Freediving Disciplines Explained: From Pool Performance to Deep Open Water
Competitive Pool Disciplines in Freediving
In competitive freediving, pool disciplines are measured either by breath-hold duration or distance covered on a single breath. These disciplines build technique, body control, breath management, and efficient oxygen use — all essential skills for deeper open water freediving.
Static Apnea (STA)
Static Apnea is performed while floating motionless in the water with the face submerged. The goal is to hold your breath for as long as possible without movement.
This discipline tests:
Breath-hold tolerance
Relaxation under stress
Efficient use of oxygen
Calm mental control
Current World Records (AIDA):
Men: Stéphane Mifsud (FRA) – 11 min 35 sec Instagram
Women: Heike Schwerdtner (GER) – 9 min 22 sec
Why STA matters:
Static apnea teaches you how to stay calm and comfortable while your body adapts to increasing CO₂ and reduced oxygen. It is a foundational discipline for all freedivers because it builds the mental and physiological tolerance needed for deeper dives.
Dynamic Apnea with Fins (DYN)
Dynamic Apnea with Fins involves swimming horizontally underwater using long fins on a single breath. The aim is to cover the greatest distance possible.
This discipline emphasizes:
Streamlined body position
Efficient fin propulsion
Breath-movement coordination
Smooth, relaxed pacing
Current World Records (AIDA):
Why DYN matters:
DYN trains you to move underwater while minimizing oxygen consumption. It’s a balance between speed and efficiency, too fast and you use oxygen quickly, too slow and you lose momentum.
Dynamic Apnea without Fins (DNF)
Dynamic Apnea without Fins is horizontal underwater swimming without any fins — propelling only with arms and legs.
This discipline demands:
Excellent technique
Powerful and efficient body movement
Control over drag and resistance
Current World Records (AIDA):
Why DNF matters:
Without fins, resistance increases significantly. DNF teaches you how to use your body most effectively, minimizing wasted motion and maximizing the distance you can travel on a single breath.
Dynamic Apnea with Bifins (DYNB)
Dynamic Apnea with Bifins is similar to DYN but uses two separate fins instead of a monofin. The propulsion pattern and technique differ, requiring a different coordination of leg movements.
Current World Records (AIDA):
Why DYNB matters:
Bifins change the mechanics of movement. This discipline develops a different style of propulsion, still efficient, but often wider in technique profiles, with a distinct rhythm.
How Pool Disciplines Build Freediving Skills
Each pool discipline teaches something valuable:
STA strengthens breath-hold tolerance and relaxation under stress.
DYN / DYNB enhance propulsion efficiency and breath-movement timing.
DNF builds power and technique without relying on equipment.
Together, these disciplines create a strong foundation, not just for competition, but for all aspects of freediving, including depth, exploration, and safety.
Competitive Depth Disciplines in Open Water (With Records)
In open water competition, freediving disciplines are measured along a vertical line. The depth rope provides orientation, safety reference, and a standardized framework for comparison. These disciplines demand different skills, including equalization, buoyancy control, breath-hold management under pressure, and mental focus.
Free Immersion (FIM)
In Free Immersion, the diver pulls themselves down and back up along the rope using only their arms. No fins are used.
The movement is controlled and deliberate. Each pull brings the diver deeper into increasing pressure, requiring precise equalization and relaxation. Because propulsion is entirely manual, FIM encourages efficiency and body awareness.
Many freedivers appreciate FIM for its rhythm. The descent feels intimate and connected to the line, almost introspective. It is often described as fluid, controlled, and deeply meditative.
Focus: Technique, efficiency, relaxation
Movement pattern: Pull-pull rhythm
Technical emphasis: Equalization coordination, energy economy
Current World Records (AIDA):
Why FIM matters:
FIM emphasizes smooth, controlled movement under pressure. Without fins, propulsion comes entirely from the upper body, making technique and breath management critical. Many freedivers describe FIM as a meditative descent, where rhythm and calm focus reduce oxygen consumption.
Constant Weight with Fins (CWT)
Constant Weight with Fins is the most practiced and widely recognized depth discipline.
The diver descends and ascends using fins or a monofin, without pulling on the rope and without changing weight. All movement must come from propulsion technique and efficiency.
CWT combines hydrodynamics and mental control. The descent requires relaxation and precise equalization; the ascent demands pacing and energy management.
This is the discipline most people imagine when they think of deep freediving — streamlined movement through blue water, guided by a single line disappearing into depth.
Focus: Technique, hydrodynamics, power
Movement pattern: Fluid fin kicks
Technical emphasis: Equalization, streamline position, pacing
Current World Records (AIDA):
Why CWT matters:
CWT combines technique, pressure adaptation, and breath-hold management in a dynamic way. Good technique reduces drag and oxygen use, enabling deeper and more efficient dives.
Constant Weight without Fins (CNF)
Constant Weight without Fins is often considered the most physically demanding depth discipline.
The diver moves using only arms and legs, without fins and without pulling on the rope. Every meter must be earned through technique, strength, and impeccable buoyancy control.
Because propulsion is slower and resistance is higher, CNF magnifies inefficiencies. It requires refined body alignment, calm focus, and precise energy distribution.
When performed well, CNF appears powerful yet effortless — a slow, controlled descent and ascent driven purely by the body.
Focus: Strength, technique, efficiency
Movement pattern: Controlled kicks and pulls
Technical emphasis: Perfect body alignment, buoyancy control
Current World Records (AIDA):
Why CNF matters:
CNF is often seen as the purest and most physically demanding discipline. Without fins, every movement must be efficient, requiring excellent technique, body awareness, and strength distribution.
Variable Weight (VWT)
In Variable Weight, the diver descends with assistance (typically a weighted sled or similar device) but ascends under their own power, either by fin kicks or pulling the rope.
Focus: Depth potential
Technical emphasis: Control of descent, equalization timing, strong ascent
Current World Records (AIDA):
(Note: VWT records are less commonly updated in AIDA and differ slightly between organizations.)
Why VWT matters:
VWT allows divers to reach depth quickly, conserving oxygen early in the dive. The challenge then becomes managing the ascent with strength and control.
No Limits (NLT)
No Limits is considered the discipline with the greatest depth potential. The diver descends using a weighted sled and ascends using a lift bag or inflatable device.
Focus: Absolute depth
Technical emphasis: Safety precision, depth control
Current World Records (AIDA):
Why NLT matters:
NLT pushes the limits of human depth potential. Because the descent and ascent are assisted, the focus becomes meticulous safety protocol and physiological adaptation to extreme pressure.
I deeply respect competition. It builds strong divers.
But my work happens beyond the competition line.
Out here, depth is not the only variable. Conditions change daily. Timing matters more than numbers. Location can define the entire experience.
Freediving stops being about “how deep” and starts becoming about “how well”.
This is where Menorca comes in.
Exploration in Menorca: A Skipper and Instructor’s Approach
Competition builds discipline.
Exploration demands awareness.
As a skipper, certified freediving instructor, and ocean guide, my role in Menorca begins long before we enter the water. Exploration here is not improvised, it is prepared through observation, analysis, and experience.
Every session starts with a detailed reading of the sea.
I study the wind direction, because in Menorca a north wind can completely transform exposure along the coast. I check the swell height and swell period, which determine the intensity of underwater surge, especially near rock formations. I observe the surface texture, which reveals micro-currents and wind shifts. I consider the light angle, since underwater visibility changes dramatically depending on time of day and cliff orientation.
This is not about finding the deepest spot.
It is about selecting the right environment for the right objective.
Menorca’s coastline is a mosaic of micro-environments. A northern exposure may be dynamic and powerful, with moving water that requires shorter dives and precise timing. A southern cala, protected from swell, can offer long, stable descents with minimal surge — ideal for technique refinement and relaxed exploration.
As a guide, my responsibility is to manage:
Safety protocols
Buddy positioning
Surface supervision
Boat placement and drift control
Entry and exit strategy
Depth adaptation
Equalization pacing
Unlike a competition setting, there is no fixed rope defining the dive. That means natural references — rock faces, sand slopes, drop-offs — become orientation tools. Divers must adjust their buoyancy awareness and depth perception without a visual vertical line.
This is where experience matters.
When guiding, I constantly evaluate:
How quickly a diver is adapting to pressure
Their relaxation state at depth
Finning efficiency and oxygen consumption patterns
Recovery breathing quality at the surface
Environmental shifts such as changing surge or current
Exploration freediving requires a different type of mastery — not maximum depth, but environmental intelligence.
Boat positioning is also critical. As a skipper, I anchor or drift based on bottom structure, depth contour, and swell angle. The boat must remain stable but accessible, creating a controlled surface zone. In changing conditions, the plan can shift instantly. Flexibility is part of professional guiding.
There is also a human dimension.
Without competitive pressure, divers often reconnect with curiosity. They slow down. They start observing the way light filters through the water column, the subtle thermocline shifts, the way sound changes at depth. Breath-hold becomes a tool for immersion, not a performance metric.
For me, exploration in Menorca is about combining:
Freediving technique
Open water safety
Boat handling expertise
Environmental reading
Personalized guidance
It is a synthesis of skills — instructor, skipper, and waterman — applied in real conditions.
Because ultimately, true ocean confidence does not come from numbers.
It comes from understanding the sea well enough to move within it calmly, efficiently, and safely.