Dive Friends Bonaire is proud to offer PADI Freedive Courses in an alliance with

Deepsea Freediving offers an extensive PADI Freediver Program as well as a snorkeling program and a mermaid experience.

PADI Freediver Program

Freediving is a sport discipline that teaches you how to dive using your inward power. If you’ve always wanted to enter the underwater world quietly, on your own terms, staying as long as your breath allows, then freediving is for you.

Taking part in the Discover Freediving Experience or the PADI Basic Freediver course is your first step toward discovering why freediving. It is becoming a popular way to explore beneath the waves.

Courses offered by Deepsea Freediving are led by the legendary freediver Carlos Coste. He is a 12x World Record Freediver and the first man to go beyond 100 meters unassisted on a single breath and one of the best AIDA/PADI Instructor Trainers.

He and his professional team will guide you from basic techniques to the depths you feel comfortable and beyond.

Discover Freediving Experience

Discover a whole new freedom of diving! During this 90 minutes experience you’ll learn the basics about freediving. This includes gear use, relaxation, breathing and the fundamentals of holding your breath.

The course will have a theory and safety briefing; breathing techniques, relaxation and basic yoga sessions, and a pool session during which you learn to apply the theory you just learned. Basic snorkeling gear is included in the course.

PADI Basic Freediver

The PADI Basic Freediving course consists of:

Knowledge development about freediving principles through independent study with the PADI Freediver TouchTM (or your instructor may conduct class sessions).

  • A confined water session to learn breath-hold techniques as well as static and dynamic apnea. Goal: static apnea for 90 seconds and dynamic apnea for 25 meters/80 feet.
  • Three open water sessions to practice free immersion and constant weight freedives, plus proper buddy procedures. Goal: constant weight freedive to 10 meters/30 feet.

The course normally runs for two days. Depth range: 0-16 meter. To enroll, you must be at least 15 years old. You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health. No prior experience with snorkeling, skin diving or freediving is required.

Includes:

Freediving gear (excl. wetsuit)
Comfortable conditions and logistics

PADI Master Freediver

The PADI Master Freediver course consists of three main phases:

  • Knowledge development about nutrition, relaxation and advanced breathing techniques. Independent study using the PADI Freediver TouchTM (or your instructor may conduct class sessions).
  • Complete an independent research project as part of the Master Freediver Assignment.
  • Two confined water sessions to improve static and dynamic apnea attempts, including a no fins dynamic apnea. Goal: static apnea of 3 minutes, 30 seconds and dynamic apnea of 70 meters/230 feet.
  • Four open water sessions to practice mouthfill equalization and perform warm-up and workup dives for free immersion and constant weight freediving. Goal: constant weight freedive of 27 meters/90 feet.

The course normally runs for three days. Depth range: 24-40m. To enroll, you must be at least 18 years old and have a PADI Advanced Freediver certification or equivalent.

Includes:
High quality freediving gear (excl. wetsuit)
Comfortable conditions and logistics

Mermaid Basic

Learn what it means to be a mermaid or merman, how to swim with a dolphin kick, with a monofin or with a tail, and practice your first mermaid tricks, strokes and poses. You’ll also learn how to hold your breath and relax in the water.

The Mermaid Basic includes:

  • Theory briefing
  • Stretching, breathing and relaxation exercises
  • Open water session
  • Lycra, monofin or tail
  • 8 Underwater Go Pro photos

To enroll, you must be at least six years old, and you must be a comfortable swimmer.

Price: $150 (1-3 students), $125 (4-6 students), $90 (6-8 students)

Photo sessions

Mermaid surface sessions on request

All sessions will be on the beach with a professional photographer from 4-6pm. Special packages (e.g. mother & daughter; Mermaid Party) available on request.

Underwater photo and video session on request

If you are already a mermaid or freediver but you want to have professional underwater photos in the paradisal Bonaire waters, this can be provided.