Who are we?
The International Association for the Development of Freediving (AIDA International) was founded in 1992, making it the oldest and most experienced freediving federation in the world. Our national branch, AIDA Belgium, is a non-profit organization founded by Jean-Pol François, Pascal Marquet, Frédéric Buyle, Patrick Musimu, Pierre Galère, and Frédéric Vanderschueren in Liège on August 17, 2000.
Our objectives
AIDA Belgium has a great tradition of teaching freediving at national and international levels thanks to Jean-Pol François who was, for example, the head of international education at AIDA for about 6 years, achieving, among other things, what no one had achieved before, the creation of manuals for AIDA Freedivers.
AIDA Belgium also has a long tradition in competitive freediving. In fact, it has organized around thirty official AIDA competitions to date, involving dozens of nationalities. Patrick Musimu was also the very first man to descend 200 meters below the surface of the sea on a single breath.
The goal of AIDA Belgium is to develop and promote freediving in Belgium. The AIDA Belgium board also represents AIDA Belgium freedivers within the AIDA Assembly, along with over 40 other AIDA nationals. AIDA International is a non-profit freediving organization comprised of international assemblies that vote democratically. Each AIDA national has one vote. The Assembly elects an executive board to manage AIDA's day-to-day operations. The majority of the work done by AIDA International is carried out by volunteers.
In other words, AIDA is a freediving organization for freedivers. So don't hesitate to contact us to learn more about our activities and perhaps join forces to ensure that freediving remains a safe activity for everyone.
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Developing recreational and competitive freediving in natural sites and swimming pools.
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Organizer of internships in Belgium and abroad.
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Training coordinator for the Belgian national freediving team.
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Cooperate with all organizations and associations that have worked for the development of freediving and scuba diving.
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Contribute to accident prevention.
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Define the content of teaching, training and coaching.
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To train freedivers from beginner level to instructor level for the safe practice of freediving.
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To produce educational documents and tools to facilitate the teaching of freediving.
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To train coaches and judges for competitions and the validation of national records.
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Disseminate information on stages, training, competitions and regulations.