T&Cs, FAQs & Disclaimer

Q: Where are you based?
A: Freedive UK is based in Newquay, Cornwall. We also have courses in West Wales.
By making this our base we have easy access to most of Cornwall, given Newquays central location.
It also means easy access from the rest of the UK thanks to Newquay airport, less than an hours flight from London! We also run courses in West Wales giving further access to some incredible coastline. 

Q: I dont see the date that I want. Can you offer another date?
A: We are very aware that everyones schedules are different and will always try to assist you in finding a date that suits. Our AIDA courses run twice a week, one midweek and one structured around the weekend to suit the working week. If this does not suit you, please let us know and, if given enough time to try to get more people on to the course, we will schedule another course for you.

Q: Can you offer specific 1-1 training, in order to achieve a certain goal?
A: Yes, these rates will of course be higher than the standard rate. The rate will vary according to the time your require, and how many days we will have to schedule for you. We will always strive to be reasonable though.

Q: Do I have to be physically fit to freedive?
A: You don’t have to be incredibly fit, although you must be comfortable in the water, a fairly confident swimmer, and have a basic level of fitness. All AIDA courses require the completion of a self declaration medical. If you have any questions regarding this please just get in touch. 

Q: Do i need to be able to swim to take part in the AIDA courses/ spearfishing courses ?
A: Yes. In order to register and take part in for an AIDA course/spearfishing course you must be able to swim at least 200m non stop without fins and at least 300m non stop with mask, fins and snorkel.

Q: I have a child who would like to learn. Are they allowed to join a course?
A: They can now join and AIDA youth course, although these are very different to the standard aida courses so please get in touch to discuss. The minimum age for all courses otherwise is 16.

Q: Can i get a refund on a voucher i purchased?
A: Vouchers are non-refundable and non-transferable, they have an expiry date of 18 months from the date of purchase

Q: My partner/friend does not want to take part, can they come along and just watch?
A: We cant allow partners or friends to come along just to watch for free as its not fair on the other paying clients. They may be able to come to the location though, but will be asked to give us some ‘room’ when tuition starts. Sometimes partners/friends may be interested in taking part in elements of the course for a short course fee.

Q: Can I fail the courses?
A: You can fail to meet the requirements for the AIDA courses, although you will always be given the best chance to pass. If you do fail, you can come back another day and complete the elements you failed the first time at minimal cost, only the cost of a short course… £50. The non-AIDA courses cannot be failed.

Q: What do i need to bring?
A: If you have any freediving gear, feel free to bring it along, but you don’t have to as we will supply it all. We recommend a winter wetsuit, regardless of the time of year . Bring some swimming gear, sunhat, waterproof jacket, shoes you don’t mind getting wet, a small backpack or bag for the boat, towels, sunscreen, perhaps a camera. Remember to bring all the paperwork we send to you prior to your course. This will include a self certifying health declaration, waiver, registration form and course notes.
We will supply water and light refreshments/lunches where appropriate. If you have dietary requirements please inform us before hand and we will try to accommodate.

Q:I used to scuba dive but was declared unfit to dive. Can i Freedive?
A: Contact us, but the answer could be yes. Freediving is more self regulated than Scuba. The only equipment that can fail is ‘you’, so as long as you dont have serious health condition then you will probably be ok. Call us though!

Q: Is there anything dangerous in the seas around cornwall which i should be scared of?
A: No. Cornwall has abundant sealife, and on a sunny day with good visibility you could think you were in the Caribbean.

Q: What happens if its terrible weather, will it be cancelled?
A: Remember that the geography of the coastline in Cornwall means that there is more often than not a sheltered cove we can use, although we probably wouldn’t use the boat and all the deep water training can be done in a local quarry. It normally has to be southerly winds of over gale force to cause a problem We have yet to have to cancel a course. If it does need to be cancelled we will reschedule for free or refund the day/portion of the day, which has had to be cancelled. However we cannot be held responsible for any additional costs you may have incurred through accommodation, transport etc.

Q: What is included on the courses?
A: All equipment , boat fees,  qualifications (AIDA and/or FreediveUK cert), pool use, course notes.

Q: Do you offer group discounts?
A: Variable discounts on AIDA courses and weekend trips. We also run a forces, student and emergency services discount, just ask for more details.

Q: I’m thinking about joining you on a FreediveUK Holiday, what T&C’s apply?       A: The Terms & Conditions for a FreediveUK Holiday are outlined below, please read them thoroughly before paying your deposit

Q: Its a couple of days before the course is due to start but something serious has happened which means i cannot attend, can i have a refund?
A: Unfortunately not. By booking the course you are agreeing to attend on that day, just as we are agreeing to teach you on that day. By not attending there will be an empty space on that course. Believe it or not we probably get up to a dozen last minute cancellations each season, ranging from serious illness to bereavement and as much as we sympathize you can see how this would cost us dearly if we refunded all cancellations. We can however put you on a future course, something that is very rare in the industry, but we cannot pre-book this for you. This means we will give you a few days notice of any course which has a vacant space, sometimes 24hrs, and you can choose to attend or not. We cannot pre-book this space as it will remove a another paid space from the schedule and as we have maximum numbers it will directly cost us the value of that space, essentially we will have given you 2 courses for the price of one (although it wont feel like that to you) but thats the reality of the situation. If we were to pre-book all cancellations we could end up with an entire course of canceled students, which would cost us a huge amount of money to put on.