Description

SURF APNEA™ – NOOSA, QLD

Saturday 10 October 2026

0830 – 1430

Venue : Noosa Aquatic Centre, 6 Girraween Ct, Sunshine Beach QLD 4567

Instructors:
JASON RICE – Creator of Apnea Survival™ and Surf Apnea™

Jason developed Apnea Survival through decades of lived experience in surfing, freediving, spearfishing, emergency response, rescue, strength and conditioning coaching and breath hold training. His work focuses on the interaction between breathing, physiology, movement, psychology and decision-making under pressure. Rather than teaching breath-holding as an isolated performance, Jason uses it as a practical training tool to help people better understand their internal responses, manage discomfort and remain functional when circumstances become difficult.

This course offers a unique combination of physiology, psychology, practical coaching and real-world aquatic experience, and is a powerful one day immersive training experience designed to change the way you respond to pressure, in the water, in sport and throughout everyday life. Facilitated by Apnea Survival creator Jason Rice, the course combines functional breathing, breath hold training, controlled stress exposure and practical nervous system regulation to develop calm, clarity, confidence and better decision making when situations become uncomfortable or intense.

Surf Apnea™ was originally developed to help surfers better manage hold-downs, wipeouts, impact-zone stress and the rising panic associated with breath deprivation. It has since evolved into a highly transferable training system for anyone who wants to become calmer, clearer and more capable when pressure rises.

• You do not need to be a surfer.
• You do not need to be a freediver.
• You do not need to be an elite athlete or experienced waterperson.

The course is suitable for complete beginners, recreational swimmers, surfers, freedivers, spearfishers, runners, combat-sports athletes, coaches, first responders, yoga teachers, adventure athletes and everyday people wanting to improve their relationship with stress and discomfort. The environment may change, but the human response to pressure is often remarkably similar.

• Breathing becomes faster.
• Muscles tighten.
• Thoughts accelerate.
• Attention narrows.
• The urge to escape becomes stronger.

Surf Apnea™ teaches you how to recognise that response, regulate it and regain control before it takes over. Surf Apnea™ is not simply about seeing how long you can hold your breath. A long breath-hold performed under perfect conditions does not automatically prepare you for a demanding real-world situation. In the surf, during sport or when life becomes chaotic, you may already be physically tired. Your heart rate may be elevated. You may not receive a full preparatory breath. You may be moving, disorientated, emotionally activated or required to recover and perform again with very little warning. This course teaches you how to remain organised when breathing becomes restricted, discomfort rises and your nervous system begins demanding that you react.

You will learn how to:

• understand what is happening inside your body during a breath-hold;
• recognise the difference between air hunger and oxygen danger;
• manage the urge to breathe without immediately panicking;
• reduce unnecessary tension and conserve oxygen;
• improve recovery between stressful events;
• regulate your breathing and nervous system;
• maintain awareness while under physical and psychological pressure;
• move more efficiently on a single breath; and
• make clearer decisions when conditions become uncomfortable.

At its core, Surf Apnea™ is about developing self-awareness and self-control under pressure.

• Learning to breathe better.
• Think clearer.
• Stay calmer.
• Recover faster.

And become harder to overwhelm when the ocean or life turns chaotic.

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the breath-hold journey and what occurs physiologically and psychologically when the body is placed under pressure on a single breath. You will explore how oxygen, carbon dioxide, movement, lung volume, stress and mindset influence the way a breath-hold feels and unfolds. A relaxed static breath-hold after normal breathing creates one type of journey. A breath-hold performed while moving creates another. A surf hold-down involving turbulence, physical exertion and uncertainty is different again. Through theory, breathing activities and supervised pool-based drills, you will learn how to recognise these differences and respond with greater awareness and control.

A surf hold down is rarely one long and peaceful breath-hold. It is more commonly a series of short, intense events.

• You may have been paddling hard before impact.
• Your final breath may be rushed or incomplete.
• You may be rolled, compressed and disorientated.
• You may surface with only enough time for one or two breaths before the next wave arrives.
• The second hold-down may begin before you have fully recovered from the first.

Surf Apnea™ therefore focuses not only on breath hold capacity, but also on preparation, composure, movement, recovery and the ability to perform again. These skills are invaluable in the ocean, but they also transfer directly into sport, work, emergency situations and everyday life.

Topics covered during the course include:

• understanding the human dive response;
• the breath-hold journey;
• the urge to breathe and carbon dioxide tolerance;
• oxygen use and hypoxia awareness;
• nervous-system regulation and the human stress response;
• functional breathing and recovery techniques;
• relaxation and tension-management methods;
• safe static and dynamic apnea training principles;
• preparation without hyperventilation;
• efficient movement and oxygen conservation;
• repeated breath-hold and recovery scenarios;
• practical tools for managing surf hold-downs;
• situational awareness and decision-making under pressure; and
• applying breath-control skills to sport, work and everyday life.

The Noosa Surf Apnea™ course combines theory, land based activities, breathing exercises and supervised pool training. Every drill is scalable to the individual. You will not be compared with other participants or pressured to achieve a particular breath-hold time. The emphasis is on understanding your own physiology, improving control and developing skills that can be safely applied outside the course. The pool session includes a variety of controlled breath hold, movement and recovery activities designed to develop composure under load. Underwater distances are limited, all activities are closely supervised and participant safety remains the priority throughout the day.

GEAR REQUIRED

Please bring:

• swim goggles rather than a dive mask;
• swimmers or boardshorts;
• a surf wetsuit or other suitable thermal protection;
• a towel;
• comfortable clothing for the theory component;
• drinking water and food for the day; and
• optional bodyboard-style rubber swim fins if you are not a strong swimmer.

Although pool water is generally heated, participants may be in the water for two to three hours. The body can cool significantly during static breath-holds and slower pool activities, so thermal protection is highly recommended, particularly during the early stages of the water session.

Participants must be able to swim at least 100 metres without assistance. Rubber bodyboard or swimming fins may be worn during the course if required. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Participants aged between 15 and 17 may attend when accompanied by a responsible adult aged 18 or over. All activities are progressive and can be modified according to individual confidence, experience and physical ability.

• Suitable for all levels and all people.
• Train your breath.
• Control your response.
• Change the way you experience discomfort.
• And become more capable when pressure rises.

Be Your Own Dolphin™ – Be Harder to kill!™