Freediving Disciplines & Glossary — NAGI Freediving 凪

New to the freediving scene, everyone sounds like they’re speaking in code. This page decodes the discipline abbreviations and slang you’ll actually hear.

Pool disciplines

Abbr.	Full name	What it is
STA	Static Apnea	Face-down float, no movement, pure timed breath-hold. AIDA2 asks 2:00
DYN	Dynamic with Fins	Horizontal distance in a pool. AIDA2 asks 40 m
DNF	Dynamic No Fins	Breaststroke-style distance without fins — the technician’s favorite

Depth disciplines

Abbr.	Full name	What it is
CWT	Constant Weight	Descend and ascend along the line with fins, weights unchanged. The flagship depth discipline
CNF	Constant Weight No Fins	The same without fins — often called the purest and hardest discipline
FIM	Free Immersion	No fins; pull yourself down and up the rope. Low effort, great for equalization practice
VWT / NLT	Variable Weight / No Limits	Record disciplines using weighted sleds — for watching, not for recreational divers

The slang you’ll hear

Freefall: past a certain depth buoyancy turns negative — you stop kicking and let the sea pull you down. Freediving’s most addictive phase, and the heart of AIDA3
Frenzel: the tongue-driven equalization technique that unlocks depth (see the equalization guide)
Mouthfill: the advanced evolution of Frenzel, AIDA4+ territory
Samba / LMC: brief loss of motor control after surfacing — a warning you were near the limit (see safety)
BO (Blackout): loss of consciousness; a trained buddy resolves it in seconds
PB (Personal Best): a freediver’s main source of happiness
Buddy: your surface guardian — the most important piece of “equipment” in the sport
Hook breath: the recovery breathing pattern after surfacing
MDR (Mammalian Dive Reflex): the built-in oxygen-saving instinct — heart rate drops, blood shifts to the core — that every human body activates in water. Freediving is the sport of waking it up

Ready to turn vocabulary into experience? It starts with one breath.