Safety First

All in-water pool training requires a trained buddy watching continuously. Lifeguards are not trained for freediving rescue. Brief the pool staff before training, and never assume a lifeguard's presence substitutes for a dedicated freediving buddy.

— Chapter 01

Why Pool Training Matters

In open water, variables stack up — current, visibility, conditions, anxiety. These make it hard to isolate and improve specific techniques.

In a pool, you control everything: depth, distance, timing, rest intervals.

Breath-hold endurance
through repeated apnea sets
Kick efficiency
through dynamic laps with clear feedback on distance covered
Relaxation under CO₂ pressure
through structured CO₂ table work
Rescue confidence
through buddy protocol practice in a controlled environment
— Chapter 02

The Core Pool Disciplines

Dynamic Apnea with Fins (DYN)

The most common pool training discipline. Push off the wall on a breath hold, swim horizontally underwater with long blade fins, surface before you need to.

Key technique

  • Streamlined position — arms along body or in narrow streamline ahead
  • Slow, relaxed kick cadence — not racing, not thrashing
  • Face angled slightly downward — body stays horizontal
60–80%
Target training intensity per set
Work at 60–80% of your maximum distance per set. Maximum attempts every set is not how adaptation happens.

Dynamic Apnea Without Fins (DNF)

Same as DYN but with body undulation and arm stroke only. Lower distances, higher technical demand. Excellent for developing core body position and undulation that carries over to cleaner CWT.

Static Apnea (STA)

Floating face-down, holding your breath for maximum duration. The purest breath-hold training — no kick mechanics, no equalization, just the hold itself.

  1. 01 —Buddy at the wall, watching
  2. 02 —2–3 minutes normal preparatory breathing
  3. 03 —Full inhale, face down
  4. 04 —Hold until you choose to surface — not until forced
  5. 05 —Exhale on surfacing, three recovery breaths, OK signal
  6. 06 —Minimum 4 minutes rest before next hold
— Chapter 03

Session Structure (75 minutes)

Warm-up (15 min)

  • Easy surface swimming to raise body temperature
  • 3–4 short dynamic laps (10–15m) to loosen up
  • Face immersion drills to activate the dive reflex

CO₂ focus

6–8 dynamic laps at 60% of max distance, rest interval decreasing each set (2:00 → 0:45). Goal: maintain technique and composure as CO₂ builds.

Distance focus

4–6 dynamic laps at 80–90% of max, full recovery between each (4–5 minutes minimum). Goal: quality technique at longer duration.

Static focus

3–4 static holds at near-max effort, 4–5 minutes full recovery between holds. Goal: breath-hold duration and relaxation under CO₂ pressure.

Cool-down (10 min)

  • Easy surface swimming
  • Session log — record distances, hold times, when contractions started
— Chapter 04

Pool Safety — Non-Negotiable

Pool training feels safer than open water. It is not. Shallow water blackout can happen in a 25m pool at 1.5m depth, from a DYN lap that felt entirely controlled.

  • One diver down, one watching — buddy in position at the wall or in the water, not on the pool deck
  • No hyperventilation before any set
  • Surface interval at least twice the dive time
  • Brief the lifeguard — tell them what you are doing before you start
  • Recovery breathing every time — exhale first, three full breaths, OK signal to buddy
— Chapter 05

Progressing Pool Training

Track sessions in a log. Note distance covered, hold times, rest intervals, when contractions started, how manageable they felt.

Distances improve
same rest interval feels easier week over week
Contraction point moves later
deeper into the hold before the diaphragm starts contracting
Recovery speeds up
ready for the next set faster between holds

When 80% of your sets feel comfortable, increase intensity — shorter rest, longer distance, or longer hold. Not all three at once.