ABOUT WATERMAN SURVIVAL

Waterman Survival is a breath hold training organization, led by F.I.I. instructor Joe Sheridan. Waterman Survival offers professional and experienced training for students who want to improve their comfort level in the water on a breath. Joe teaches the F.I.I. Level 1 & 2 Freediver course, the Waterman Survival course, and the ultimate Waterman Survival Extended course.

All courses start with classroom training, immediately followed by extensive pool training. This ensures students get plenty of opportunity for hands on training prior to open water sessions. The ocean training provides students with a realistic environment that simulates real life scenarios. This step by step process creates a safe, comfortable, and effective foundation for breath hold training.

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About Joe Sheridan

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Joe has always had a genuine passion for exploration and the water. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from North Carolina State University. After college Joe served as an Infantry Officer in US Military. Joe Sheridan has been freediving since 2005 and has been an instructor with F.I.I. since 2012. Prior to becoming an instructor, Joe has traveled extensively for spearfishing trips and has competed in freediving competitions. He now teaches regularly in Puerto Rico, Panama, Florida, North Carolina and private destination courses. 

Currently Joe is a Level 1, Level 2 and Waterman Survival Extended Instructor. He has more experience teaching the Waterman Survival Extended course than any other instructor in the world. With hundreds of trained students Joe continues to set the bar for the highest standard of safety and effective breath hold survival training. Joe continues to take advanced instructor training courses for continuous freediving education and competes in spearfishing tournaments. His unique teaching style stems from prior military service and running an independent sales agency for the past 25 years. Joe’s passion for teaching this course helps empower his students to reach their fullest potential underwater on a breath.

 


What Makes Waterman Survival Different

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This specialized course reveals the training methods to handle unexpected breath-hold related situations. The acquired skills will exponentially increase in-water breath-hold confidence and safety as well as management in extreme situations. Students will conduct confined water exercises supervised by an instructor designed to increase in water comfort and survivability in real breath-hold related emergencies. Students will learn and demonstrate proper buddy supervision and safety procedures.

 Any experienced waterman will easily recall at least one moment in their lives when the power of Mother Nature's ultimate force has pushed them to their limits. Gasping for breath, they reached the surface feeling there was nothing else to give, or was there? During this groundbreaking course F.I.I. Waterman Survival instructor Joe Sheridan will dispel common misconceptions and get to the bottom of the true urge to breathe. Participants will learn how to retrain their urge to breathe, increasing their CO2 tolerance and breath-hold abilities, while also mastering key specialized safety protocols to ensure effective victim management for breath-hold related incidents in extreme conditions. This step by step process creates a safe, comfortable, and effective foundation for breath hold training. The Waterman Survival training has been utilized by U.S. Navy Seals, Special Operations, MARSOC, Coast Guard, professional surfers, lifeguards and many more.