Klaus Simonsen Freediving

September to December is one of my favourite periods for freediving in Dahab.

Dahab is a great place to freedive throughout the year, but there is something particularly good about these months. The intense summer heat starts to ease while the Red Sea is still warm, making long days in and around the water much more comfortable.

And Dahab is much more than a place to train depth. It’s a Bedouin village with a relaxed atmosphere, a welcoming local community and a feeling that is very different from the big resort towns along the Red Sea.

For freediving, we have access to world-class depth right from shore. Lighthouse is in the middle of town, and the Blue Hole is just a short drive away. Add warm water, excellent visibility and beautiful reefs, and it’s easy to understand why freedivers from around the world keep coming back.

If you’re thinking about coming to Dahab, I offer individual coaching as well as Freediving Weeks that can be built around your level, goals and the kind of experience you want while you’re here.

Send me a message if you’d like to talk about the possibilities.

An AIDA Instructor Course is intense.

There is a lot to learn, and at the same time you are spending long days in the classroom, pool and open water while developing completely new skills as an instructor.

Over time, I found that trying to fit all the theory, practical development and assessment into the same short period creates unnecessary pressure.

And pressure matters.

A stressful learning environment is rarely a good learning environment.

That is why I prefer to separate the preparation from the practical Instructor Course.

Before arriving in Dahab, we work online with the theory and course preparation. The preparation period is flexible and adapted to the individual candidate, depending on experience, background and how much time we have available.

Then, when you arrive in Dahab, we have two weeks focused much more heavily on the practical side of becoming an instructor:

Teaching.
Observation.
Feedback.
Safety.
Problem-solving.
Instructor development.

For candidates who are not yet fully confident with the physical requirements, there is also the option to arrive earlier for an Instructor Course Preparation Coaching Week at a reduced instructor-candidate rate. This gives us time to work specifically on depth, technique and the required performance standards before the course begins.

For me, this structure creates a much better teaching and learning experience.

Instructor Courses are demanding, both mentally and physically. Separating the preparation gives candidates more time to absorb information, recover between long freediving sessions and come back ready to learn again.

The goal is not simply to get through the course as quickly as possible.

It is to create the conditions for candidates to leave Dahab better prepared to teach safely, clearly and confidently.

AIDA Instructor Courses available in Dahab from September 2026 to January 2027.

DM me for dates and course information.

Images featuring Andrea Jud

The number matters in freediving. Depth matters. Progress matters. Ambition matters.

But there is a difference between wanting to improve and needing a dive to prove something about yourself.

When performance becomes tied to self-worth, a bad session stops being useful information. It becomes personal. We push when we should adapt, compare ourselves to others, ignore what the body is telling us, and sometimes turn training into a constant test of whether we are good enough.

I don’t think the answer is to become less ambitious.

It is to learn how to pursue depth without making achievement responsible for our worth.

That means staying curious when things don’t work. Respecting current capacity. Knowing when more effort will help — and when it will only become interference.

For me, that is increasingly what sustainable high performance in freediving means:

Pursuing depth in a way that is psychologically and physically sustainable.

**FREEDIVING CLUB WEEK IN DAHAB 🇪🇬**

Planning a freediving trip with your club or training group?

I’m offering a dedicated **Freediving Club Week in Dahab** for groups of **3 or more freedivers**, with **10% savings per person**.

The week includes:

• 6 nights at a centrally located hotel in Dahab
• Airport transfers both ways
• Daily freediving center fees
• 4 coaching days at Lighthouse
• 1 coaching day at Blue Hole
• Blue Hole National Park fee, transport & permission
• **The Bells Fundive**
• **Full-day trip to Ras Mohammed National Park**

The coaching is adapted individually, so members of the same group do **not** need to be at the same depth or technical level.

You train together, but each freediver can work on their own technique, equalization, depth progression and individual goals.

# # # CLUB OFFER

**Minimum 3 participants**

Normal package price: **€1,103 per person**
**Club price: €993 per person**

# # # NOT INCLUDED

• Flights to Sharm El Sheikh Airport
• Lunch and dinner
• Drinks

📍 Dahab, Egypt

If your freediving club or training group is considering a trip to Dahab this autumn or winter, send me a message and I’ll help you plan the week.

Freediving has taught me far more than how to hold my breath or dive deeper.

Over the years, it’s changed how I approach challenges, progress, fear, and patience—not just in the water, but in everyday life.

These are six lessons I keep coming back to, both as a freediver and as an instructor.

Which one resonates with you the most?

Most equalization problems don’t have the same solution.

That’s why I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.

Some freedivers need to build a solid Frenzel foundation.

Others need to learn how to Frenzel safely below Residual Volume.

Others are ready to develop a reliable Mouthfill.

The first step isn’t choosing a course.

It’s understanding where you are now.

That’s why I offer a free Equalization Check. We’ll look at your current technique, identify what’s limiting your progress, and discuss the best next step for your equalization.

📩 Send me a message or use the link in my bio to book your free Equalization Check.

Thinking about taking an AIDA course in Dahab?

Whether you’re completely new to freediving or looking to continue your progression, there’s a course designed for your current level.

I teach the full AIDA pathway—from AIDA 1 through AIDA 4—with a focus on building confident, safe and capable freedivers.

One thing that makes my courses different is that I don’t just teach what’s required to pass the certification. Every course is run with an extended format, giving us more time in the pool and open water, and I introduce disciplines like DNF and CNF throughout your progression—not only in advanced courses.

The goal isn’t simply to earn a certification. It’s to leave the course with skills and confidence you’ll continue using long after it’s over.

If you’re unsure which course is the right fit, send me a message. I’m happy to help you choose based on your experience, goals and the time you have in Dahab.

📍 Dahab, Egypt

People think I coach equalization.

I do.

But that’s only the surface.

Equalization is simply the vehicle.

What I really coach is awareness.

Because awareness changes technique.

And technique changes performance.

Most freedivers don’t struggle because they lack strength or motivation.

They struggle because they don’t yet notice what’s actually happening.

Where they create tension.

Where they rush.

Where they compensate.

Where they stop listening to their body.

Technique improves when awareness improves.

That’s why the best freedivers I’ve coached didn’t just become better equalizers.

They became better observers of themselves.

And once that happens...

Everything starts to change.

What has freediving taught you about yourself?

selfawareness performance underwater apnea breathhold ocean coaching personaldevelopment freedivingcoach freedivinglife

"My mouthfill works on some dives but not others."

This is one of the most common frustrations I hear from freedivers working on deeper equalization.

The first reaction is often:

"I need to charge deeper."

Sometimes that's true.

But often the real problem is inconsistent ex*****on.

The depth is the same.

The line is the same.

The equipment is the same.

Yet one dive feels easy and the next dive feels completely different.

Why?

Because small changes in charge quality, tongue position, soft palate control, or compression can create very different results later in the dive.

A reliable mouthfill is not about making one good dive.

It's about being able to repeat the same process consistently.

That is exactly what we'll be working on in the Deep Mouthfill Workshop.

📍 Dahab, Egypt
📅 19–26 September 2026

The workshop includes:

• 6 online preparation sessions before arrival
• 5 dry sessions in Dahab
• 5 depth sessions in Dahab

Online preparation starts in August.

If you'd like more information, send me a message with the word "Mouthfill".