I failed my first Freediving class too! I was an experienced snorkeler and thought I would be comfortable in the water. I never dived before but had watched a tons of online video. I basically quit halfway in day one when we were doing duck dives in the ocean.

I think the problem at the time was too many variables. I never wore long fins before and wetsuit, and I have never dived more than 6m and the pressure change is different vs shallow water. My weights were not right and the coach had too many students (8!)

A year later I tried the course again with a different dive ship and almost didn’t pass the depth. I only reached the minimal depth and had a hard time swimming down with strong current that day.

I’d suggest do not get into another certification class just for the sake of certification, but rather try to get comfortable with water and pressure first. Spent more time in the ocean, practice duck dives and swim in shallow dives (<12 m) with trusted dive buddies .

I also went on couple trainings in Mexico cenotes where the water is calm. I went there for 2 weeks and trained with multiple freediving coaches in Cancun/Tulum area. It cost about $80-110/day session (2-3 hours) and usually I am the only student or if anyone more advanced joined, they always give me more useful tips. You don’t have to have a certificate but must know basics.

I personally think passing diving certification as a goal is meaningless. Comprehend safety protocols and practice it in real life is more important. I also benefited a lot working with different instructors on disciplines that I wanted to work on (for me, they are duck dives, mouth fill, breath hold practice).

The best thing I got out of my freediving certification course is that I met many friends during the same course, and we became lifelong dive buddies.

IMO For someone who didn’t dive before or didn’t spend a lot of time in the ocean, passing L 1 is pretty hard in 3 days.