Upcoming Courses in Nelson Bay

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Upcoming Trips

Training Sessions & Local Island Trips

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Spearfishing Courses

180+ Five Star Reviews ★★★★★

"Such an incredible experience! I completed my Wave 1 & 2 with Salty Pilgrims and was blown away by the knowledge and time taken by every instructor to teach you how to dive.... I would highly recommend training with Salty Pilgrims if your are looking to start your freediving journey or take you diving to the next level. Big thanks to all the instructors that helped me during both of the courses, you are all absolute legends and I can't wait to dive more with you all!!"

Arthur - Wave 1 & 2 Freediving Course Student

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FAQ's

I have no ocean experience, can I still take a freediving course?

You certainly can! As long as you can swim 200m non-stop and unaided then you have more than enough experience for a Wave 1 or Taster Course.

I've never been able to equalise my ears properly and feel pain when trying to descend underwater, should I still do a freediving course?

This is our specialty! Our instructors thrive off solving equalisation problems and can provide guidance and techniques to help you properly equalise your ears. We have helped to solve hundreds of equalisation problems and can quickly evaluate what you’re doing and what you need to do to fix the issues.

What is the difference between the Shore Dive Courses and Boat Courses?

Shore Dive Courses:
The freediving sessions for this course are just a 50-100m swim out from the shore, in a protected cove within Nelson Bay. This dive site is not affected by swell and is more suitable for complete beginners.

Boat Dive Courses:
The whole second day of the freediving course is spent on our dive boat at the stunning Islands of Port Stephens. We are able to find the best locations to dive in, given the ocean conditions, and spend the lunch break on an Island. You will also have the chance to dive a wreck that sits at 11 metres on the way in from the dive sessions, and witness the seal colony on a close Island. This course is more suitable for people who have been on a boat before as it’s a big day out on the water.

I can already freedive deeper than the Wave 1 requirements but have never done a freediving course. Should I take the Wave 1 or Wave 2 course?

We generally recommend that you start with Wave 1. However, if you feel ready for Wave 2 we can do a 1 day evaluation of your skills in the pool and open water and take the Wave 1 exam to start at Wave 2.

Do I need my own gear?

Not at all! We have full gear hire available with premium masks, snorkels, fins, weightbelts and warm 5mm freediving wetsuits.

What is Molchanovs?

In 2017, Alexey Molchanov, Adam Stern, and Chris Kim were concerned about the state of the freediving world. They saw scuba education organisations entering freediving with large budgets and extensive networks, overshadowing purer freediving systems.

They realised the need for a comprehensive system that integrates education, community training, and shared experiences to shape the future of freediving. This led to the foundation of Molchanovs, a dedicated freediving teaching organisation and community focused on education, training, and transformative experiences.

Guided by the teachings the world’s best freedivers, Molchanovs aims to establish global and local freediving communities.

Molchanovs is the fastest growing Freediving Education System today.

Do you do private courses?

Yes, we run private freediving and spearfishing courses and can come to you.

Private courses are ran by our most experienced instructors who have experience working with both small and large groups as well as VIP clients.

Contact us for more information at saltypilgrims@gmail.com

Salty Pilgrims Social Freedive Group

We strongly believe that doing a course is just the beginning and want to help everyone's continuation of freediving through our community strongly based around Newcastle & Sydney, but ranges from Tasmania, all the way up to Cairns and even in Western Australia. If you have undergone a certified freediving course (regardless of what organisation), you are able to join our social freediving facebook messenger group.

Here you will be able to meet other dive buddies, find out about social events, group training sessions, visibility reports and general freediving froth!

Contact us for messenger link