STA, DYN, CWT, CNF and FIM: how the eight AIDA disciplines differ, and what the world records reveal about how far humans can really go.
The honest answer first: competitive freediving isn't one discipline, it's eight. The federation AIDA International distinguishes four pool and four depth disciplines, each testing a different aspect of performance — time, distance, or meters. Say "freediving world record" and you always have to specify which one.
In the stillness discipline Static Apnea (STA), the diver floats motionless face-down in the water, and only time counts. The AIDA-recognized competition record without pre-breathing pure oxygen stands at 11 minutes 54 seconds — nearly 200 times longer than most untrained people can manage. For context: the widely publicized 24-minute record by Budimir Šobat was set under different rules with oxygen pre-breathing and doesn't count as an AIDA competition discipline — an important distinction many reports blur.
The depth disciplines are about meters rather than minutes. Constant Weight (CWT) is the most widely practiced: descent and ascent both happen actively with a monofin or bi-fins along a guide line. Alexey Molchanov dove to 126 meters in Cyprus in 2025 — his 40th world record; the women's record stands at 123 meters. For comparison: that's over 40 stories of a high-rise, upside down, on a single breath.
The most extreme is No-Limits (NLT): the diver descends unbraked on a weighted sled and ascends with an inflatable lift bag. Herbert Nitsch reached 214 meters here as an AIDA-recognized record — on a later attempt to 253 meters, he suffered severe decompression sickness and lost consciousness on the way back up, which is why that dive wasn't recognized. Train Smart. Play Hard. — this record in particular shows: even at elite level, success depends not just on talent but on risk management.
Static Apnea (STA) measures pure time without movement. Dynamic Apnea (DYN) measures distance with fin assistance, Dynamic No Fins (DNF) the same distance with no aids at all — arm and leg power only.
Constant Weight (CWT) allows a monofin or bi-fins for both descent and ascent. Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) is considered the most demanding discipline, since it's dived entirely without fin assistance. Free Immersion (FIM) uses only the guide line instead of fins — often the entry discipline for equalization training.
In No-Limits (NLT), aids for both descent and ascent are allowed — a sled going down, a lift bag coming up. That enables extreme depths but also shifts the risk: the human body hits physiological limits here that pushed even world-class athletes like Nitsch to the edge.
An STA record of around 12 minutes or a CWT record over 120 meters is the result of decades of training science, not a single talented attempt. For your own progress, personal bests matter, not comparison with world records.
Deliberately rotate between disciplines: FIM for equalization calm, DYN for strength endurance, STA for mental stability. The variety of eight disciplines is also a training tool, not just a competition catalog.
Competitive freediving runs under strict safety protocols with safety divers stationed at multiple depths and medical staff at the surface — this exact rulebook explains why competition statistics look markedly better than unsupervised recreational diving. The Nitsch incident at 253 meters still shows: even with the best preparation, extreme depths remain a frontier of human physiology.
Every push toward a personal best belongs in structured, supervised training — never done solo without safety divers and an emergency plan.
Before choosing your own discipline, watch competition videos across different disciplines and consciously watch the athletes' body language: relaxed shoulders on top CWT athletes despite enormous depth reveal more about real technique than any number on the scoreboard.
In Constant Weight (CWT) you can use a monofin or bi-fins; in Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) you can't — arms and legs only. That's why CNF is considered the technically and physically most demanding depth discipline of all.
No. That record was set with prior pure-oxygen breathing, which AIDA competition rules don't allow. The official AIDA competition record without that preparation stands at around 12 minutes.
In competitive Constant Weight, current best marks sit above 120 meters for both men and women. In the extreme discipline No-Limits, Herbert Nitsch reached 214 meters as an AIDA-recognized record.
No, that would be a dangerous misconception. No-Limits uses technical aids for descent and ascent and carries a completely different risk profile — even world-class athletes hit physiological limits here, as Herbert Nitsch's severe incident at 253 meters shows.
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