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There's a stillness that happens the moment you stop breathing and start floating. Freediving strips diving back to the basics. No tank, no bubbles, just you, a single breath and the quiet below the surface. It's one of the fastest growing water sports in Australia, and it's easy to see why. Freediving asks you to slow down, trust your body and notice things a scuba tank would only get in the way of. Whether you're drawn to the meditative side of holding your breath or you want to work toward diving deeper under your own power, a freediving course gives you the technique, safety knowledge and confidence to do it properly. You'll learn breathing and relaxation methods, how your body handles pressure at depth, and the buddy systems that keep every dive safe. It's a rare kind of gift too. Not something to unwrap, but a skill someone gets to keep and use for life, from Sydney Harbour to the reefs of Byron Bay and beyond.
Ready to hold your breath and see how far it takes you? Here's where to start, and a few of our favourite ways to learn to free dive around Australia.
Sydney divers can work toward real depth on the Learn to Freedive to 20m Deep - 2 Days - Sydney, a two day course that moves from a pool session into two dives in the open ocean, building the skills and breath hold to reach 20 metres.
On the Gold Coast, the Full Freedive Course - 2 Days - Gold Coast runs across two days and covers theory, a pool session and two open water dives, so you leave with a genuine grounding in the sport rather than just the basics.
In Byron Bay, the Byron Bay Full Freedive Course - 2 Days pairs pool training with two open water dives around Julian Rocks, one of the best marine reserves on the east coast to put new skills into practice.
The Learn to Freedive to 20m Deep - 2 Days - Central Coast includes a shore dive plus a boat dive on the HMAS Adelaide shipwreck, once conditions allow.
Not ready to commit to a full course? The Jervis Bay Snorkelling and Freediving Adventure - 5 Hours is a gentler five hour introduction, guided through sea caves and kelp forests alongside seals and a kaleidoscope of fish.
Freediving isn't the only way to spend a day on the water. A few more water sports worth a look:
Browse the full range on our water sports hub.
Freediving is the practice of diving underwater on a single breath, without a scuba tank or any breathing apparatus. Divers rely on breath hold, relaxation techniques and equalisation to manage depth and pressure, using just a mask, fins and sometimes a wetsuit.
No. Freediving courses are built for complete beginners. A basic course, like the Basic Freedive Course - 1 Day - Gold Coast, starts with theory covering how your body reacts to breath holding, then moves into a swimming pool session on the same day, so you leave with real skills, not just knowledge.
Recreational freedivers on a beginner or basic course typically reach depths of around 10 to 20 metres, which is plenty to explore reefs, kelp forests and wrecks. With more training, intermediate freedivers can reach 20 to 40 metres, while competitive athletes in constant weight disciplines dive well beyond 100 metres. Depth always comes second to safety and technique, which is what a structured freediving course is designed to build first.
Not for your first course. Most RedBalloon freediving experiences, including the Byron Bay Basic Freedive Course - 1 Day, provide a mask, fins and snorkel as part of the day. Once you're diving regularly, many freedivers invest in their own low volume mask and long freediving fins, since a proper fit makes equalising and finning technique easier.
Freediving uses a single breath and no tank, so dives are shorter but require no heavy equipment and let you move through the water more freely. Scuba diving uses a tank of compressed air, allowing much longer dives at depth, but with more gear and more training to manage. Plenty of divers do both, depending on the day and the site.
Freediving carries real risks if attempted alone or without training, mainly around blackout from holding a breath too long. A proper course teaches the buddy system, safety protocols and recovery techniques that make the sport safe, which is why every RedBalloon freediving experience is run by qualified instructors rather than left to guesswork.