Author: ALFC Team
This September, Alchemy Freediving Center welcomes Arthur Voisin to Kalamata for two highly practical safety workshops focused on the realities of modern depth freediving competition.
From 25 to 27 September 2026, freedivers will have the opportunity to train in AIDA Depth Competition Safety, alongside a dedicated DPV Safety Module. The objective is not simply to understand safety protocols, but to learn how to apply them when things are happening quickly, underwater, and under the pressure of a real competition environment.
Arthur brings extensive experience to Kalamata, having worked as a safety diver, team leader and chief of safety across seven World Championships and numerous other competitions around the world. As a member of the AIDA Safety Committee who contributed to the development of the official course, he brings both a deep understanding of the system and the practical experience of applying it in the water.
AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver
The AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver course is the only officially recognised safety training for depth freediving competitions.
The course provides the structure behind how a competition safety team operates, but the workshop goes further. Arthur will bring real competition experience into the training through discussion, repeated in-water scenarios, actual competition footage, real incidents and lessons learned from events around the world.
The approach is highly practical. Participants will be challenged according to their own level, repeating scenarios until the procedures and decisions involved begin to feel natural.
What You Will Learn
• How a depth competition is set up and where the safety diver fits within it
• The roles of Safety 1, 2, 3 and 4 and how the rotation works
• Pre-dive checks, line setting, depth verification and competition announcements
• How to read an athlete underwater and determine when intervention is necessary
• How to time and position a safety dive to meet the athlete at the correct depth and moment
• Airway management, sandwich position and ascent technique
• Keenan position, Blow-Tap-Talk, rescue breaths and the complete in-water rescue protocol
• Transport, extraction and hand-over to the medical team
• Code of conduct, media considerations and the legal responsibilities of a competition safety diver
• Analysis of real competition situations, footage, mistakes and incidents from events around the world
Programme
Friday Evening
• Course opening
• Competition environment
• Roles and responsibilities
• Understanding what is expected from a safety diver in the water
Saturday
• Physical assessment
• Core safety techniques
• Shallow rescues
• First team rescue scenarios
• Theory covering pathologies, complications and rescue procedures
• Video review of the day's training
Sunday
• Team rescues
• Full scenarios using a real competition setup
• Line setting and checks
• Official gauge procedures
• Countdown
• Intervention and extraction
• Video review
• Footage and cases from freediving history
• Q&A and certifications
Who Can Attend
You do not need to meet the full certification performance requirements before joining the course.
To attend, you need:
• To be at least 18 years old
• AIDA2 certification or equivalent
• A completed AIDA medical form and liability release
Participants who have not yet reached the certification requirements can still complete the full course and receive the same teaching and mentoring. They then have one year to train and complete the remaining requirements.
What The Certification Gives You
Successful completion of all requirements leads to certification as an AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver.
This allows you to officially work as a safety diver at AIDA competitions and begin accumulating the experience points used when safety teams are selected for major events, including World Championships.
25–27 September 2026
6 places available
€250
DPV Safety Module
On 25 September, Arthur will also lead a dedicated DPV Safety Module.
There is currently no specialised scooter safety training of this kind. The module is based on the system Arthur has developed while running scooter safety at multiple World Championships and competitions across different continents. Training in Kalamata will take place using Alchemy's DPVs.
The progression takes participants from basic DPV control to its application within a complete competition safety team.
What You Will Learn
• Pre-dive scooter checks
• Battery checks
• Harness adjustment
• Test descents
• Duck diving with a DPV
• Positioning and navigating around the competition line
• Developing agility and control with the scooter
• Approaching another diver underwater
• Catching and correctly positioning a diver
• Using the DPV alongside other safety divers
• Performing scooter-assisted rescues within a safety team
Programme
• One theory session
• Two water sessions
• First water session focused on scooter handling, agility, positioning and control
• Second water session focused on practical safety scenarios
Who It Is For
The DPV Safety Module is open to anyone who wants to learn how to handle a DPV properly, regardless of current level.
It is not currently an official AIDA certification. Instead, participants can receive a personal validation demonstrating that they are ready to operate as a competent scooter safety diver within a real competition environment.
The workshop is adapted to each participant's level. Even if someone does not reach the validation standard during the day, they will leave with greater DPV handling ability, a clear progression to follow and the experience needed to continue developing their skills.
25 September 2026
6 places available
€100 as a standalone module
€300 when combined with the AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver course
Certification Requirements
The following requirements are set by AIDA and can be completed within one year of the course.
Entry Requirements
• Minimum age: 18
• AIDA2 certification or equivalent
• AIDA medical form and liability release
In-Water Requirements
• 35–40 m CWTB
• A 30 m dive, followed by 30 seconds of surface recovery and then a 20 m dive
• 20 m dives performed on 3 to 5 seconds notice
Safety Skills
• Solo rescues from 20 m
• Team rescues from 25 m with 30 seconds standby
• Assisting and rescuing from 25 m with blackouts occurring at random depths, including the surface, 10 m and 25 m
• Ability to cover all three team roles, including extraction and hand-over to the medical team
Theory
• Online AIDA examination with a minimum score of 75%
About Arthur Voisin
Arthur Voisin has worked at the highest levels of competitive freediving safety as a safety diver, team leader and chief of safety. His experience includes seven World Championships as well as numerous competitions around the world.
He is also a member of the AIDA Safety Committee and contributed directly to the development of the AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver course. This combination of official involvement and extensive in-water experience is at the heart of the workshop in Kalamata: learning the established system, then understanding how to make that system work in the reality of a competition.
For participation and further information, contact ops@alfc.gr.
AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver & DPV Safety Workshop At ALFC
Author: ALFC Team
This September, Alchemy Freediving Center welcomes Arthur Voisin to Kalamata for two highly practical safety workshops focused on the realities of modern depth freediving competition.
From 25 to 27 September 2026, freedivers will have the opportunity to train in AIDA Depth Competition Safety, alongside a dedicated DPV Safety Module. The objective is not simply to understand safety protocols, but to learn how to apply them when things are happening quickly, underwater, and under the pressure of a real competition environment.
Arthur brings extensive experience to Kalamata, having worked as a safety diver, team leader and chief of safety across seven World Championships and numerous other competitions around the world. As a member of the AIDA Safety Committee who contributed to the development of the official course, he brings both a deep understanding of the system and the practical experience of applying it in the water.
AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver
The AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver course is the only officially recognised safety training for depth freediving competitions.
The course provides the structure behind how a competition safety team operates, but the workshop goes further. Arthur will bring real competition experience into the training through discussion, repeated in-water scenarios, actual competition footage, real incidents and lessons learned from events around the world.
The approach is highly practical. Participants will be challenged according to their own level, repeating scenarios until the procedures and decisions involved begin to feel natural.
What You Will Learn
• How a depth competition is set up and where the safety diver fits within it
• The roles of Safety 1, 2, 3 and 4 and how the rotation works
• Pre-dive checks, line setting, depth verification and competition announcements
• How to read an athlete underwater and determine when intervention is necessary
• How to time and position a safety dive to meet the athlete at the correct depth and moment
• Airway management, sandwich position and ascent technique
• Keenan position, Blow-Tap-Talk, rescue breaths and the complete in-water rescue protocol
• Transport, extraction and hand-over to the medical team
• Code of conduct, media considerations and the legal responsibilities of a competition safety diver
• Analysis of real competition situations, footage, mistakes and incidents from events around the world
Programme
Friday Evening
• Course opening
• Competition environment
• Roles and responsibilities
• Understanding what is expected from a safety diver in the water
Saturday
• Physical assessment
• Core safety techniques
• Shallow rescues
• First team rescue scenarios
• Theory covering pathologies, complications and rescue procedures
• Video review of the day's training
Sunday
• Team rescues
• Full scenarios using a real competition setup
• Line setting and checks
• Official gauge procedures
• Countdown
• Intervention and extraction
• Video review
• Footage and cases from freediving history
• Q&A and certifications
Who Can Attend
You do not need to meet the full certification performance requirements before joining the course.
To attend, you need:
• To be at least 18 years old
• AIDA2 certification or equivalent
• A completed AIDA medical form and liability release
Participants who have not yet reached the certification requirements can still complete the full course and receive the same teaching and mentoring. They then have one year to train and complete the remaining requirements.
What The Certification Gives You
Successful completion of all requirements leads to certification as an AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver.
This allows you to officially work as a safety diver at AIDA competitions and begin accumulating the experience points used when safety teams are selected for major events, including World Championships.
25–27 September 2026
6 places available
€250
DPV Safety Module
On 25 September, Arthur will also lead a dedicated DPV Safety Module.
There is currently no specialised scooter safety training of this kind. The module is based on the system Arthur has developed while running scooter safety at multiple World Championships and competitions across different continents. Training in Kalamata will take place using Alchemy's DPVs.
The progression takes participants from basic DPV control to its application within a complete competition safety team.
What You Will Learn
• Pre-dive scooter checks
• Battery checks
• Harness adjustment
• Test descents
• Duck diving with a DPV
• Positioning and navigating around the competition line
• Developing agility and control with the scooter
• Approaching another diver underwater
• Catching and correctly positioning a diver
• Using the DPV alongside other safety divers
• Performing scooter-assisted rescues within a safety team
Programme
• One theory session
• Two water sessions
• First water session focused on scooter handling, agility, positioning and control
• Second water session focused on practical safety scenarios
Who It Is For
The DPV Safety Module is open to anyone who wants to learn how to handle a DPV properly, regardless of current level.
It is not currently an official AIDA certification. Instead, participants can receive a personal validation demonstrating that they are ready to operate as a competent scooter safety diver within a real competition environment.
The workshop is adapted to each participant's level. Even if someone does not reach the validation standard during the day, they will leave with greater DPV handling ability, a clear progression to follow and the experience needed to continue developing their skills.
25 September 2026
6 places available
€100 as a standalone module
€300 when combined with the AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver course
Certification Requirements
The following requirements are set by AIDA and can be completed within one year of the course.
Entry Requirements
• Minimum age: 18
• AIDA2 certification or equivalent
• AIDA medical form and liability release
In-Water Requirements
• 35–40 m CWTB
• A 30 m dive, followed by 30 seconds of surface recovery and then a 20 m dive
• 20 m dives performed on 3 to 5 seconds notice
Safety Skills
• Solo rescues from 20 m
• Team rescues from 25 m with 30 seconds standby
• Assisting and rescuing from 25 m with blackouts occurring at random depths, including the surface, 10 m and 25 m
• Ability to cover all three team roles, including extraction and hand-over to the medical team
Theory
• Online AIDA examination with a minimum score of 75%
About Arthur Voisin
Arthur Voisin has worked at the highest levels of competitive freediving safety as a safety diver, team leader and chief of safety. His experience includes seven World Championships as well as numerous competitions around the world.
He is also a member of the AIDA Safety Committee and contributed directly to the development of the AIDA Depth Competition Safety Freediver course. This combination of official involvement and extensive in-water experience is at the heart of the workshop in Kalamata: learning the established system, then understanding how to make that system work in the reality of a competition.
For participation and further information, contact ops@alfc.gr.