Blog - One Breath Freediving

Instructing Vs Coaching Vs Mentoring

10/4/2025

In freediving, terms such as these three are thrown around quite liberally! Let's look closer at what they mean and how they can fit into the sport of freediving.
Firstly some dictionary definitions:

INSTRUCTOR:

'a person whose job is to teach people a practical skill'

An instructor is a teacher. One can be an instructor of just about anything, but it usually applies to teaching hands-on skills, like a water-skiing instructor'

'An instructor is someone who teaches a skill such as driving or skiing.

COACH

''someone whose job is to teach people to improve at a sport, skill or school subject'
'one who instructs or trains'
'a person who trains an athlete or a team of athletes'
'someone who trains a person or team of people in a particular sport.'

MENTOR

'an experienced person in a company or educational institution who trains and counsels new employees or students.'
'an experienced and trusted adviser.'
'an experienced person who gives advice to less experienced people to help them in their work.'

As you can see from the definitions, not all instructing involves coaching, and not all coaching involves mentoring!

Klasen and Clutterbuck (2012) define the roles of coaching and mentoring as:

Coaching includes: "determining and specifying an individual's learning needs and objectives in relation to work issues; working out how the individual is going to improve performance deficits; helping the individual to explore the problem;, develop alternative solutions and decide which one to implement and how; and using appropriate and timely feedback".

Mentoring includes: "supporting individuals in discovering and defining their own development needs and setting their own objectives; fostering independent learners; allowing individuals to raise and talk about their issues, occasionally clarifying, reflecting back and challenging; helping individuals to reflect on their beliefs, feelings, thoughts and behaviour".

At One Breath Freediving David has been a freediving instructor since 2012 and is one of AIDA Internationals most experienced instructors with over 500 student certifications. Also holding an Honors degree in Sport & Exercise Science with core modules on sports coaching and he is a member of UK Coaching in The Charted Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences. Since creating a specific teaching and coaching philosophy and dedicating his business to small group and personalised learning he is in the ideal position to offer freediving instruction and coaching using mentoring as a key foundation.

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

5 Essential Ways to Prepare To Become A Freediving Instructor

21/11/2024

I'm not sure this counts as 'clickbait', but I expect that many of you reading this will be expecting me to list tips and tricks of how to overcome those sneaky IC performance requirements such as 40-50m Constant Weight or 90m Dynamic or the favourite, 5x 20m.
Well, no. These performance requirements are the minimum standard to just ATTEND the Instructor Course, so should already be ticked off and being ready for them should be a given. Unsurprisingly, as the name suggests, the freediving instructor course is about the Instructor Trainer (IT), teaching you, the candidate, how to teach others freediving.

There needs to be a mindset change (which may have happened to you, at least partially, on the AIDA4 Course as this is also Assistant Instructor level). This change needs to be mainly focussed on your new found responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of others under your care, your responsibility for teaching freediving correctly to a high standard and also maintaining the positive image of the sport for everyone.

In no particular order......

#1 Build a Base Knowledge:
There will be stuff you don't know. There will be stuff you know but not well enough to explain properly to others. Start working on this as students will have lots of questions. And it is sometimes ok to say that you don't know but will find out. So stay humble and keep a folder of topics you came across but didn't have time to read. Or subjects that you would like to understand better yourself for the future. Keep learning and look at ways teaching is conducted in other sports or areas of life and think what can transfer over successfully in to teaching freediving.

#2 Start Observing:
As an instructor you need to be observant and spot mistakes so you can correct them and even spot impending mistakes before they occur. Start watching your buddies and other freedivers at what they do differently to you. And remember, we do not need to always be critical with this. Often there is more than one way to do something well, so then question why you do what you do, the way you do it. Try new things out and evaluate the pros and cons and have alternative methods ready as a back up in your freediving 'tool box'.

#3 Consider Safety:
This is of paramount importance, but I think it only really dawns on people when they realise things can go wrong while undertaking theoretical course teaching on the instructor course (plus realising there is a whole chapter on 'risk'). The reality is that you are responsible for others during this outdoor activity that we all love. Question yourself; 'Is how I conduct myself safe?'. Think about what you allow others to do in your presence. Think about your equipment set up and your rescue and CPR training. Is it up to scratch or are you just hoping that nothing will go wrong?

Don't make it an uphill struggle...

#4 Accept You Are Not Good At Everything (and work on these things!):
No one is perfect, or even good at everything. As humans we tend to stick with what we are good at or enjoy the most. But the things we need to work on most are generally the things we don't like so much. So spend time looking at the lesser aspects of our freediving self. Never been into DNF (Pool No-Fins)? Well give it a go and accept that the first tries will suck but then you will gradually improve. Never fully understood Dalton's law? Try explaining it in it's simplest form to someone who does not even dive. With practice you will become more comfortable and get better, if maybe never fully enjoying some things.
This brings us to.....

#5 Keep Improving The Basics:
It is easy to get lazy with the things we think we know or can do well already. Lets take the duck dive. How many of use got good at it at about AIDA3 level and then never thought much about it again? Quite a few I expect. This is called 'Unconscious Competent', when we can do something well without thinking too much about it. To be an instructor we need to teach these skills to someone at the other end of this spectrum ('Conscious INcompetent': who thinks hard about doing a skill, but still cannot get it right). So we need to be able to DEMONSTRATE skills to a high level for students of a much lower level, so things needs to be fluid, precise and correct in any demonstration we give. Start getting good now. Strive to make every aspect of your dives to the highest standard.

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

5 Things Freediving Can Teach Us About Life

27/7/2024

In this blog post I wanted to discuss something different; let's look how we can apply lessons from freediving to everyday life! So, here are 5 things freediving can teach us about life:

#1: Patience is Vital
Freediving is one of the few sports where you can't just push harder to get better, more often than not progress can be slow and a myriad of external factors can mean that the dive doesn't always go as expected. What better way to remind us that we sometimes need to bide our time and be more patient to achieve the outcomes we want.

#2: We need People
Many sports and training sessions have teams, or maybe two people playing in rivalry, but few require two people working together and looking after each other. Yes, it can sometimes be a pain to find a buddy, but it is in a good lesson in receiving outside help and trusting someone else, essentially with your life.

#3: Live in the Moment
Freediving is literally taking a single breath, which really makes things during this relatively short duration of the dive, pass in slow motion, meaning many sensations and momentary details are noticed as our senses are essentially on high alert. During the breath hold, one hour in the future does not matter. What happened yesterday does not matter. This is being in the moment of the dive and has been likened to an 'underwater meditation' where we are truly feeling the present moment to the fullest.

#4: Not Everything Goes to Plan
Yes, plans can be made, and we know what we would LIKE to happen, but there are few reality checks like a freedive, with so many variables at play, be it internal or external. We more frequently than not, have to learn to let go and accept what we are dealt in that moment, dive, or session. Acceptance of circumstances outside our control is also a valuable life lesson.

#5: Nature is Awe-Inspiring
Being in the water where we can experience weightlessness and with the water, light and marine life around us, really gives us a connection with nature that is much harder to achieve on land. Combined with 'being in the moment' on a single breath multiplies the sensation and seems to bring back some distant sensations of humans connection with the natural world.

What do you think, are there any others that could be on this list? Let me know in the comments section.

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

5 Overlooked Safety Mistakes & How to Avoid Them (Vital for New Freedivers!)

28/5/2024

As you will have learnt in you early freediving course(s), done properly, freediving is an extremely safe sport where we use the buddy system to watch each other and of course the golden rule is to NEVER FREEDIVE ALONE. Following from that we learn how to recognise and then rescue from both a black out (BO) and Loss of Motor Control (LMC), repeated on every course and from each discipline of freediving (pool and open water). Next comes never pushing your limits and paying attention to your own personal condition, both mental and physical (tiredness, cold, hydration, relaxation/stress etc), learning to dive conservatively and within our limits

THE Golden Rule

But in this blog post I wanted to cover what I consider to other less considered or overlooked aspects of safety. In over 12 years of teaching freediving I have made mistakes (and learned from them!), seen others making mistakes and heard about other peoples mistakes, accidents or close calls. So here are what I consider to be the 5 top overlooked aspects of freediving safety:

#1: Maintaining Equipment
With time and use your equipment degrades and even more so if it is not looked after properly and cleaned after dive sessions. I have seen (and even had!) fins snap, weight belts break, carabiners fail, masks break.... the list goes on.
In the majority of cases it is not a single failure it is degradation over time, which can be visible and therefore preventable.
So what can you do? Visually check all equipment as you assemble it for your dive session. And every 6 or 12 months do a more thorough check. This is especially important if you have not used equipment for a period of time and it has been in storage.
Replace equipment BEFORE it breaks to prevent a problem occurring in the first place. Prevention is always better than having to react to a bigger problem, or even accident, caused by improperly maintained equipment.

#2: Communication
Beginner freedivers especially, but all recreational levels (and beyond!) seem to forget that if you have a buddy, you actually need to tell them what you are doing. Often it is a shock for freedivers after their course is completed, when they don't have a paid safety diver (the instructor) anymore, and the person they are now accompanied by is not 100% there to watch and help them the whole session. However, you should both be 100% invested in helping each other as buddies although it is not your paid job, it is of course mutually beneficial. Just some people are better at it than others.
But as much as we would like to be, people are not mind readers, so remember to take time to discuss the key topics of a dive, including but not limited to; depth, discipline (dive type), time etc (WHERE will you go, HOW will you get there, WHO will help you if needed, WHEN will you be back).
Sounds easy but is often not done properly.

#2: What did you say? I wasn't listening...

#1: Still has plenty of life left (NOT!)

#3: Exploring is different to line training
Diving using a buoy / rope / weight / lanyard set-up makes things much much easier to do deeper and more efficient freedives. This is often overlooked and when recreational freedivers dive on the reef to explore they often mistakenly assume they can achieve the same depths or times.
This is incorrect. Having a buoy (to rest on), a rope (to take you in a straight line and turn on), a weight (to allow you to 'pull' up or down if needed) and a lanyard (to keep you safely close to the line) all make a huge difference to how easy and relaxed the dives are, but more importantly how safe. So much so, that when diving off the line you should reduce your maximum depth by at least ONE THIRD. Therefore, if you are a 20m diver on the line, your recreational off-line diving depths should be limited to 13-14m range for the purpose of safety.

#4: Pay Attention
Paying attention is an important safety aspect, but does sound rather broad and vague, so let me elaborate. This can be applicable to three main areas: 1) Yourself 2) Your buddy 3) Other factors (such as weather and equipment).
As an example, it is not uncommon while teaching for me to see a freediver about to dive with either no lanyard attached (forgotten) or a lanyard on the wrist but the other end is still attached to the buoy and not the rope. So both the freediver has not noticed this AND the buddy has not noticed this. Now this is not uncommon for new freedivers as they learn and have lots to think about, but once diving independently details such as this matter (for both safe and enjoyable dives).
Also, are you noticing if you are getting more tired or colder or heavier contractions etc? Maybe time to stop the session.
Did you notice that the waves are getting bigger or the current getting stronger or visibility deteriorating? Maybe time to stop the session.
You get the idea.

#5: Weight is NOT fixed
What do I mean by this? I am suggesting that the weight you put on your weight belt needs to be thought about and adjusted on a fairly regular basis. As part of the AIDA3 Advanced Freediver Course it is taught to consider what and where is 'Neutral Buoyancy' and what factors will have an effect on this...... Think, wetsuit thickness, water type (salt or fresh), how deep you want to dive, what safety precautions you have, what your buddy is capable of etc.

Think about this statement:
"Deeper neutral buoyancy is the SAFER option."
Let that sink in....
Setting your neutral buoyancy DEEPER means LESS weights on your belt. This means it is harder to get down, but easier to come up (which, remember, is the hard part of the freedive), and that if (in the very unlikely scenario) you should have an underwater blackout, you are more likely to float back to the surface rather than sink deeper.
Deep freedivers taking part in competitions take the absolute minimum weight down with them because then it is less to bring back up on the harder, second part of the freedive.

Here is another statement for you:
"More weight should not replace bad technique."

Meaning that it is dangerous to simply add more weight to get down underwater easier. If you struggle to reach neutral and then negative buoyancy while correctly weighted you need to work on your duck dive and finning techniques, which is a topic for another blog post!

What do you think, are there any others that could be on this list? Let me know in the comments section.

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

First Impressions: AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver Course

24/4/2024

The AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver Course (alongside the Pool version) is a new course from AIDA with the goal of updating and standardising the role of the competition safety freediver to ensure the highest safety standards for future AIDA competition events. Going forward, all future safety freedivers will be selected based on initially having this certification and then a subsequent points system that signifies experience gained from prior competition safety freediver participation.

Note:
This course is only taught by a limited number of AIDA Instructors who are also AIDA Judges

Who is this course for?

Those that want to be official safety freedivers in future AIDA competition events
Freedivers interested in the latest safety and rescue procedures to make their own training safer
Additionally, I would recommend the course for Athletes to better understand the role of the safety freediver which will give themselves greater reassurance that they are being professionally supervised when competing

What does the course include?

3x Open Water Sessions
4x Theory Sessions
1x Written Exam

What are the key physical and rescue components of the course?
Fulfil the following physical requirements:

35-40m CWTB dives (3x per session)
30m dive + 30” surface recovery + 20m dive
20m dives with 3-5 seconds notice, at fast pace (early turn simulation)

Course requirements:

20m solo rescue (as if only one safety freediver)
25m team rescue with 30 seconds notice (in all safety diver roles #1, 2 & 3)
Rescue from various depths (20-25m) in various simulated situations
Full rescue extraction

Initial impressions of teaching this course:

It is an intense course run over 2 days with a high amount of work needed to be completed in the sessions, both in and out of the water.
It is PHYSICALLY DEMANDING course with the number of deep dives and deep rescue dives needed to complete the pass requirements. An above average level of fitness and endurance is needed to complete the physical demands. (REMEMBER, you are training to be absolutely ready for when another person, the athlete, is in need of your help!).
Preparation for the course is recommended to include: Familiarity with the current AIDA competition rules. Teaching / assisting teaching is great to get used to focusing on another diver and diving when they are ready, not when you are ready. CO2 tables to get used to having contractions during dives. Practice rescuing someone after a short hang.
Being a safety freediver can be both GREAT FUN and rewarding and builds camoraderie among those who are the unsung heroes of freediving competitions.

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

News: One Breath Freediving Moves to Dahab. Shift in Focus to Small Group & Personalised Teaching Methods

16/2/2024

In this news blog post ('manifesto', maybe) I will confirm what some of you might know already, which is that I have relocated the One Breath Freediving school from Malta to Dahab on a permanent basis. Simultaneously I am making a conscious shift of the education & business model of OBF to primarily focus on high quality, small group, customised and personalised teaching methods, which aligns perfectly with my beliefs for how freediving education should be.

Since I became a freediving instructor back in 2012 the sport has grown immensely, and though still somewhat niche and alternative, the general popularity of freediving is now much greater, with so many more people participating regularly on a recreational basis. I feel fortunate to have been in a position early on to help build the sport of freediving as Malta's first full time freediving instructor as well as opening and operating the first dedicated freediving centre in the country.

But now is time for a change.... :)

With freediving centres getting busier and therefore less personal attention, I feel there is too often a deficit of personalised, professional, high quality service, and I feel this is the perfect opportunity to return to the values and the vision from when I started One Breath Freediving back in 2012. You will see I have compiled a written Philosophy & Core Values based on what I firmly believe is the optimal way people should be taught and trained in freediving (Philosophy, below).

As one of AIDA Internationals most experienced active instructors, I am very excited to be offering all courses and training either 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 (the student can choose), therefore naturally ensuring that the standard and quality of education is kept at its highest and students feeling they have progressed their skills, gained confidence in their abilities, increased their freediving knowledge (and about themselves) and lastly, have a smile on their face with some great memories!

I also wanted to ensure that all prices remain extremely competitive and amazing value financially, and that customers, on all courses, receive the personalised attention that I have always strived to give, such as in depth communication pre-booking and pre-course, in depth preparation for the course, assistance with logistics and travel and of course flexibility to adjust or move plans if required (as just a few examples).

A summary of some of the benefits you can now experience at One Breath Freediving:

✅ Taught by AIDA Instructor Trainer David Watson (12 years experience)
✅ Guaranteed Ratio: Instructor to 1 OR 2 Students (your choice)
✅ Courses over a longer duration than at other freediving schools
✅ Includes: Equipment Hire / Certification / Study Material (courses)
✅ Free Video Analysis and feedback of diving technique
✅ Exclusive members area access to library of freediving knowledge

I hope you support my methodology for these positive changes and I hope to see you in the water again very soon in beautiful Dahab!

David Watson
AIDA Instructor Trainer & Freediving Coach

OBF Price List 2024

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

AIDA Competition Safety Freediver Courses Available at One Breath Freediving!

26/1/2024

AIDA is excited to announce a brand-new safety training program developed jointly with Vertical Blue!
AIDA Competition Safety Freediver by Vertical Blue Professional Safety Freediver® is the most comprehensive safety program available, comprising over 30 years of high level competition experience. The goal of this program is to standardise safety protocols for all AIDA competitions and set an example for freediving safety worldwide.

The AIDA Competition Safety Freediver course will allow prospective safety diving students to specialise in both pool and depth competitions and earn different certifications, enabling them to take part in a variety of AIDA events.

Specialties include:

Pool Competition Safety Freediver – All AIDA pool competitions
Depth Competition Safety Freediver - AIDA depth competitions limited to a depth of 80m maximum
Advanced Depth Competition Safety Freediver – All AIDA competitions at unlimited depth

The Advanced Depth Competition Safety Diver course will be taught by a select number of experienced safety trainers. The standard Pool Competition Safety Diver and Depth Competition Safety Diver courses can be taught by any AIDA Instructor with active judge status.

In conjunction with this new program, AIDA is rolling out a new experience point system for AIDA Safety Divers, following the well-established model for AIDA Judges. This will create objective measures and make it easier to select safety teams for AIDA competitions worldwide.

For more information go HERE

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

Quote: Letting Go & Acceptance

23/1/2024

Freediving is very much a sport of acceptance. It is not a sport you can 'just try harder' or 'push stronger' to force a desired result. This is why it can be such a sport of contrasts with frustrations all along the way before you ultimately achieve that new personal best or new record dive. However, this can make it all the more rewarding once the sea allows you in and you stop overthinking the dive and dive with pure acceptance and surrender to the water.

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

TOP 5 MARINE LIFE TO SEE WHILE FREEDIVING IN Dahab, Egypt

17/12/2023

In this blog post I wanted to discuss some of the marine life of the Red Sea at Dahab, and is the second part to accompany a post I did last year for the Maltese Islands. The Red Sea is a tropical sea and has much more colourful than the Mediterranean, with hard and soft corals and abundant colourful fish and marine life.

I am writing a little bit about my own observations with 5 of my favourite marine life, all of which can be found by freedivers and snorkellers around Dahab and other parts of the Red Sea.
Click the highlighted links for more detailed descriptions and video footage.

1) Clownfish (INFO):
Made famous from the movie 'Finding Nemo', the clownfish can always be found close to its host anemone with which it has a symbiotic relationship. Super cute in appearance (there are a number of colours and varieties), however, they will get agitated and even 'charge' a diver who gets too close to their anemone home (where they might be raising a juvenile). Their group hierarchy and parenting information is very interesting and well worth a read!

2) Crocodile Fish (INFO)
De Beaufort's Flathead, to give it its full name! Though as you will see, when in their natural habitat of lying in wait for prey on the sand, they appear just like a crocodile. They are related to scorpionfish, stone fish and even lion fish and are similar ambush predators. Not massively common in Dahab, but a lovely to see one up close if you get the opportunity.

3) Turtle (INFO)
Egypt has a few species of sea turtle along its Red Sea coast, most commonly Green Turtle and Hawksbill Turtle. The info guide linked above will give the specifics of spotting the difference between the two. If you are lucky we could see a turtle at Lighthouse bay while line training, commonly cruising past majestically and surprisingly speedily. This is a real treat!

4) Napoleon Fish (INFO)
AKA Humphead wrasse this fish can grow up to 2m in length and weigh 180kg. The first time I saw one from a distance from above I thought it was a shark! They are a beautiful green or green-blue colour with the distinctive humped head especially distinctive on larger adults, although the ones seen closer to the reef in shallow water are usually juveniles.

5) Sea Goldie (INFO)
This is the fish you see in abundance on photographs of coral reef, a distinctive orange colour and will dart into the protective cover of reef outcrops if startled or threatened. Only 7-15cm long the Red Sea variety spawn in the winter months of December to February. This little fish really gives a lot of colour to the reef and look stunning as a school against a backdrop of blue sea

Sea Goldies on the reef

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving

"But Does It Really Matter Who My Instructor Is?" - Anon

15/11/2023

I wanted to address the topic of instructor choice as it has been mentioned in passing to me more than once, and it surprisingly seems to be of little consideration for many a potential student! Often the prospective student spends the time on choosing the freediving agency or the price of the course is a factor, but not really looking at the person that will teach them.

I covered this topic to a degree in the Blog post regarding 'Teaching Philosophy as an instructor'. This was more taken from the instructors perspective. But the student should also remember, this is fully in their control, and with a small amount of research and planning they can really make the most of their freediving course by taking a considered choice of instructor.

Things to look for from your instructor when making a choice for your freediving course:

Experience: Of course experience comes from time and practice. The instructor could be wonderful and have the best intentions, but if they are new they wont yet have all the tools to be able to fully spot and correct your mistakes, which is vital for a students learning progress.
Clear and positive Communication: This should come from the start via the first chat/message/email. Look for guidance and clear information without being pushed or rushed. The instructor should be accommodating to your desire for more information about the courses or training you wish to undertake. Communication is going to be vital during the course, so this is the first test.
Organisation & Planning: There should be a structure to the course but with flexibility to adapt to things like weather conditions. If, for example, a course is listed as 3 days why does this instructor insist 2 is enough? Are corners being cut or elements rushed or missed completely? Also look for clear instructions for PRIOR to the course so you can prepare and practice before starting for real.
Reviews: This is easy to check, though nearly every instructor will (should!) have 4.8-5 star review profile. But look beyond the surface and search for these key words, or similar, from past students: *PATIENT*, *SAFE*, *CONSCIENTIOUS*, *KNOWLEDGABLE*, *ATTENTIVE*, *CALM*.

I hope you found this blog interesting, and remember, not all instructor or teachers are equal!

By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving