Red Sea Freediving Week: Depth Training, Yoga & Reef Days in Dahab

The week is structured around two dives a day, with a rest day in the middle. Mornings are for depth work on the line — you descend on a rope under supervision, with a safety diver meeting you on the way up. Afternoons are either a second line session, a static apnea session, or classroom work on equalisation, lung packing and rescue procedures. The instructors are all certified to teach AIDA and SSI freediving levels and are active competitors, so most of what you learn is what they actually use in competition.

The setting helps. Dahab's dive sites sit right off the shore, so you're not losing half your day to boat rides. The Blue Hole and the Bells are a short drive north, and Lighthouse Bay is a walk away. Water temperature in summer sits in the high twenties, so a 3mm suit is plenty; in winter you'll want a 5mm and a hood.

Groups are kept small — typically no more than eight divers per instructor — which means you get corrected on your duck dive and your finning technique rather than just being told to try again. Equalisation is the thing most people struggle with, and the week includes a dedicated workshop on Frenzel and mouthfill, plus dry-land exercises you can keep doing after you fly home.

Accommodation is at a small diver-focused hotel a few minutes from the dive centre. Rooms are simple, clean and air-conditioned, with a rooftop terrace where the yoga takes place at sunset. Breakfast is at the hotel; lunch and dinner are usually taken at the beachfront cafés, either as a group or on your own.

The rest day is yours. Most people take a jeep trip into the desert to see the oasis at Ain Khudra, or head up to Mount Sinai for sunrise, or simply sleep in. The retreat finishes with a group dinner on the last night and a debrief on where each diver got to over the week, with a written record of your depths that you can use toward your next certification level.

What's included

- 6 nights accommodation in twin-share rooms with air conditioning - Daily breakfast at the hotel - 10-12 guided freediving sessions over the week - Dedicated equalisation and Frenzel workshop - Static apnea training sessions - Rescue and safety procedures workshop - All tanks, weights and line set-ups - Wetsuit, mask and fin rental if needed - Sunset yoga sessions on the rooftop - Day trip to the Blue Hole and the Bells - Logbook sign-off and written depth record - Group farewell lunch on the final day

What's not included

- International flights to Sharm El Sheikh - Airport transfers (can be arranged for around €40 each way) - Lunches and dinners - Travel and dive insurance (required) - Freediving certification fees if you choose to certify - Optional desert excursions and Mount Sinai trips - Massages and spa treatments - Personal equipment purchases - Tips for guides and hotel staff