Your guide to becoming a freedive instructor with The Pressure Project
Becoming a freedive instructor isn’t just about getting a qualification — it’s a journey. It’s about building skills, connecting with yourself, the ocean, and discovering a new way of living.
The pathway to freedive instructor is exciting, challenging, and incredibly rewarding. At The Pressure Project, we guide passionate freedivers along that path with our professional training programs certified by PADI Freediving — the perfect foundation for anyone exploring freediving Australia and worldwide.
Whether you dream of teaching freediving, working in the marine industry, as a marine life photographer, or simply pushing your own limits, understand the pathway to freedive instructor is the first step.
Starting Your Freediving Journey
Before you even think about becoming an instructor, you’ve got to start somewhere. That somewhere is your first freediving course.
A beginner freediving course is your foundation — where you learn breath-hold basics, equalisation techniques, and safe diving protocols. These skills aren’t just about performance; they’re about feeling confident underwater.
At The Pressure Project, our beginner courses balance theory and practice in a way that’s inspiring, safe, and fun. PADI Freediving’s certified programs, recognised worldwide, give you a trusted foundation. For many, this is the first step towards exploring the incredible opportunities for freediving Australia offers.
Pro Tip: Enjoy this stage. Freediving is as much about exploration and self-discovery as it is about technique. This stage often sparks the passion that leads people further along the pathway to freedive instructor.
Advancing Your Skills
Once you’ve mastered the basics, the next step is an advanced freediving course. This is where you refine your skills and start going deeper — literally.
Advanced training develops depth, breath-hold, equalisation, and underwater awareness. You’ll also strenghten your mental focus and understanding of your body’s limits.
At The Pressure Project, we make this stage an experience. From ocean sessions on the Sunshine Coast or in Byron Bay, to freediving retreats in incredible locations, your training becomes part of your lifestyle.
Pro Tip: Advanced freediving isn’t just preparation for instructor level — it’s a whole new level of freedom underwater, and the perfect way to prepare for freediving adventures.
Master Freediver — A New World Opens
After advanced freediving comes the Master Freediver Stage — a game-changer. This is where your freediving journey becomes as much about mindset as technique.
Mastering breathwork and mindset transforms not only your diving but your everyday life. Freediving becomes a practice in self-awareness, mental clarity, and handling pressure — skills that carry beyond the water.
Many freedivers find the Master course deeply rewarding. At The Pressure Project, we often combine Master Freediver and Instructor courses on our retreats in Bali. Amed in Bali is a perfect example — a world-class freediving spot where you can truly immerse yourself in the full freediving lifestyle.
Pro Tip: Think of the Master Freediver as unlocking a new level of personal growth. It prepares you for the technical demands of becoming an instructor while also enriching your overall experience of freediving.
The Freedive Instructor Course
This is where the pathway to freedive instructor becomes real. PADI Freediving’s instructor program gives you the tools and confidence to lead freediving courses.
As a certified freedive instructor, you’ll:
- Tech safe, effective freediving techniques
- Work with students of all levels
- Lead inspiring ocean experiences
- Join a global freediving community
At The Pressure Project, we combine technical training with hands-on teaching experience in some of the world’s best locations. You’ll finis ready not just to instruct — but to inspire.
Pro Tip: The instructor course seems challenging, but it is incredibly rewarding when you surround yourself with likeminded in a freedive paradise. This stage is where passion meets purpose — and opens doors for incredible freediving opportunities.
Why The Pressure Project
Our pathway to freedive instructor isn’t just about certification — it’s about the journey. At The Pressure Project, we offer a holistic experience that blends technical expertise, world-class coaching, and deep personal growth.
Over the past years, our founder and owner, Adam Sellars, has been on what could be described as a spiritual journey — one that has shaped both who he is as a freediving instructor and how he approaches teaching. As an athlete, Adam has always grappled with pressure that comes with high performance. But like many of us, he’s also faced the pressures of everyday life, at times to the point where it threatened to derail him. Freediving gave Adam a new perspective — a way to live and cope with pressure, stress and life itself.
Today, Adam shares this approach with the world. As a worldwilde PADI Ambassadiver and a PADI Freediving Instructor Trainer, Adam combines his deep technological knowledge with a unique focus on mindset, breath work, and meditation.
Adam has represented Australia in both the AIDA Freediving World Championships and the Vertical Blue Freediving Championships. He is also a qualified meditation teach and a yoga instructor — disciplines that he considers integral to the freediving experience.
Choosing The Pressure Project means:
- Learning from an instructor trainer with years of world-class freediving experience
- Coaching from a team who blends skill, science, and mindset training
- Training in epic freediving locations
- Joining a supportive, passionate freediving community
The Freediving Lifestyle
Becoming a freedive instructor is more than earning a certificate — it’s joining a movement. It’s about connecting with yourself and the ocean and helping others experience it safely.
The pathway to freedive instructor opens doors to teaching opportunities and adventures. For anyone passionate about freediving, it’s a pathway worth exploring.
Pro Tip: Keep engaged with the freediving community. Whether it’s courses, workshops, events, or retreats, ongoing learning keeps your passion alive.
Dive deeper. Dream bigger. Teach what you love.
Book your Bali Amed Freediving Retreat, November 1–8, to level up your skills or take the next step toward becoming a Master Freediver or Instructor. Combo Master & Instructor packs are available. Spots are limited—secure your place now for this transformational week underwater!
