Molchanovs Professional Development
Molchanovs Instructor Courses 2025
Molchanovs Lap 2 / Wave 2 Instructor Certification
Study with one of the most experienced ITs worldwide to become a Molchanovs instructor or upgrade your skill set to “Master Instructor” W3I.
After covering the course theory in online sessions, we will meet in person to finish your certification with dry, pool, and open-water sessions.
All instructor levels are also available as “pool only” certifications, called “Lap.” In this case, you can book any Wave-instructor course and will only have to provide skills assessments and performance requirements for the pool segments. A discount applies in that case.
Also, if you fail any open water segment of an instructor course or upgrade, you can still be certified as a Lap instructor and repeat the open water segment later.
Prerequisites
Pass the W2I Entry Exam to qualify for the online theory sessions of the Instructor Course. This exam tests your familiarity with the Molchanovs education content, consisting of the Wave 1, Wave 2, and Wave 3 theory.
Additional prerequisites:
- First Aid and CPR certification not older than two years
- Oxygen provider training is recommended
Qualifying Certifications
There are four ways to qualify for this instructor course:
- If you hold a Lap 3 or Wave 3 certification, you can sign up directly for this instructor course (If you are Lap 3 certified, you can become a pool instructor L2I). After signing up, you will get access to the W2I Entry Exam, which you need to pass before joining the instructor course online sessions.
- If you are a freedive instructor of active status in any agency other than Molchanovs, you can sign up directly for this instructor course. In the Molchanovs system, you will also be performing and teaching no fins and monofin techniques in the pool and open water. Be prepared to demonstrate these techniques, pass the performance requirements, and teach these disciplines.
- If you are a master instructor (highest instructor level, but not IT) in any other agency, you may cross over directly to the Molchanovs Wave 3 instructor (L/W3I) level (see the according page for that). You will join the same theory and in-water sessions, but you will be asked to demonstrate all performance requirements on the L/W3I level, and you will be assessed on teaching skills from the Lap/Wave 3-course level.
- If you hold a master’s student certification from any other agency, you must pass the Wave 3 (Lap 3) Molchanovs crossover evaluation first to be allowed to join the Molchanovs instructor course. This takes about two days and must be done before the starting date of the Instructor Course. This evaluation is not included in this instructor course. Get in touch with the organizers to discuss the details.
Generally: If you hold a qualifying certification from any other agency than Molchanovs and are thus not yet familiar with the Molchanovs manuals and education system: Plan for around 20h to study the Wave 1-3 manuals, and use the corresponding student exams to prepare yourself before taking the W2I Entry Exam. Successful candidates will be allowed to join the online sessions of this instructor course.
Suppose you hold an active Instructor Trainer certification in any agency besides Molchanovs and would like to become a Molchanovs W3IT. In that case, you can join this IC as an opportunity to fulfill the prerequisite to assist in an entire instructor course. Get in touch with the organizers to discuss details.
Available Add-ons
PADI Freediver Instructor Crossover
Candidates who are not already PADI Freediver Instructors can earn their PADI Freediver Instructor certification with the PADI Freediver Instructor Orientation
- Requirements: Half-day orientation
- Fee: $530; (incl. $210 for mandatory PADI teaching materials: Freediver eLearning, Instructor Guide pdf & cue cards (deduct $94 if you already have the PADI Freediver eLearning)
Your Instructor Trainer
Oliver Christen-Drew
Oliver Christen-Drew is an industrial psychologist and a renowned figure in the world of freediving, known for his exceptional skills as a Freedive Instructor Trainer and for founding Freedive Flow Indonesia. His deep commitment to advancing freediving education has made a significant impact on the global underwater community.
An expert in the field of developing training and education systems, Oli’s contributions to the Molchanovs Wave System and his authorship of the esteemed AIDA Manuals have earned him recognition as a driving force in the field. He has also served on the PADI Freediver Advisory Board and as Head of Global Education at Molchanovs, where he led the further development of an innovative education system that brought together the best minds in freediving training.
He is currently a member of the global Molchanovs Movement Board.
Session Content
Online Sessions
Together with your ITs, you will cover the theory content in online sessions on Zoom. If you have passed your W2I Entry Exam, then no further preparation before the IC is needed, you are ready to join! Your ITs will share presentation notes with you. During these online sessions, there will be the following assessments:
- classroom teaching skills
- online presentation skills
- dry teaching skills
At the end of the online sessions, you will have to pass the W2I Final Exam.
Confined and Open Water Sessions
After passing all theory requirements, we will meet in person and focus on the in-water requirements.
- 3 pool sessions of 2:30h, +30min warm-up
- 5 open water sessions of 2:00h, +30min warm-up
During the water sessions, you will practice applying the Molchanovs teaching system called FEDOF by teaching all skills for the Wave 1 and Wave 2 courses. W3I candidates will additionally be assessed on skills covered in the Wave 3 course.
Performance Requirements
You are encouraged to pass all performance requirements before meeting in person with your IT, either by sending in videos of your performances, or by proof of recent competition results (no older than 2 years). Performance requirements are listed on this link:
https://molchanovs.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360049940313.
Please note that there is no time for training in the water sessions of the instructor course. Candidates electing the full-week option, however, will have the opportunity for practice dives before their attempts.
Ideally you will have already passed all performance requirements before we meet for the in-water sessions! The ITs will still evaluate and discuss your technique for each discipline with you.
Agency rules permit two attempts at each performance requirement. It is thus wise to be well prepared before attempting performance requirements. If you fail a performance requirement twice, to be certified you must meet the performance requirement at another time. If you meet all of the pool requirements but not all of the open water requirements, you can be certified as a Lap instructor, and as a Wave instructor when you meet the open water requirements.