Compare
Same ocean. Different school.
PADI shops are everywhere. Molchanovs is a training system — that is the difference.
If you search “freediving Sri Lanka” you will mostly find PADI. That is not a slight — PADI is the largest dive organisation in the world, and Unawatuna has long-running PADI shops. Lanka Freediving is a Molchanovs school. This page is the honest split so you book the course that matches what you want, not the logo you recognised first.
The short version
PADI Freediver is a recreational pathway. It is familiar if you already scuba, easy to find on the south and east coasts, and designed to get you in the water with a standardised syllabus.
Molchanovs is a freediving-only education system built by athletes. The Waves are a progression: breathwork, equalisation, rescue, and depth on a line — closer to how serious freedivers actually train. Certification is digital and recognised worldwide in the Molchanovs network.
We teach Molchanovs. We do not teach PADI. If you want PADI, book a PADI shop. If you want small-group Molchanovs coaching in Unawatuna, that is us.
What actually differs in the water
| Molchanovs (us) | PADI (typical shop) | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Freediving as a sport and skill | Recreational intro, scuba-adjacent |
| Entry course | Wave 1 — 3 days, certification | Freediver — often 2–3 days |
| Try-it session | Discover, half day, €150 | Basic Freediver / try dive |
| Group size here | Maximum 4 | Varies by shop |
| Where we run | Unawatuna, November–April | South in season; some shops move east in monsoon |
Which should you book?
Book PADI if you already collect PADI cards, you want the most widely recognised recreational logo, or you are on the east coast outside our season.
Book Molchanovs if you care about technique, you might continue to Wave 2 or coaching, or you want a school that only teaches freediving. Read Discover vs Wave 1 vs Wave 2 for depth and time.
Can you mix them later?
Skills transfer more than cards. A solid Wave 1 student is not starting from zero at a PADI shop, and the reverse is also true — but agencies do not automatically cross-certify. If you already hold PADI Freediver and want Wave 2 with us, message us with your card and we will place you honestly.
Price in Unawatuna
Our Molchanovs prices are public: Discover €150, Wave 1 €350, Wave 2 €450. Full numbers and what is included: how much a freediving course costs.