Gap year Thailand Diving Internships

Apnea Freediving Internship [6 weeks]

Overview

Apnea also known as freediving, is the sport of diving underwater on a single breath.  This is an extreme sports activity which through training and commitment produces spectacular results. For example, the instructors involved in delivering this training internship are international recognized freedivers, with qualifications including apnea dives deeper than 80 metres and static breath holds of over 7½ minutes!

The skills and techniques developed in freediving constitute the basis of many other underwater activities such as spear fishing or underwater photography.

This internship is extreme! Over the six week duration, training and experience will enable you to freedive down to around 40 metres, and hold your breath for over 3 minutes in a static setting.

Freediving is visually spectacular, and unlike scuba diving completely silent, so you’ll get up close and personal with Koh Tao’s marine life in a way few people ever experience.

Structure

Under the guidance of very experienced instructors [who have certified over 2000 freedivers from diverse backgrounds and experience levels], you’ll proceed sequentially through four  freediving courses [Freediver course, static apnea clinic, Advanced Freediver course and finally Master Freediver].

You will gradually increase your personal limits in a controlled and safe fashion, achieving amazing results.

All the apnea freediving courses include a combination of theory and practical sessions. Some of the practical sessions are static exercises, other times we’ll take the dedicated freediving boat out to visit the amazing freediving sites around Koh Tao island.

What’s Included

Training and Courses

Part 1: Freediver Course

Here we run through the basics, developing basic breathing techniques, and making controlled freedives to a maximum depth of 20 metres.

Part 2: Static Apnea Clinic

Now we introduce more advanced breath hold techniques in a static environment. We guarantee that all students will be able to breath-hold for at least three minutes!

Part 3: Advanced FreeDiver course

Training steps up a gear in the Advanced Freediver course. This time, we’ll be extending your max depth right down to 30-40 metres, with breath hold durations in excess of 3 minutes.

Part 4: Master Freediver course

Finally the Master Freediver course, which concentrates on two aspects of training.

Firstly, personal development, where you’ll practice the major freediving disciplines of free immersion, dynamics, static constant weight with fins, unassisted, no limits and variable weight.

Parallel to this, we’ll run a freediving internship where you getting involved in the training of novice freedivers, developing an understanding of what’s involved in working as a freediving instructor.

Materials

All course materials and certification fees are included in the cost of this freediving internship. There are no hidden extras.

Equipment

You’ll get your own set of free diving equipment, to keep. The gear is all brand name and very good quality. Specifically, you’ll get:

Low volume free diving mask
Long, rigid free diving fins
Snorkel
Nose Clip
Freediving Weight Belt
Gear Bag
T-shirt
Neoprene Mask Strap

If you have some spare cash, you have the option to upgrade certain items - this is something we can run through once you’re on Koh Tao

Next Step

If you really enjoy the freediving internship and want more, you can make it into your profession by continuing through to Freediving Instructor here in Koh Tao.

Or if you don’t want to work in freediving, but prefer to further improve your own freediving ability, we can offer personal training right up to international competition level.

Moving away from freediving, Koh Tao is a great base from which to explore South East Asia, so you be crazy not to consider traveling through the rest of spectacular Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam or Malaysia.

Or you could make a combination with one of our other exciting Gap Year Thailand programs.