Competition rules

What happens at a competition, under AIDA and under CMAS — the start, the protocol, the cards, the points. A summary for the athlete; the rulebook itself decides. The countdown on this site follows both scripts word for word.

AIDA International

Competition Rules and Regulations v17.5 (March 2024) with the 17.6–17.7 changes (in force from January 2025).

Disciplines

Pool: STA (time, rounded down to the second, the average of two judges' stopwatches), DYN (monofin or bi-fins), DYNB (bi-fins only), DNF — distance rounded down to the whole metre.
Depth: CWT (any fins), CWTB (bi-fins), CNF, FIM — the depth of the tag or the bottom plate, whole metres.
Records only: VWT. No Limits is no longer sanctioned.

Announcement

The announced performance (AP) is handed in by the organiser's deadline — at a World Championship the day before, at least four hours ahead.
In depth the AP may not exceed your certified depth of the last three months plus 5 m.
Coming up short of the AP is a yellow card with points off (below).

The start

The countdown, word for word: 2 minutes to official top, 1'30, 1 minute, 30 seconds, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, official top, plus 1, 2 … 10, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, start cancelled.
Airways under water before the top — an EARLY penalty.
Pool: 0–10 s after the top is free, 10–30 s is a LATE penalty, after 30 s the start is cancelled (DQ). Depth: the start is allowed up to 30 s after the top.

Surface protocol

Within 15 seconds of the airways surfacing, strictly in this order: 1. remove everything covering the eyes and airways (mask, goggles, nose-clip); 2. one visible OK sign; 3. say “I'm OK”.
Invalid: the wrong order, late, a doubled OK (both hands, repeated, or the sign dipping under water), extra signals, the airways dipping under before the judges' verdict, being touched.
Since v17.7 an athlete with a disability may ask for an adjusted protocol in advance.

Cards and penalties

White — valid, full result. Yellow — valid with a penalty. Red — disqualified, zero. Records need a white card.
Yellow (penalties in points): short of the AP — per second (STA), per metre (dynamic and depth); early or late start — per started 5 s; no wall contact at the start or the turn; grabbing the line outside the 3 m turn zone (v17.6; it was 2 m); no tag; removing the lanyard. The exact values sit in the penalty table of chapter 10 of the rulebook.
Red: blackout, loss of motor control (airways not kept clear), a failed surface protocol, airways under before the verdict, being touched, pulling the line, a start later than 30 s (pool), re-descending after the turn, an extra dolphin kick in DYNB/CWTB (one is allowed at the turn since v17.7).

Scoring

STA 0.2 points per second, dynamic 0.5 per metre, depth 1 per metre; penalties come off the points.
A combined event adds the points of its disciplines. A tie is broken by the smaller gap between announced and realised performance.

Equipment

Depth: a lanyard is mandatory in every discipline, 30–120 cm, carabiner and quick release; a waist lanyard only in CNF (v17.6). All weights outside the suit, with a quick release.
Pool (v17.7): up to 3 kg of weight may be worn under the suit.
Mask, goggles, fluid goggles and nose-clip are allowed in every discipline. Any device that helps equalisation or holds air is forbidden.

Safety and age

18 and older; 16–17 with parental consent. A medical certificate not older than a year.
Depth: at least three safety freedivers per line, a medic, oxygen at the surface and at 5 m; sonar is mandatory at World-Record-status events (v17.7).
After a blackout — a rest from competing, from one day up to the rest of the competition depending on severity.

Records

World, continental and national records in STA, DYN, DYNB, DNF, CWT, CWTB, CNF, FIM and VWT — white card only, video mandatory, doping control mandatory for a world record.
Pool world record: at least one judge of level B+ of another nationality; depth: two judges, one B+, in the water. A world-record attempt is announced at least six weeks ahead. A static record must beat the old one by at least one second.

CMAS

Freediving Rules — Pool Competitions 2026/01 (in force from 21 May 2026) and Depth Competitions 2026/01 (from 4 July 2026).

Disciplines

Pool: DYN (mono or bi-fins), DYN-BF, DNF — distance where the airways surface, rounded down to the half metre; STA — the mean of the timekeepers, rounded down to the second; Speed Apnea 2×50, 4×50 and 8×50 m — for time, with recovery breathing allowed at each end (limits 2, 5 and 10 minutes).
Depth: CWT, CWT-BF, CNF, FIM. Described in the rules as well: VWT (mono, bi-fins, no fins), Outdoor Linear Dynamic (a 50 m line at up to 4 m, no records), Skandalopetra (a 6–14 kg stone, no suit, no fins). No No-Limits, no Jump Blue in the 2026 rules.

Announcement

Declared at the time fixed at the technical meeting; in depth — the target depth and the total dive time.
Pool: the declared personal best only sets the start order — no penalty for a result above or below it. Depth: one metre off for every metre short of the declared depth.

The start

The countdown: Last 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute 30 seconds, 1 minute, 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Top Time, +10 s, +20 s, +25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30.
The start window runs from Top Time to +30 s with no penalty. Airways under water before Top Time — disqualified. Airways not under water at +30 s — disqualified.
Pool dynamic: no wall contact at the start — 3 m off. Depth: at least 8 minutes between starts on a line.

Surface protocol

Within 20 seconds: the OK sign — two fingers forming a circle — towards the judge, with the airways and the head above the mid-ear line kept out of the water. No equipment to remove, nothing to say.
Stay afloat until the card (the judges decide within three minutes); no touching, no resting the head on the lane line or the edge — either makes the protocol invalid.

Cards and penalties

White — valid. Yellow — valid with a penalty, or the decision postponed. Red — disqualified. Records need a white card.
Penalties in metres: depth — 1 m per metre short of the declaration, 1 m for a missing tag, 1 m per dolphin-kick cycle with bi-fins outside the 3 m zones; pool — 3 m for no wall contact at the start.
Disqualification: early start, late start, blackout at the surface or under water (a deep blackout below 15 m — three months out), a failed protocol, leaving the lane, the lanyard removed, being touched or helped, a missed wall touch in Speed Apnea, oxygen within an hour of the dive, grabbing or pulling the line outside the 3 m turn zone (one pull is allowed after an early turn).

Scoring

No points: the ranking of each event is by raw metres or seconds. Equal results share the place (ex aequo — two golds, then a bronze).

Equipment

Mask, goggles, fluid goggles, nose-clip, a suit with hood, socks, gloves, mono- or bi-fins, a dive computer. Weights open or with a quick release, worn over the suit.
Depth: a lanyard of at most 1.20 m, checked by the judge. Bi-fins: no dolphin kick outside the 3 m zones at the start and the turns. Skandalopetra: no suit, no fins.

Safety and age

Seniors 18–49, Masters 50 and over; pool juniors 15–17; no junior category in depth.
A doctor's check is mandatory after any incident; oxygen only under a doctor; a counter-ballast system is required in depth.

Records

World, continental and national records with a white card only, video mandatory, WADA rules apply. A world-record-status event needs a CMAS international chief judge, two international officials and a video judge.
Pool records only in homologated 50 m pools at least 1.20 m deep; Speed Apnea records need electronic timing; no records in Outdoor Linear Dynamic.

The differences that matter on the day

	AIDA	CMAS
Surface protocol	15 s; equipment off → OK sign → “I'm OK”, in that order	20 s; the OK sign only
Start window	Pool: 10 s free, then a penalty to 30 s; early start = penalty	30 s free; early start = disqualified
Short of the announcement	Points off in every discipline	Pool: nothing; depth: 1 m per metre
Scoring	Points: 0.2/s, 0.5/m, 1/m	Raw metres and seconds
Pool distance	Rounded down to 1 m	Rounded down to 0.5 m; records only in 50 m pools
Grabbing the line	Penalty; pulling = disqualified	Forbidden outside 3 m; one pull allowed after an early turn
Bi-fins dolphin kick	One at the turn; more = disqualified	1 m off per cycle outside the 3 m zones
Extra disciplines	VWT (records only)	Speed Apnea, Skandalopetra, Outdoor Linear Dynamic
Age	18; 16 with consent	Pool from 15; depth from 18
Ties	Smaller AP–RP gap wins	Shared place

Sources

AIDA International — Competition Rules and Regulations (Documents), v17.5 (March 2024) with the v17.6 and v17.7 changes (in force from January 2025).
CMAS Freediving Rules — Pool Competitions 2026/01
CMAS Freediving Rules — Depth Competitions 2026/01

Rules change every season; when this page and the rulebook disagree, the rulebook is right — tell us and we fix the page. New to all of this? Start with What is freediving.

Competition rules

AIDA International

Competition Rules and Regulations v17.5 (March 2024) with the 17.6–17.7 changes (in force from January 2025).

Disciplines

Pool: STA (time, rounded down to the second, the average of two judges' stopwatches), DYN (monofin or bi-fins), DYNB (bi-fins only), DNF — distance rounded down to the whole metre.
Depth: CWT (any fins), CWTB (bi-fins), CNF, FIM — the depth of the tag or the bottom plate, whole metres.
Records only: VWT. No Limits is no longer sanctioned.

Announcement

The announced performance (AP) is handed in by the organiser's deadline — at a World Championship the day before, at least four hours ahead.
In depth the AP may not exceed your certified depth of the last three months plus 5 m.
Coming up short of the AP is a yellow card with points off (below).

The start

The countdown, word for word: 2 minutes to official top, 1'30, 1 minute, 30 seconds, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, official top, plus 1, 2 … 10, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, start cancelled.
Airways under water before the top — an EARLY penalty.
Pool: 0–10 s after the top is free, 10–30 s is a LATE penalty, after 30 s the start is cancelled (DQ). Depth: the start is allowed up to 30 s after the top.

Surface protocol

Within 15 seconds of the airways surfacing, strictly in this order: 1. remove everything covering the eyes and airways (mask, goggles, nose-clip); 2. one visible OK sign; 3. say “I'm OK”.
Invalid: the wrong order, late, a doubled OK (both hands, repeated, or the sign dipping under water), extra signals, the airways dipping under before the judges' verdict, being touched.
Since v17.7 an athlete with a disability may ask for an adjusted protocol in advance.

Cards and penalties

White — valid, full result. Yellow — valid with a penalty. Red — disqualified, zero. Records need a white card.
Yellow (penalties in points): short of the AP — per second (STA), per metre (dynamic and depth); early or late start — per started 5 s; no wall contact at the start or the turn; grabbing the line outside the 3 m turn zone (v17.6; it was 2 m); no tag; removing the lanyard. The exact values sit in the penalty table of chapter 10 of the rulebook.
Red: blackout, loss of motor control (airways not kept clear), a failed surface protocol, airways under before the verdict, being touched, pulling the line, a start later than 30 s (pool), re-descending after the turn, an extra dolphin kick in DYNB/CWTB (one is allowed at the turn since v17.7).

Scoring

STA 0.2 points per second, dynamic 0.5 per metre, depth 1 per metre; penalties come off the points.
A combined event adds the points of its disciplines. A tie is broken by the smaller gap between announced and realised performance.

Equipment

Depth: a lanyard is mandatory in every discipline, 30–120 cm, carabiner and quick release; a waist lanyard only in CNF (v17.6). All weights outside the suit, with a quick release.
Pool (v17.7): up to 3 kg of weight may be worn under the suit.
Mask, goggles, fluid goggles and nose-clip are allowed in every discipline. Any device that helps equalisation or holds air is forbidden.

Safety and age

18 and older; 16–17 with parental consent. A medical certificate not older than a year.
Depth: at least three safety freedivers per line, a medic, oxygen at the surface and at 5 m; sonar is mandatory at World-Record-status events (v17.7).
After a blackout — a rest from competing, from one day up to the rest of the competition depending on severity.

Records

World, continental and national records in STA, DYN, DYNB, DNF, CWT, CWTB, CNF, FIM and VWT — white card only, video mandatory, doping control mandatory for a world record.
Pool world record: at least one judge of level B+ of another nationality; depth: two judges, one B+, in the water. A world-record attempt is announced at least six weeks ahead. A static record must beat the old one by at least one second.

CMAS

Freediving Rules — Pool Competitions 2026/01 (in force from 21 May 2026) and Depth Competitions 2026/01 (from 4 July 2026).

Disciplines

Pool: DYN (mono or bi-fins), DYN-BF, DNF — distance where the airways surface, rounded down to the half metre; STA — the mean of the timekeepers, rounded down to the second; Speed Apnea 2×50, 4×50 and 8×50 m — for time, with recovery breathing allowed at each end (limits 2, 5 and 10 minutes).
Depth: CWT, CWT-BF, CNF, FIM. Described in the rules as well: VWT (mono, bi-fins, no fins), Outdoor Linear Dynamic (a 50 m line at up to 4 m, no records), Skandalopetra (a 6–14 kg stone, no suit, no fins). No No-Limits, no Jump Blue in the 2026 rules.

Announcement

Declared at the time fixed at the technical meeting; in depth — the target depth and the total dive time.
Pool: the declared personal best only sets the start order — no penalty for a result above or below it. Depth: one metre off for every metre short of the declared depth.

The start

The countdown: Last 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute 30 seconds, 1 minute, 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Top Time, +10 s, +20 s, +25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30.
The start window runs from Top Time to +30 s with no penalty. Airways under water before Top Time — disqualified. Airways not under water at +30 s — disqualified.
Pool dynamic: no wall contact at the start — 3 m off. Depth: at least 8 minutes between starts on a line.

Surface protocol

Within 20 seconds: the OK sign — two fingers forming a circle — towards the judge, with the airways and the head above the mid-ear line kept out of the water. No equipment to remove, nothing to say.
Stay afloat until the card (the judges decide within three minutes); no touching, no resting the head on the lane line or the edge — either makes the protocol invalid.

Cards and penalties

White — valid. Yellow — valid with a penalty, or the decision postponed. Red — disqualified. Records need a white card.
Penalties in metres: depth — 1 m per metre short of the declaration, 1 m for a missing tag, 1 m per dolphin-kick cycle with bi-fins outside the 3 m zones; pool — 3 m for no wall contact at the start.
Disqualification: early start, late start, blackout at the surface or under water (a deep blackout below 15 m — three months out), a failed protocol, leaving the lane, the lanyard removed, being touched or helped, a missed wall touch in Speed Apnea, oxygen within an hour of the dive, grabbing or pulling the line outside the 3 m turn zone (one pull is allowed after an early turn).

Scoring

No points: the ranking of each event is by raw metres or seconds. Equal results share the place (ex aequo — two golds, then a bronze).

Equipment

Mask, goggles, fluid goggles, nose-clip, a suit with hood, socks, gloves, mono- or bi-fins, a dive computer. Weights open or with a quick release, worn over the suit.
Depth: a lanyard of at most 1.20 m, checked by the judge. Bi-fins: no dolphin kick outside the 3 m zones at the start and the turns. Skandalopetra: no suit, no fins.

Safety and age

Seniors 18–49, Masters 50 and over; pool juniors 15–17; no junior category in depth.
A doctor's check is mandatory after any incident; oxygen only under a doctor; a counter-ballast system is required in depth.

Records

World, continental and national records with a white card only, video mandatory, WADA rules apply. A world-record-status event needs a CMAS international chief judge, two international officials and a video judge.
Pool records only in homologated 50 m pools at least 1.20 m deep; Speed Apnea records need electronic timing; no records in Outdoor Linear Dynamic.

The differences that matter on the day

	AIDA	CMAS
Surface protocol	15 s; equipment off → OK sign → “I'm OK”, in that order	20 s; the OK sign only
Start window	Pool: 10 s free, then a penalty to 30 s; early start = penalty	30 s free; early start = disqualified
Short of the announcement	Points off in every discipline	Pool: nothing; depth: 1 m per metre
Scoring	Points: 0.2/s, 0.5/m, 1/m	Raw metres and seconds
Pool distance	Rounded down to 1 m	Rounded down to 0.5 m; records only in 50 m pools
Grabbing the line	Penalty; pulling = disqualified	Forbidden outside 3 m; one pull allowed after an early turn
Bi-fins dolphin kick	One at the turn; more = disqualified	1 m off per cycle outside the 3 m zones
Extra disciplines	VWT (records only)	Speed Apnea, Skandalopetra, Outdoor Linear Dynamic
Age	18; 16 with consent	Pool from 15; depth from 18
Ties	Smaller AP–RP gap wins	Shared place

Sources

AIDA International — Competition Rules and Regulations (Documents), v17.5 (March 2024) with the v17.6 and v17.7 changes (in force from January 2025).
CMAS Freediving Rules — Pool Competitions 2026/01
CMAS Freediving Rules — Depth Competitions 2026/01

Rules change every season; when this page and the rulebook disagree, the rulebook is right — tell us and we fix the page. New to all of this? Start with What is freediving.