Description

SURF APNEA™ — COFFS HARBOUR, NSW

Saturday 12 September 2026
8:30 am–3:30 pm AEST
Coffs Squash and Swim Centre
11 Korora Basin Road, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450

Train your breath. Master your response. Perform under pressure.

Surf Apnea™ is no longer simply a course about extending your breath hold or preparing for surfing hold-downs.

It is a practical training system for developing greater control over your breathing, nervous system, thoughts and physical responses when pressure begins to rise. Using breath-hold training and the surfing hold-down as powerful learning tools, the course teaches you how to recognise stress, regulate your response, remain calm through discomfort and continue making effective decisions when a situation becomes physically or psychologically challenging. These skills are highly relevant in the surf, but they extend far beyond it. Surf Apnea™ is designed for surfers, freedivers, water people, athletes, first responders, coaches and everyday humans who want to become calmer, more adaptable and more capable under pressure.

This is your opportunity to train face-to-face with Jason Rice, creator of Apnea Survival and the Surf Apnea™ training system. Jason draws on decades of experience across surfing, freediving, emergency response, physical conditioning and human performance to deliver a course grounded in practical application rather than breath-hold numbers alone.

More than a breath hold course

A longer breath hold can be useful, but time is not the primary objective of Surf Apnea™. The real objective is to develop the ability to remain composed, functional and self-aware when your breathing is restricted, your urge to breathe becomes intense or circumstances begin moving beyond your control. Throughout the course, you will learn to recognise the physiological and psychological responses that arise under pressure. You will then practise methods for managing those responses through breathing, relaxation, attention, movement and controlled exposure to discomfort. The same skills used to manage a surf hold-down can help an athlete recover between efforts, a first responder regulate during a critical incident, a coach communicate under pressure or an everyday person interrupt an escalating stress response. Surf Apnea™ uses the water as a training environment, but the lessons are designed to transfer into sport, work and life.

What to expect

Theory and land based training

You will explore the science and practical application of breathing, breath holding, stress regulation and performance under pressure. The theory session will help you understand what happens to the body and mind when breathing becomes restricted, carbon dioxide rises and the nervous system begins interpreting the situation as a threat. You will learn practical strategies for reducing unnecessary tension, managing fear, improving recovery and remaining capable when discomfort appears.

Pool practical

The pool session places these ideas into practice through carefully structured breathing, static apnea, swimming and dynamic breath-hold drills. The objective is not to push participants toward exhaustion or maximum breath-hold performances. Instead, the drills are used to develop awareness, relaxation, control, confidence and safer training habits. You will learn how to work with the urge to breathe, remain calm during rising discomfort and maintain effective movement and decision-making under controlled pressure.

Personalised coaching

Jason provides direct coaching and practical feedback throughout the day, helping each participant work at an appropriate level. The course is suitable for absolute beginners through to experienced surfers, freedivers and high-performance athletes. You do not need an exceptional breath hold or extensive water background to benefit.

What you will learn

Course content includes:

• Breath-control strategies for stress regulation and recovery
• The human dive response and its influence on the body
• Understanding carbon dioxide and the urge to breathe
• Managing fear, discomfort and rising panic
• Relaxation and nervous-system regulation techniques
• Static, swimming and dynamic apnea training methods
• Efficient breathing before and after intense efforts
• Developing self-awareness and control under pressure
• Maintaining effective movement during breath restriction
• Making better decisions when situations become intense
• Safer breath-hold training principles and protocols
• Applying Surf Apnea™ skills beyond surfing and the water

Who is the course for?

Surf Apnea™ is suitable for:

• Recreational and competitive surfers
• Big-wave and heavy-water surfers
• Freedivers, spearfishers and ocean athletes
• Swimmers and endurance athletes
• Coaches and performance professionals
• First responders and emergency-service personnel
• People seeking better stress-management and recovery skills
• Anyone wanting to develop greater control over their breathing and response to pressure

You do not need to be a surfer. Although the surfing hold-down provides the central training model, the skills taught throughout the day are applicable across many environments and situations. Whether you are preparing for challenging ocean conditions, demanding sport, workplace pressure or simply want to become more composed when life becomes uncomfortable, Surf Apnea™ provides a practical framework for training those abilities.

Continue your training online

Every participant receives 12 months of complimentary access to the Surf Apnea Online training platform. This allows you to revisit the theory, reinforce the skills introduced during the course and continue developing your breathing, breath-hold capacity, recovery and performance after the face-to-face training day.

Event details

Date: Saturday 12 September 2026
Course time: 8:30 am–3:30 pm AEST
Venue: Coffs Squash and Swim Centre
Address: 11 Korora Basin Road, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Instructor: Jason Rice — Creator of Apnea Survival and Surf Apnea™
Contact: info@apneasurvival.com.au

This is a full-day, face-to-face course consisting of updated theory content, practical land-based exercises and an extended pool session.

Equipment required

Please bring:

• Swim goggles rather than a diving mask
• Swimmers or boardshorts
• A surf wetsuit
• Towel
• Drinking water
• Rubber bodyboard or swimming fins when additional swimming assistance is required

Participants can expect to spend approximately two to three hours in the water. Although the pool temperature is generally around 27°C, the body can cool considerably during static breath holds and low-intensity water activities. Thermal protection is therefore strongly recommended, particularly during the early stages of the pool session.

Prerequisites

• Participants must be able to swim 100 metres unassisted.
• Rubber bodyboard fins or swimming fins may be worn when required.
• Participants must be at least 18 years old. Young people aged 15 to 17 may attend when accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult aged 18 or older. The supervising adult must also register for and participate in the course.

Following registration, you will receive a booking confirmation, detailed course information and a medical questionnaire. Please complete all required information and add the event to your calendar.

TRAIN YOUR BREATH.

BE YOUR OWN DOLPHIN.™

BE HARDER TO KILL.™