Wave3

Wave3 is geared towards freedivers eager to expand their freediving knowledge and enhance their underwater performance to the maximum in the scope of recreational freediving.

Wave 3 may also be of interest to freedivers considering a career in freediving. Wave 3 is indeed a semi-professional certification and the last step towards joining a Molchanovs Instructor Course. With a Wave 3, a free diver may thus act as an assistant instructor.

To qualify for Wave 3, you are required to have completed Wave 2 and have an active First Aid certificate. If you are a certified freediver of equivalent level from a different freediving agency, you are to pass a crossover exam and have an active First Aid certificate.

The objective of Wave3 is for you to have an advanced level of competence and master various freediving skills, with a focus on deep equalization.

During this freediving course, you will gain insight into the effects of pressure and depth on the body while freediving. You will learn the lung packing and reverse packing techniques and how to safely practice these advanced breathing techniques. You will master your equalization below your residual volume and learn how to combine the mouthfill technique with the Frenzel maneuver. We will introduce you to one of Natalia Molchanova’s key training elements: the deconcentration of attention. You will also study the safety hazards in freediving and learn how to avoid depth-related injuries.

As with the preceding levels, Wave3 incorporates both an online course that you attend online independently and in-water training under the guidance and supervision of a Molchanovs instructor.

The Wave 3 course materials and evaluation are made available by your freediving instructor once you enroll in the course. You are responsible for your e-learning, meaning you can study at your own pace and take as little or as much time as you need.

Your experienced instructor will assess your knowledge and skills during the Dry Skill session, the first in-person interaction you have with your instructor. They will also review the key points of the online course, answer any questions you may have, and have you practice the techniques explained in the Wave 3 Manual.

The in-water training includes 2 confined sessions and 5 open water sessions. During the pool sessions, you will refine and improve your existing freediving skills such as breath-holding, dynamic no fins, and monofin. We will introduce you to a new mental technique specific to the Molchanovs Freediving Education System: the deconcentration of attention developed in freediving by Natalia Molchanova herself and practiced by Alexey Molchanov.

The open water sessions have as objectives to hone your existing skills, but more importantly to give you the skills, confidence, and knowledge required for deep diving. You will thus learn how to simulate depth with Functional Residual Capacity (FRC) dives, also known as exhales dives, and master advanced equalization techniques.

To complete the Wave 3 Course and get the relevant freediving certification, you are to pass a practical exam, the requirements of which are:

• Static 3mn 30s
• Dynamic 75m
• Dynamic No Fins 50m
• Constant Weight & Free Immersion 34-40m
• Constant Weight No fins 25m
• Constant Weight Buddying 20m
• Rescue 20m
• Surface tow 20m