Freedive Club — Kaitāia | Pool Freediver Certification

Freedive Club — Kaitāia - MOANA WĀHINE

Weekend workshops · Pool Freediver Certification · Wāhine only · Limited spots

📅 Workshop Dates

Workshop 1: Sunday June 21st
Workshop 2: Sunday July 5th
Format: Two weekend sessions

🤿 What is this?

We're bringing Freedive Club to Kaitāia as two weekend workshops this term. This is your chance to gain your Pool Freediver certification — Day 1 of a formal Freediver course — giving you a recognised, formal certification.

Alongside the certification, you'll be helping awhi the next generation of rangatahi wāhine through our Moana Wāhine programme, creating community and keeping this kaupapa going. We've been building this over the last few years and it's something special.

those who want to join in the morning will be encourages to support the afternoon with Wāhine Moana a free programme for anyone 12 years old and over, who identifies as Wāhine. 

👤 Who is this for?

• Wāhine only — must identify as female
• Local wāhine who want to awhi rangatahi and gain their certification
• All stages welcome — no experience needed
• Very limited spots

💰 What does $120 cover?

• Pool hire
• Online learning materials
• Your formal Pool Freediver certification 

This is an investment in yourself and in community. The fee helps us cover real costs so we can keep bringing this kaupapa to Kaitāia.

🎯 What you'll get

• Pool Freediver certification — a formally recognised qualification
• Practical freediving skills and breath-hold training
• Ocean safety knowledge
• Connection with local wāhine and rangatahi
• Being part of something bigger — community and kaupapa

🎒 What to bring

Togs, a towel, a water bottle, and all your dive gear if you have it — mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit. Don't stress if you don't have everything, just bring what you can and we'll sort the rest.

📍 Kaitāia · Freedive Aotearoa · Term 2

The pathway from first breath-hold to instructor — designed by wāhine, for wāhine.

Moana Wāhine is a structured pathway through SSI freediving certifications for wāhine who want to teach. Mentorship-led, cohort-based, designed around the reality of being a woman in the ocean industry.

The pathway

Level 1 → Level 2 → Level 3 → Instructor — with mentorship, peer support, and wāhine-only cohorts where it counts.

Who this is for

• Wāhine considering teaching freediving
• Existing certified divers ready for the instructor pathway
• Wāhine working in marine education, schools, or kura

What's different

• Wāhine-only cohorts at every level
• Mentorship from New Zealand's first female SSI Freediving Instructor Trainer
• Integration with the Te Wheke Moana schools delivery pathway
• Pricing structures that work for working wāhine
• Funding pathways via Tū Manawa where applicable

Programmes currently running

• Kerikeri & Kawakawa weekly rangatahi sessions — Tuesdays, free, funded by Tū Manawa
• Kaitaia weekend workshops — Pool Freediver certification for wāhine, very limited spots

Cohort dates

Cohorts are built when a critical mass is ready. The best way in is to get in touch — let us know where you are in your pathway and we'll work out the timing.

→ Apply for the next cohort or call +64 27 373 3348

Who's leading it

Sacha Williamson — first female SSI Freediving Instructor Trainer in New Zealand. 25+ years of professional ocean experience. Partnership history with Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, EMR, R. Tucker Thompson Trust, and the I Have A Dream Foundation.

Safety, certification & accreditation

Freedive Aotearoa is an SSI Instructor Training Centre, AdventureMark certified, Qualmark accredited, and operates under a WorkSafe-aligned Safety Management System. Read our safety standards →