In the AIDA system there are four levels of safety certification:
and two teaching certification levels:
The first safety certification level (AIDA 1, Beginner) has only knowledge requirements, but AIDA 2-4 include performance challenges. The table shows a summary of the main challenges for these AIDA safety certifications, as well as for the two teaching certifications. Below that are guidelines for submissions of challenges, and then the complete lists of challenges for each level.
| | AIDA 2 Intermediate Safety | AIDA 3 Advanced Safety | AIDA 4 Competition Safety | AIDA 4 Assistant Instructor | AIDA Instructor | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Exam | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | | Breath-hold | 2:00 | 2:45 | | 3:30 | 4:00 | | Underwater Swim | 40m | 55m | | 70m | 90m | | Dive | 10m | 21m | 30m | 30m | 40m | | Deep Safety | 7m | 15m | 25m | 25m | 30m | | Rescue | 5m | 10m | 20m | 20m | 25m |
Athletic challenges that don’t require depth, such as breath-holds and underwater swims, can be submitted by video. If you are submitting a challenge by video, please follow these guidelines:
Breath holds (“statics”) should be done on land, lying down in a comfortable place like your bed. You can film yourself with a stationary camera and you don’t need to have a buddy.
For underwater swims (“dynamics”) you must have a buddy. Your buddy should film you while swimming on the surface next to you. If you don’t have a waterproof camera, you can mount your camera at one end of the pool, as long it has a clear field of view of you and your buddy swimming next to you the whole time.
<aside> 💡 Your buddy must swim alongside you, rather than standing on the side of the pool.
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