Last year, I did the FII Level 1 Instructor Week in Fort Lauderdale. Unfortunately, my sinuses didn’t cooperate, and I couldn’t complete any of the in-water parts of the training.
The good news? I didn’t have to pay for most of the training again if I returned within a year. So when I found out that Martin was only teaching one more instructor week—in Kona—I booked a flight in March and embarked on a wonderful development journey.
The Instructor Week is broken down into four parts:
- Level 1 Freediver
- Advanced Freediving Safety
- Assistant Instructor
- Instructor Exam
You need to pass both Level 1 Freediver and Advanced Freediving Safety to qualify for the Assistant Instructor or Instructor levels.
At first, I was just planning to pass the Level 1 Freediver, which I was pretty confident about. I had no idea I’d end up becoming an Assistant Instructor too!
Day 1: Seasick & Shaky Start
The first day was rough. Normally, the confined water session is conducted in a pool, but in Kona, we used the confined area of Kailua Pier—where the Ironman swim starts. That morning, I made the mistake of drinking milk (bad idea). I had stomach issues, and the ocean was so wavy I got seasick and wanted to throw up in the water.
But somehow, I still performed all the required skills.
For the static session, I was freezing and seasick. Even though we were in shallow water where I could touch the bottom, there was no “edge of the pool” to anchor to—we were just holding on to our buddy’s arm. For my 3-minute static, I felt like I was drifting because of the waves.
I knew 3 minutes was a requirement for Instructor certification, so I pushed as hard as I could—even though I barely made it and felt awful.
Day 2: Recovery & Progress
The second day was much better. No more dairy.
I finished the Level 1 Freediver requirements pretty easily. Although diving in the ocean still felt messy, and I couldn’t relax the way I do in cenotes, I knew I had the apnea in me.
Day 3: Advanced Freediving Safety
I’d heard this class was intense—and it lived up to the hype.
- We did zero warmups and were told to just dive.
- Then we had to do a 10-meter rescue and tow a non-responsive diver for several minutes.
- The first time I attempted this, the ocean had 5-foot waves. I felt like I was swimming in place, barely moving my buddy, and I wasn’t consistent with my rescue breaths. My legs wanted to give up.
- After that, we had to do a surprise scenario rescue from deeper depths. My contractions were intense, but I somehow pulled through.
- We also did competition safety, which was cool.
I didn’t pass the class that day—I needed to complete both timed exercises within a set window. Thankfully, I had the rest of the week to retry.
Day 4–9: Assistant Instructor Training & Instructor Exam
The Assistant Instructor portion included a LOT:
- Presenting educational slides
- Teaching confined and open water
- Performing all skills at demonstration quality
- Diving synchronously with students
- Pointing out key student errors quickly and clearly
Luckily, I had done the academic presentation part last year and remembered what they were looking for. I felt confident in my presentations and refined my demos significantly.
Martin and Dylan gave me great feedback—reminding me to:
- Slow down
- Not forget my pre-surface exhale
- Keep my arms straight during the surface water entry
Over the week, I improved so much in my demonstrations. I even started to enjoy diving more as I experimented with longer exhales, which helped me feel more relaxed.
Earlier in the week, there were concerns about my performance. I kept forgetting the pre-surface exhale, and I was sprinting to the bottom weight too aggressively. During teaching simulations in open water, I was out of breath following students to 15 meters. They worried about my fitness and breath recovery speed.
So for the instructor exam, they intentionally had me do four 20-meter synchronous dives. I really didn’t want to do it. I felt mentally unprepared and honestly scared.
One of the “students” even pretended to blackout during a dive—Dylan threw that in because I had reacted too calmly during the static rescue simulation. But somehow, I made it through all of it.
I Passed—And Learned a Lot
After finishing the final instructor exams, they told me they were very impressed by my progress—even though they were initially concerned.
Even I was impressed.
- I had no idea I could dive to 20 meters repetitively.
- I nailed the rescue skills after all the intense drills we did.
Before coming here, 20 meters was almost a challenge for me. But by the end of the week, my technique had improved dramatically. I felt more comfortable diving. I even believe I’ve become a really solid safety.
I didn’t get the full Level 1 Instructor certification because I still need to work on following students more closely and giving more precise feedback. But they said I’m close.
Martin and Dylan really believed in me.
I’m incredibly happy I passed the Assistant Instructor level. I don’t have to stress about teaching a full class yet—but I can assist in classes, run practice sessions, and continue learning.
Reflections & What’s Next
This week gave me so much growth—technically, mentally, emotionally.
I’m excited to continue with Level 2 and Level 3 training and attend more freediving camps.
Most importantly, I learned that so much of what holds me back is my mind—not my body.
I used to doubt myself constantly. But I’m starting to trust my body more, even when my mind doesn’t believe I can do something.
What I’ve really discovered about myself is this:
I love experiencing progress.
I looked at old freediving videos of myself—bad technique, struggling to hit 20 meters.
Now, 20 meters is nothing to be afraid of.
My technique is cleaner.
My confidence is stronger.
The progress is real.
And that’s why I keep coming back to freediving. Even though I’ve been on and off since August 2023, I always see new achievements every time I return.
Other Adventures
The rest of my trip in Hawai’i was just as incredible.
I did a manta ray night dive—something I never thought I could do. Scuba diving had always intimidated me, but watching those gentle giants swim above me was surreal. I felt like I had been transported to another universe.
The food on the Big Island wasn’t the best, but I shared meals with friends, made new ones through freediving, and had some beautiful memories.
Can’t wait to be back.