uncontrolled asthma or COPD
- · Recent heart attack, unstable arrhythmia, BP > 160/90
- · Active seizure disorder
- · History of significant blackout or diving accident
- · Pregnancy
- · Recent ear or sinus surgery without specialist clearance
- · Type 1 diabetes without stable control
- · Perforated eardrum, untreated
If you're unsure, reach out before you book. A short conversation upfront saves the surprise of finding out the day before the course. Most concerns resolve with a physician note. For complex cases, DAN maintains a network of physicians familiar with diving medicine — dan.org/find-a-doctor.
How to prepare
Four weeks of low-volume prep makes everything easier.
The single biggest predictor of how well you do on AIDA 2 isn't fitness. It's arriving rested and comfortable with Frenzel equalization. Those two things compound.
The full plan is in our 4-Week AIDA 2 Prep Guide, but the headlines:
- Week 1: get comfortable with the 200m swim
- Week 2: learn Frenzel equalization on land + practice diaphragmatic breathing
- Week 3: build a 90s–2:00 static hold lying down (never near water alone)
- Week 4: taper, rest, arrive fresh
Your instructor
Joshua Beneventi
AIDA Instructor · AIDA Youth Instructor · AIDA 4 Master Freediver. San Diego's only AIDA-certified instructor for both adults and youth. DAN Professionally Insured. Current Red Cross Adult & Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED.
Training lineage: Stella Abbas (Freedive Tioman, Malaysia) → Pieter Van Veen (Dahab, Egypt) → Harry Chamas (Freedive Passion, La Ventana, Mexico) → Khaled El Gammal (Dahab, Egypt) for AIDA 4 and the Instructor + Youth Instructor courses.
More about Joshua →Safety
How the course is run.
- Tighter than required ratios — AIDA mandates 4:1 in open water; we run closer to 2:1
- No hyperventilation, ever — the single most dangerous habit in freediving
- Buddy protocols on every dive — one up, one down, surface watch
- DAN-stocked O2 + first aid kit on site for every water day
- Written Emergency Action Plan — AIDA-mandated; locations of nearest hospital (UCSD), nearest hyperbaric facility, lifeguard tower contact, evacuation route
- Medical screening upfront — conditions get a conversation, sometimes a physician sign-off
Common Questions
What students usually ask.
Do I need to know how to freedive already?
No. AIDA 2 is the typical entry-level cert. You don't need AIDA 1 or any prior certification. The course assumes you're starting from scratch.
Does the confined-water portion have to be in a pool?
No. AIDA's standard is 'confined water,' which includes calm shallow ocean. When La Jolla Shores has small surf and light wind, we run the confined-water sessions in chest-deep water at the beach instead of driving to a pool. Pool fallback is used when surf or wind makes the Shores impractical.
What if I'm a strong swimmer but I've never freedived?
Perfect candidate. Most students arrive in exactly that profile.
How cold is the water?
La Jolla Shores runs about 60°F in winter and 70°F in summer. A 5mm wetsuit handles year-round comfortably.
Do you have rentals?
Yes. Fins, wetsuit, weight belt, and lanyard are available as rentals. Coordinated by email after booking, sized to you.
What if I have allergies or sinus issues on course day?
Plan ahead — pre-treat with your usual nasal spray or antihistamine in the days leading up. Many students with seasonal allergies certify without difficulty.
What if I have to cancel or reschedule?
48-hour notice for reschedule (no penalty). Cancellations with less than 48 hours' notice forfeit the deposit. Cancellations with more than 7 days' notice receive a full refund.
Is freediving safe?
Done with proper AIDA training, buddy protocols, direct supervision, and surface support — yes. Risk comes from diving alone, exceeding training, hyperventilating, or skipping safety protocols. Your AIDA 2 course is specifically designed to give you the tools to manage these risks.
Does the certification expire?
No. AIDA certifications never expire. Your card is registered permanently in the AIDA EOS system.
What's the next step after AIDA 2?
AIDA 3 Advanced Freediver — depth to 24m, more sophisticated equalization, longer confined-water performances, and the introduction of free-fall. The natural progression for anyone who finds AIDA 2 captures their interest.
Ready when you are
Let's find a window that works.
Standards verified against aidainternational.org · Manual: AIDA 2 v2.0 (2025)