Aquatic Survival International (ASI) is based in the Hawaiian Islands and was founded in 2021 to better focus on the support we provide to the U.S. Armed Forces. Our experience dates back to 1999 with the founding of Performance Freediving International (PFI). PFI was the first freediving certification organization to be founded in the Americas, was one of the earliest freediving education and training organizations in the world, and the first in the world to develop and offer a Breath-Hold Surf Survival course.
Our first Breath-Hold Surf Survival course was originally developed in 2008 to prepare big wave surfers to survive the world’s most violent big wave wipeouts and longest hold-down times on the planet as pioneering surfers paddled in to ride the biggest waves on the planet (i.e. Jaws, Maui; Nazare, Portugal; and Mavericks, California). The course quickly became a “must do” and a critical component of training for elite big wave surf professionals and we are proud to have these important life saving and survival skills to many of the top performers in the sport. Soon thereafter, the value of this training and education for professionals in other high performance fields became apparent and over the past 16 years, we have expanded and tailored our curriculum to include Breath-Hold Survival training to highly specialized aquatic units in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, to the United Kingdom’s SBS and Canada’s JTF-2, emergency service first responders, other professional athletes, as well as providing underwater breath-hold training to motion picture casts support crews in the United States, Great Britain, and New Zealand.
Our origins are in the world of competitive freediving and as high-performance freediving educators, athletes, and coaches. The ASI Team applies over 40 years of specialized experience to our Ocean Survival, Safety, and Contingency Preparedness course of instruction, specifically designed to improve a student’s breath-hold performance under critical stress while increasing comfort and confidence in hazardous conditions. This is our primary goal, to provide each student with an increased level of comfort, confidence and overall contingency preparedness response.
We place the utmost emphasis on essential safety protocols, problem management skills underwater, and rescue procedures associated with hypoxic events. We address panic control related to breath-hold contingency response preparedness due to an underwater breathing equipment failure, or the loss of an air source, essentially helping students to remain calm while ‘performing under pressure’ on a single breath of air in potentially life threatening situations. The difference between life and death can be a matter of seconds during an unexpected contingency breath-hold, and every second counts when troubleshooting a problem, allowing a team to stay on schedule, turning a major show-stopping event into a minor one.
We provide Ocean Survival, Safety, and Contingency Preparedness Training to aquatic professionals looking to improve breath-hold performances under pressure to increase the chances of survivability in unforeseen situations. The need for specialized breath-hold training isn’t truly appreciated until it’s needed, and often too late, only after a near fatal or fatal incident has already occurred.
Aquatic Survival International also pioneered the development of Technical Freediving, freediving with the use of enriched gas NITROX for freedivers using Diver Propulsion Vehicles while providing deep safety in international competitions and for exploratory expeditions in austere locations.
Our training breath-hold survival training programs never stop evolving, our content is continually updated in order to always provide the best and most breath-hold survival training available today.
Contact us to schedule a course or to learn more about the training program we offer at info@aquaticsurvival.com or by phone, 808-397-7272.
