FII specialty courses are built around core skills applied to specific pursuits. They allow divers to deepen their ability in focused areas from safety and survival to spearfishing, monofin, and freediving photography while continuing to develop within a structured training system.
FII specialty courses are built around core skills applied to specific pursuits. They allow divers to deepen their ability in focused areas from safety and survival to spearfishing, monofin, and freediving photography while continuing to develop within a structured training system.
Spearfishing
The FII Spearfishing course combines freediving skills, hunting techniques, and safety training to help divers become more effective and responsible underwater hunters.
Developed to address the need for real spearfishing safety education, this course helps divers build the knowledge, judgment, and practical skills needed to become safer, more capable, and more well-rounded underwater hunters. It emphasizes spearfishing not only as a technical pursuit, but as a disciplined and selective method of fishing practiced with responsibility and control.
The course manual is one of the most extensive references ever written on the craft of spearfishing.
Throughout the course, participants learn practical knowledge and proven techniques in a comprehensive and accessible format. The curriculum includes:
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Course Duration:
Five hours of classroom instruction, three hours of confined water training and an optional add-on spearfishing day to refine new techniques in the local environment.
Age Requirement:
16 years old or older
Prerequisites:
FII Level 1 Freediver or Junior Freediver Certification or equivalent
Freediving Photography
The FII Freediving Photography Course is a comprehensive guide in applying strong photography fundamentals to the unique aspects of freediving for capturing beautiful and unique photos.
This course introduces the fundamental features that make freediving photography unique and guides students in taking advantage of them to capture beautiful photos. It also covers the fundamental technical skills of photography and guides attendees in applying them in the aquatic environment. It includes a practical on editing and color correction as well, and eight unique composition exercises.
The course manual is a beautiful exposé of photos taken by students and a wonderful resource to use and return to for technical and artistic guidance.
This course brings together all the aspects needed to capture beautiful photos as a freediving photographer and teaches a system to practice and improve over time.
1. Fundamental features of freediving photography
2. Safety for freediving photography
3. Photography fundamentals
4. Color correction and editing
5. Composition exercises
6. Approaches and techniques
7. Equipment and editing software
Course Duration:
Minimum of four hours of classroom instruction, three hours of open water photography, and two hours of practical instruction in editing.
Age Requirement:
12 years of age or older
Prerequisites:
FII Level 1 Freediver or Junior Freediver Certificate or equivalent
Basic Freediving Safety
The Basic Freediving Safety Course introduces students to proper freediving supervision and basic safety and rescue procedures used in recreational freediving and spearfishing.
Whether you’re a spearfisher without any formal freediving education or a spouse, parent, or newbie interested in getting into breath-hold activities, this essential safety information is paramount knowledge for everyone involved in spearfishing and freediving activities.
This course is popular with spearfishing clubs around the United States and is used as a minimum certification for club membership.
This course should be viewed as a minimum requirement for everyone participating in any form of freediving.
Course Duration:
1-day course. Minimum of 3 hours of academics and 2 hours of confined water training.
Age Requirement:
12 years or older
Prerequisites:
Competent swimming skills
Advanced Freediving Safety
The FII Advanced Freediving Safety course provides the higher-level safety training required for instructors, leaders, event safety staff, and other situations where environment or discipline-specific safety protocols are needed.
The course begins in the classroom and moves into open water for rescue-specific drill training. It is designed for responsible freedivers and spearfishermen who want to strengthen their safety and rescue ability beyond the basics while learning additional protocols used in advanced training, challenging environments, and a range of freediving styles, including competition.
Advanced Freediving Safety is also a required step for candidates entering the FII professional path
Course Duration:
1-day course, including a minimum of 4 hours of academics and 2 hours of open water training.
Age Requirement:
Participants must be at least 16 years old.
Prerequisites:
Minimum FII Level 1 Freediver or FII Junior Freediver (if applicable) or Waterman Survival EXTENDED certification or equivalent
Introduction to Monofin
The Introduction to Monofin Course provides the core foundational techniques for mastering the correct monofin movement.
Beginning with equipment selection, this course takes you through the biomechanics of the monofin technique and targeted stretching before you hit the pool for in-water technique development. With a unique combination of dry land exercises, pool development skills, and video technique review, this rewarding program is recommended for everyone interested in learning the correct techniques for using a monofin for free diving, fitness, or recreation.
Course Duration:
Minimum 1.5 hours combined confined water training, dryland exercises and academics
Age Requirement:
Minimum 12 years or older
Prerequisites:
Competent swimming skills
Waterman Survival
This specialized course reveals the training methods to handle unexpected breath-hold related situations. The acquired skills will exponentially increase in-water breath-hold confidence and safety as well as management in extreme situations.
Any experienced waterman will easily recall at least one moment in their lives when the power of Mother Nature's ultimate force has pushed them to their limits. Gasping for breath, they reached the surface feeling there was nothing else to give or was there? During this groundbreaking course, your certified F.I.I. Waterman Survival instructor will dispel common misconceptions and get to the bottom of the true urge to breathe. Participants will learn how to retrain their urge to breathe, increasing their CO2 tolerance and breath-hold abilities while also mastering key specialized safety protocols to ensure effective victim management for breath-hold-related incidents in extreme conditions.
Course Duration:
1-day course. Minimum 3 hours academics and 2 hours confined water training.
Age Requirement:
Minimum 12 years or older
Prerequisites:
The WMC is designed for all ocean sports enthusiasts with a medium to high level of in-water comfort and at least average swimming skills.
Waterman Survival Extended
The FII Waterman Survival Extended course combines Waterman Survival and Level 1 Freediver training with additional open-water survival drills to build greater comfort, confidence, and control in realistic conditions.
By incorporating the FII Level 1 Freediver certification course, Waterman Survival Extended gives students both foundational freediving training and a more advanced progression into open-water conditioning and safety drills. After completing the Level 1 components, students continue into more demanding open-water scenarios designed to build control, confidence, and response under stress.
On completion, participants are eligible to receive both FII Waterman Survival and FII Level 1 Freediver certification.
Course Duration:
3-day course. Minimum 5 hours academics, 3 hours confined water training, 3 hours open water training.
Age Requirement:
16 years or older
Prerequisites:
The WME course is designed for experienced waterman of excellent health and fitness who have a medium-high/high level of in-water comfort.