Frequently Asked
Questions & Answers
- What is freediving?
- What about snorkeling? Is that freediving too?
- What is spearfishing?
- Do I need a spearfishing licence in Malta?
- I’m a self-taught spearfisherman. Why do I need a freediving course?
- I am a SCUBA diver. Can I benefit from freediving?
- Is freediving dangerous?
- Is spearfishing dangerous?
- What are the benefits of freediving?
- What are the benefits of spearfishing?
- For whom is freediving? Can I freedive?
- For whom is spearfishing? Can I spearfish?
- Why do I need a freediving course?
- Why do I need a spearfishing course?
- I’m a beginner. Should I start with AIDA1 or AIDA2 freediving course? What’s the difference?
- What if I don’t meet the requirements for my AIDA freediving course?
- Are we swimming from shore or we go by boat?
- Do I need my own equipment?
- Can I dive in Malta in winter? Isn’t it cold?
FIND YOUR ANSWERS...
Frequently asked questions about freediving, spearfishing, Malta and more
WHAT IS FREEDIVING?
Freediving is diving on a single breath of air without the use of SCUBA tanks or any other additional equipment that allows breathing underwater.
WHAT ABOUT SNORKELING? IS THAT FREEDIVING TOO?
No. Snorkeling doesn’t include diving down below the surface.
Snorkeling is basically just swimming on the surface and observing the underwater world from the above while using a mask, snorkel and a pair of fins.
WHAT IS SPEARFISHING?
Spearfishing is a form of freediving – hunting underwater on a single breath of air with the use of a speargun or a polespear.
Spearfishing can also be practiced on SCUBA, but it’s illegal in most countries. We are not teaching this form of spearfishing.
DO I NEED A SPEARFISHING LICENCE IN MALTA?
No. Spearfishing licence in Malta is not required. However, it’s also good to know about some other important rules and regulations regarding spearfishing in Malta. First of all, spearfishing at night is illegal, as well as spearfishing while SCUBA diving. It is also prohibited to spearfish in Malta’s Marine parks and commercial dive sites.
I'M A SELF-TAUGHT SPEARFISHERMAN. WHY DO I NEED A FREEDIVING COURSE?
Spearfishing is a form of freediving and freediving is an integral part of spearfishing. Possessing basic freediving knowledge & skills is essential for spearfishing, not only for safety reasons, but also because it can dramatically increase your performance.
Being self-taught you might be missing on some of the essentials. This can lead to very dangerous situations. That’s why it’s highly recommended to complete a freediving course with a good instructor from a recognized freediving association.
I AM A SCUBA DIVER. CAN I BENEFIT FROM FREEDIVING?
Ofcourse you can.
It will improve your diving skills. More specifically, your finning technique, and the way you move underwater. It will teach you the proper ways to relax and to have better control of your breathing, which can save you some valuable air in your tanks. Also, learning a more efficient equalization technique can help you with compensation on your SCUBA dives.
Ultimately, you will discover the same dimension but from another perspective. This new point of view might give you some intriguing ideas and insights that you can use or implement in your SCUBA diving experience.
IS FREEDIVING DANGEROUS?
Freediving is a safe sport as long as you abide by the rules. If not then it can be dangerous, but so is crossing a busy street on a red light without looking.
Most important is to understand the risks and know and obey the safety protocols and procedures. If you respect those rules then you should have a very safe and enjoyable freediving experience.
Key thing to remember: Freediving is a sport where you must respect the environment, but YOU are in total control of yourself.
IS SPEARFISHING DANGEROUS?
Spearfishing can lead to dangerous situations. And yet, if you are respecting certain rules you are going to stay on the safe side.
Thousands of spearos are spearfishing around the globe every day and fatalities are very rare.
The key is to approach spearfishing with respect and high sense of responsibility. Remember that YOU are in total control of yourself at all times.
There is also the element of the environment. You could face bad weather conditions or strong currents and in such cases you must adapt and act accordingly. You should never play dice with nature.
Most importantly, out of all hazards – careless boating and irresponsible boatmen are the number one reason for spearfishing casualties. It’s also critical to mention countless examples of tourists who are being allowed to rent a speed boat or a jet ski without having a boating licence or any proper boating knowledge. This is happening in many countries around the World, including highly developed countries!
What’s even worse, many people don’t even know what the dive flag looks like. By law they must keep a minimum of 100m distance, but unfortunately in practice the reality is different. This is where you must put extra attention and be very careful. You should have a responsible spearfishing buddy and watch each others back at all times. Needless to say, you should do careful planning and make the right decisions to avoid risky locations altogether.
With all that being said, spearfishing can be very safe and enjoyable sport – as long as we take good care, avoid risky locations, follow the rules of freediving and spearfishing safety, as well as respect the environment and our body’s signals.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FREEDIVING?
Freediving gives us total freedom of movement and it allows for a more natural interaction with the environment and its wildlife.
Freediving is a unique experience and it opens a whole new world to us, where we can learn more not only about the ocean and its creatures, but also about ourselves. It nurtures a healthy body, mind and spirit, which must be in harmony in order to freedive in a safe and enjoyable way.
Freediving is a very healthy activity and it’s also a great way to meet new friends and soulmates of similar aspirations.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SPEARFISHING?
Spearfishing is an ultimate survival skill. You will never die of hunger, and you can always support your friends and family with healthy nutritous food.
You get fresh wild fish, hence of the highest quality possible.
Spearfishing is the most sustainable way of fishing, because you can choose what you catch and there is no bycatch.
Spearfishing is an extremely healthy activity. It strengthens the body and the mind. It practices endurance, decisiveness, patience and discipline.
Spearfishing gets you more in tune with nature. You develop a greater sense of awareness, responsibility and understanding of animal behavior.
Buzzing off from everyday noise, getting lost, getting back to primordial instincts and ancestral roots. Reset.
The list goes on…
FOR WHOM IS FREEDIVING? CAN I FREEDIVE?
Anyone can freedive!
As long as you have no medical condition that restricts you from freediving – you can freedive. If you have any doubts you should check this with a doctor prior to commencing any freediving activities.
And as long as you stay on the safe side you can freedive all your life. There is no upper age limit.
FOR WHOM IS SPEARFISHING? CAN I SPEARFISH?
Anyone can spearfish! (As long as there is no medical condition that restricts one from freediving)
We only teach spearfishing to 18+, but for example, in the Bajau spearfishing tribe they begin teaching their kids to spearfish at a very early age.
There is no upper age limit for spearfishing, as long as your health permits – and what better way to keep your body in shape then swimming around hunting for fish. There are spearos that are over 80 years old and they are still spearfishing!
If you stay on the safe side you can spearfish all your life.
WHY DO I NEED A FREEDIVING COURSE?
It is of utmost importance to possess the basic knowledge of freediving before you attempt to freedive.
Freediving is a safe sport, and a very enjoyable one, however there are a few rules that must be obeyed, otherwise one can suffer from a serious injury or even death. Such cases are extremely rare, and they usually come as a result of negligence, pushing way beyond personal limits, or due to the lack of knowledge.
By possesing the basic freediving knowledge and skills, and by obeying simple rules you will stay out of trouble and you will be able to enjoy freediving in a safe and relaxed way, all your life.
From my own personal experience, ever since I completed the AIDA freediving courses, my freediving abilities improved tremendously and with gradual and steady progress it led to an ultimate spearfishing performance.
If you haven’t completed a freediving course already, then it’s highly recommended to do so with a good instructor from a reputable freediving organization.
WHY DO I NEED A SPEARFISHING COURSE?
You don’t!
I never had one… And it took me years of practice, thousands of sessions, trials & errors, and countless dangerous situations to learn valuable lessons on my own skin.
It’s been really difficult to learn much about spearfishing. And I wish there was someone who could teach me, but it seemed impossible to find a good mentor.
If you have one – great for you! You are lucky, and let him teach you. However, if you don’t have a good mentor, then you will struggle and spend a lot of time to progress slowly.
For that very reason – I offer you a shortcut without cutting corners. Learn all you need to know about spearfishing and become a successful spearo on a consistent basis.
Get specialized in the best possible way. Take a few days to absorb the polished essentials that come as a result of a few decades of personal experience, training, research and education.
I'M A BEGINNER. SHOULD I START WITH AIDA1 OR AIDA2 FREEDIVING COURSE? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
Ineed, in AIDA Education System you can start your freediving education with either AIDA1 or AIDA2.
Your decision depends on your previous aquatic experience as well as your ambitions regarding improvement and advancing to higher freediving levels.
AIDA1 is tailored for absolute beginners who never tried diving before, but they would like to try to freedive. This course has no requirements to pass, and it basically introduces a person to the world of freediving. Normally a person just wants to discover freediving, and is not into pursuing further development.
AIDA2 is an equivalent of LEVEL1 in other popular freediving organizations.
In AIDA2 we also start from scratch, but it’s more detailed and there are more things to learn and do. It’s made for people that are already confident in the water and they want to become freedivers. There are requirements that need to be met in order to get certified.
If you are looking to advance to higher freediving levels in the future, then you will definitely want to start with AIDA2. (You can’t enroll in AIDA3 with AIDA1 certification)
WHAT IF I DON'T MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MY AIDA FREEDIVING COURSE?
To certify a student we need to abide by AIDA rules. The instructor must ensure that certain requirements and standards are met.
If for any reason you couldn’t meet these requirements during the duration of the course you can book an additional course session at a price of a training session.
Depending on the issue the instructor will advise you whether or not it makes sense to pursue the requirement in the following days or it’s better to leave it for another time (for example a student needs more training, or there is a health condition that can’t resolve quickly).
You can complete additional requirements with any AIDA freediving instructor during a 1 year period starting from the date of the last signature on your completion form.
In case that all pool and theory requirements are met but not the open water requirements, then it’s possible to be certified as AIDA2/AIDA3/AIDA4 pool Freediver.
ARE WE SWIMMING FROM SHORE OR WE GO BY BOAT?
All sessions are conducted by swimming from shore. Freedive sites are easily accessible from shore at a short swimming distance, with depths up to 35m. For spearfishing there is a much greater variety of options.
DO I NEED MY OWN FREEDIVING OR SPEARFISHING EQUIPMENT?
Full equipment is included in our freediving & spearfishing courses. In training, coaching and guided excursions weights & weight belt are included and additional gear is extra.
When you become more advanced and you are planning to go diving more often then it makes sense to invest in your own equipment.
In case you need any advice regarding buying high quality equipment, or just something that is good enough to do the job without breaking a buck – we can provide you with adequate advice and recommend the right piece of gear according to your specific needs.
CAN I DIVE IN MALTA IN WINTER? ISN'T IT COLD?
Malta’s Mediterranean “winter” resembles spring in Central Europe and sea temperatures never drop below 15 °C, even at depth.
Feeling cold is individual and it greatly varies from person to person. Some people feel more comfortable in a 7mm, while I have a friend that spearfishes for 4-5h in Malta in winter while wearing just a 3mm wetsuit. In general, with a 5mm two piece freediving wetsuit you can freedive without feeling cold for a couple of hours.
For Malta’s coldest months, one trick that I highly recommend for cold-sensitive people is using a neoprene undervest underneath the suit and neoprene bermudas on top of everything. This improves thermal insulation dramatically, but also bare in mind that it demands a few extra kilos of weights!
In case you don’t have your own wetsuit, have no worries. We got you covered with both winter and summer wetsuits.
