2-DAY FREEDIVING SURFER COURSE

You love the exhilaration and movement surfing waves gives but the fear of a wave hold down gets to you sometimes. The freediving surfer course is your answer.

Prepare for the ultimate freediving experience designed for surfers, boogie boarders, bodysurfers and surf lifesavers – adopt new breathing and relaxation skills you can use in tough surf conditions for more confidence.

Immerse into an experience designed for surfers that want to learn and adopt the breathing and relaxation skills for more confidence in tough conditions. Reduce your fears of wave hold downs and use your freediving skills to enjoy better days surfing in more waves. This is a journey of personal discovery to understand your true self in the sometimes punishing, and beautiful underwater world. Located in the well-being centre of Mornington Peninsula.

You don't need any previous freedive or surf experience to enjoy this course, however you must have good swimming skills to gain the most from the training.

In the time you spend learning about yourself, you'll understand the underwater world and begin to move freely and calmly within it. Get to know yourself in a new way, moving freely in the water in an inclusive and supportive learning environment.

Course Location: Mornington Peninsula, VIC

Ideal for all keen surfers to learn about how to be more comfortable in challenging surf conditions and find peace in stressful underwater situations.

This entry level course is suitable for you if you seek to know yourself better in the water environment, because you don't want to suffer in wave hold downs, and really want to have the feeling of true confidence.

Through healthy, supportive and stress-free development in freediving, and surf hold down training, set yourself free from the things holding you back and become happy and confident surfing the waves in the sea, and life.

Developing the skills and knowledge within your reach moves you towards PADI Basic Freediver, available upon successful completion of the first day of the course. The second day provides specific hold down training and the opportunity to further develop your breathhold techniques specific to surfing.

Meet Your Instructor

Marlon Quinn - PADI Freedive and Mermaid Instructor Trainer

Let the water flow around you and learn to see within on a specialist retreat led by former IT Executive turned Sea Changer, Freediving Instructor Trainer, RIB Pilot and Dolphin & Seal Tour Host, Marlon Quinn.

He himself was not a natural freediver. Having feinted at the pool from cold as a young child. On another occasion being rushed to hospital unable to breathe, feeling as if suffocating. Being crushed to expiration by wayward teens in a game of stacks-on. Surely not the core foundations to holding one’s breath.

As an adult though, he at last found the sea, only to encounter a stingray head-on and retreat with fright. This was the catalyst though, to learn with the world’s best freedivers, the modern gods of the sea, where he found beauty and peace within himself, on one breath, freediving deep into the blue sea. In 2013 Marlon founded the Melbourne Freedivers Club and since 2014 Marlon has evoked the true passion of the water, providing freediving courses across Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. Going on to develop a multi-award winning dolphin & seal tour RIB charter operator and recognised premiere PADI Freediver and Mermaid Centre.

Highlights

Discover your inner dolphin and adopt the ocean as your home on this 2-day beginner breathwork, mindfulness and freediving for surfers course for just eight guests.

• Supportive & Stress Free Learning:   Develop step by step with your dedicated instructor and reach PADI Basic Freediver certification without pressure of performance
• Inclusive & Professional:    Find your inner strength, through an inclusive and professional approach to coaching in small groups and the opportunity to refine your own techniques comfortably
• Breathwork & Balance:    Guided breathwork and meditation sessions to develop a new relationship between you and your breath, breathing and breathhold confidence
• Immersion Tools for Every Day:    Fully tailored approach for surfers, body boarders, surf rescuers and anyone wanting to build new confidence. Begin to see inside yourself benefited by instructor insights and personalised coaching on breathhold and freediving and surf hold down skills in the pool
• Recognised Certification:    Upon successful completion of the course elements, receive your PADI Basic Freediver certification or continue your learning and development after the course with your instructor
• Perks and Benefits:    Increase your breathhold and comfort in the water and refine your surf hold down skills underwater for greater confidence in yourself and your abilities. Adopt safe practices and connect with like-minded surfers in your own group. 

Skill Level

• Beginner          (eg Basic surfer/snorkelling experience or up to PADI Skindiver certification)
• Intermediate   (eg Basic intermediate to advanced surfing experience or freediving experience up to PADI Basic Freediver / PADI Basic Mermaid / AIDA 1* / SSI Basic / Molchanov Wave 1 or Lap 1 certification)

- The ability to swim at least 50m without swim aids / floatation devices

Health & Hygiene

We are committed to the safety of our guests, tour guides, skippers, and the people in our local communities around Port Phillip Bay and on the Mornington Peninsula. Have confidence that you are supported by an endorsed and recognised COVID Clean Practicing Business under the Australian Tourism Industry Council Quality Tourism Australia program. This provides guests with additional assurance that we have adopted global health and hygiene standards designed to keep your travels as safe as possible.

This endorsement is recognised by the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Safe Travels Stamp, which is the standard regulatory bodies and guests expect for tour operators worldwide.

Program

Get ready to set yourself free with Marlon Quinn and WaterMaarq in the beautiful region of Mornington Peninsula and southern Port Phillip Bay.

An important place of indigenous, colonial history and unique temperate reef waters and protected marine creatures and bird life. 

Includes:

• 2-Day Course Based at the YAWA Aquatic Centre, Rosebud
• PADI e-learning access for on-line learning before the course
• Breathwork exercises & guided meditation
• Pool breathhold & dynamic session
• Equipment and gear session
• Pool surf hold down training session
• PADI Basic Freediver Certification
• 8 x Guests Maximum

• Welcome, Theory Recap & Self-Awareness
• Breathwork & Guided Meditation
• Pool Relaxation & Breathhold Practice and Dynamic Skills

Day 2 (3-hour Pool Session)

• Pool Surf Hold Down Skills, Safety and Underwater Practice

Freediving and Hold Down Training:

Bathing suit, 5mm wetsuit, weightbelt and weights, mask and snorkel, fins, towel(s), re-useable water bottle, and personal snacks.

Important Information:

It’s so exciting to provide this opportunity to combine the beauty of freediving and the skills to handle wave hold downs in two days of course delivery and training, it’s taken a lot of energy, effort and organisation to be in a position to offer this unique program. The course has very limited places and it’s important that participants are committed to the experience.

Bookings are absolutely non refundable. This is because the courses are highly time intensive to create and deliver and with such small class sizes, and a variety of overheads to bring it together, even the slightest change to participant numbers has a big flow on effect. To avoid anyone’s disappointment, there are no conditions under which a refund will be provided, only if the course is cancelled by us for unforeseen reasons. It is highly recommended that you purchase travel or dive trip insurance to cover yourself in case of an unforeseen need to cancel.

Please review the PADI Divers Medical Questionnaire and Medical Statement (Link Here) medical form before booking to determine whether you may attend. A refund is unavailable if you do not pass your medical, so please take those important steps before you book.

Location

This wonderful course takes place on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. It's around a 90-minute drive from Melbourne. In modern life the Mornington Peninsula is well known as a centre of well-being, surrounded by the waters of Port Phillip Bay and the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait. An incredible environment it is a destination that favours relaxing activities and immersion in Nature. Renowned for fresh produce farms, marine delicacies and long-established wineries, the Mornington Peninsula provides experiences for the discerning visitor. Historically rich, the region was home to the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation that may have traversed the shores for more than 40,000 years. First Settled by the British in early 1800s, it is an area now recognised for healthy living and protected wildlife including Australian Fur Seals, Bottlenose Dolphins (Burrunan) and Weedy Seadragons.

PADI Basic Freediver Certification

This 2-Day Freediving and Surf Hold Down Course provides the opportunity for you to develop skills and knowledge within your reach and move towards PADI Basic Freediver certification, which is available upon successful completion of the course. To satisfactorily enrol in a PADI Freediver certification course 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 surfing, snorkelling, skin diving or freediving is required.

• Caters to surfers, boogie boarders, surf riders, surf lifesavers, snorkellers, skindivers and beginner freedivers
• Minimum age: 18 years
• Learn to freedive 25m length in the pool, to a depth of 10m in the sea and hold your breath for 1:30 comfortably
• Successful completion results in world-recognised PADI Basic Freediver certification

• Session fees are non-refundable (unless the session is cancelled by us for unforeseen circumstances), please choose your experience with care. Trip insurance is highly recommended as cover for unforeseen cancellations
• Courses are held on the Mornington Peninsula and visit Rosebud VIC during the sessions
• Please arrive at the beginning venue 15 minutes before commencement time to ensure you have enough time to check in and get settled
• Please dress comfortably
• Please bring a bag with your swimmers, 5mm wetsuit, fins, mask, snorkel, weightbelt, a towel and your own re-usable water bottle. Rental equipment is available.
• Guests must be able to swim. Courses do not cater for people with no swimming ability. The Instructor retains the right to refuse participation in which case your attendance is forfeited
• Guests with back, neck, or heart conditions, those who are pregnant or who have injuries/conditions that may cause a risk to their health are advised not to participate, or do so at their own risk
• A Diver's Medical Statement and Questionnaire must be submitted to attend the course
• A diving medical (AS4005.1) may be required prior to commencement of the course
• Subject to minimum numbers and may be rescheduled if minimum numbers are not met
• The supplier reserves the right to substitute the venue / pool and / or change the day’s itinerary without notice