Molchanovs, AIDA and PADI Freediver recognized

Freedive Instructor Course

Freedive Flow

Study at Freedive Flow, the school on Gili Air / Indonesia owned by Oli Christen. He is the original author of the AIDA Education manuals, co-author of the Molchanovs freedive system and a former member of the PADI Freediver advisory board.

Photo by Mike Veitch

If you would like to get your freedive knowledge from the source, this is the Freedive Instructor Course you want to join! Oli Christen is a leading contributor in developing the way freediving is taught worldwide. After a tenure in the AIDA Education Commission as the original author of the AIDA Manuals, he contributed to the development of the PADI Freediver System. In 2018 he became a leading author in the Molchanovs Wave System. His competent team of Instructor Trainers and senior instructors will facilitate you to become the best freedive instructor you can be!

Listen to a Podcast Interview of Freedive Café with Oli about Freedive Education here.

Scheduled Instructor Courses

Freedive Instructor Courses 2020 by Molchanovs Standards

Possibility to cross-over from other agencies and add-ons to obtain AIDA and PADI Freediver instructor certifications.

  • 10-19 February
  • 27 April – 6 May
  • 1-10 June
  • 14-23 September
  • 16-25 November

As a Freedive Instructor you enter the world of professional freediving. In this course you will be trained to the highest standards in the freediving industry. If you are a well trained and experienced freediver, you are ready to go Pro!

As a Freedive Instructor of AIDA, Molchanovs Wave System or PADI Freediver you can teach independently from any scuba or freedive school. You are free to travel the world and provide the most up to date freedive curriculum to beginners as well as already trained freedivers.

The main difference between a Master Freediver Student and a Freedive Instructor is the change of point of view: As a freediver you should feel literally as the center of the universe – while diving, nothing else matters but your individual experience. Becoming an Instructor requires you to leave this point of view completely behind. While teaching, your diving doesn’t matter anymore – it simply has to be spot-on! A foggy mask, no relaxation time, scuba divers using your dive line for safety stops – all those little hassles do not matter, you simply dive technically perfect when you need to dive. As an instructor, you are there for your student – you immerse yourself in the student’s experience.

In this Instructor Course with Freedive Flow you will learn the most up-to-date teaching skills for classroom, pool and open water sessions. This also includes creating underwater video footage to analyze technique and posture of students. The curriculum further covers planning of training sessions, negotiating dive spots according to local weather and sea conditions and also digs into essential background-work like pricing or freedive marketing.

Most of all, becoming a Freedive Instructor takes the confidence to say yes, I can do this!

Freedive Flow on Gili Air

Freedive Flow at Oceans 5 on Gili Air caters for an ideal teaching environment. We have two pools, all year round great conditions for open water freediving right at our doorstep, two air-conditioned classrooms and lunch at our excellent restaurant with vegetarian and vegan options is included in the course fee. To put the cherry on the icing, skilled baristas are serving Italian style coffee, all day long (..unfortunately not included in the course fee).

The Instructor Courses at Freedive Flow are run by AIDA and Standards. These are equivalent to the Molchanovs Wave System Standards, successful candidates can thus become a certified Molchanovs Instructors by adding two days to cover the Molchanovs Education System and dig deeper into no-fins and monofin technique.

The applied standards are higher than the PADI Freediver Standards, thus successful candidates can become a PADI Freediver Instructor in only one additional day by booking the PADI Add-on.

Performance Requirements

Successful candidates are comfortable to demonstrate the following performance standards:

For AIDA Instructor Certification

  • STA of 4-5 Minutes
  • DYN performance at least 90m
  • DNF performance of at least 50m
  • CWT dive to a depth of 40-50m
  • FIM dive to a depth of 40-50m
  • Long CWT 30m Dive of at least 1:30
  • Long FIM 30m dive of at least 2:00
  • Deep rescue (25m) rescue followed immediately by 50m tow
  • Hang at 15m for up to one minute followed by rescue
  • Stamina test 5 x 20m CWT dives with one minute surface interval
  • CNF to 20m

You can sign up now

Freedive Flow Instructor Course duration: 9 days, incl. 1 off-day

Course Fee: see pricing page, including:

  • AIDA Education Materials (pdf, bring your own laptop or tablet)
  • Lunch on course days (incl. vegan and vegetarian options)
  • Infrastructure (pool, boats, classrooms, float, line, weights)

Not included:

  • Certification fee AIDA: EUR50
  • Certification fee Molchanovs: EUR100
  • Certification fee PADI: AUD150
  • Accommodation NOT included, but we can help you find a great spot

Pre-requisites:

  • Min. 18 years age
  • AIDA4 or equivalent (crossover-evaluation applies, not included in the IC-fee)
  • First Aid or CPR course not older than two years
  • Oxygen provider training is recommended (can be done at Freedive Flow / Oceans 5)

If you are unsure about your qualification, do not hesitate to contact us!

We recommend to book a Master Student Program with us to prepare for your Instructor Course. We offer a special Instructor Combo at a reduced price, including the Master Student Program and the IC. Check our pricing page for current offers.

Your slot is confirmed by the payment of the reservation fee of USD500. The balance amount is due on arrival.

Contact us for bookings and enquiries. We can also assist with short/long term accommodation alternatives to suit your budget.

AIDA Instructor Add-On

For ICs run by Molchanovs standards

After having successfully passed the Molchanovs Instructor Course, the prerequisites to attain additionally the AIDA Instructor Certification are as follows:

  • Have passed AIDA 2-4 exams with 90% success rate (pen and paper)
  • Join the AIDA Instructor Certification Add-on on the 11-12th day of the Freedive Flow Instructor Course (reduced fee applies)

Successful candidates will show the following additional performance requirements:

  • Pass the AIDA Instructor exams (pen and paper)

This Crossover includes one to two classroom day(s).

Molchanovs Instructor Add-On

For ICs run by AIDA standards

The prerequisites to attain additionally the Molchanovs Wave 2 Instructor Certification are as follows:

  • Passing successfully the Freedive Flow Instructor Course
  • Have passed Molchanovs Wave 1-3 exams (online)
  • Join the Molchanovs Instructor Certification Add-on on the 11-15th day of the Freedive Flow Instructor Course (reduced fee applies)

Successful candidates will show the following additional performance requirements:

  • Pass the Molchanovs Instructor Exam (online)
  • Teaching evaluation CNF/DNF
  • DNF 60m
  • Teaching evaluation monofin technique (can be done with bi-fins)
  • CNF 30m

This Crossover includes 1 additional pool session, 1 additional open water session and 1,5 classroom days.

PADI Freediver Instructor Add-on

The prerequisites to attain the PADI Freediver Instructor Certification are as follows:

  • 18y+ old
  • PADI Master Freediver (or equivalent)
  • Have passed a freedive instructor course
  • First Aid / CPR Instructor (certification not older than two years)
  • PADI Medical Statement, signed by physician
  • Join the PADI Instructor Orientation on the 10th day of the Freedive Flow Instructor Course (reduced fee applies)

This Add-on includes one additional day at the classroom, including the written PADI Freediver Instructor Exam.