AIDA UAE Performance Nights: A Strong Start to the Apnea Pirates Cup 2026

What’s New in the Apnea Pirates Cup 2026

In 2026, the Apnea Pirates Cup enters a new phase with a refined structure designed around freedivers development rather than direct rivalry. Each month now features two events — one pool discipline and one depth discipline — scheduled during the last week of the month, allowing athletes to follow a clear and predictable rhythm throughout the season. Every event is run as a PB Performance Night, where the main objective is not to compete against others, but to compete with yourself: to prepare properly, execute a clean dive and officially register your personal best in accordance with AIDA International standards. While the atmosphere is intentionally supportive and performance-oriented, all results and points are still carefully recorded and the overall Apnea Pirates Cup winner will be announced at the end of the year, rewarding consistency and long-term progression across disciplines.

STA & FIM Performance Nights – January 2026

The first two events of the AIDA UAE Performance Nights 2026 set a strong and confident tone for the season. The Static Apnea Performance Night at Al Furjan Club on 27 January demonstrated excellent preparation and mental control across the field, with freedivers delivering clean, well-executed performances and improving their official personal bests under AIDA International rules. Just days later, the focus moved to depth at Deep Dive Dubai for the Free Immersion Performance Night on 31 January. The night resulted in three new National Records, set for Malta, Jordan and Pakistan, highlighting both the international diversity of the freedivers and the high performance level achieved early in the season. Together, these two opening events clearly illustrated the purpose of the Performance Night format — creating the right conditions for freedivers to focus, perform and progress safely while officially recording their results.

📅 Upcoming AIDA UAE Performance Nights 2026

26 February 2026 – AIDA UAE DNF Performance Night

📍 Al Furjan Club
🔗 https://www.aidainternational.org/Events/EventRegistration-2275

28 February 2026 – AIDA UAE CNF Performance Night

📍 Deep Dive Dubai
🔗 https://www.aidainternational.org/Events/EventRegistration-2274

26 March 2026 – AIDA UAE DYN Performance Night

📍 Al Furjan Club
🔗 https://www.aidainternational.org/Events/EventRegistration-2271

28 March 2026 – AIDA UAE CWT Performance Night

📍 Deep Dive Dubai
🔗 https://www.aidainternational.org/Events/EventRegistration-2270

A Season Built for Progress

The opening events of 2026 have confirmed that this structure works. Focusing on one discipline per event allows freedivers to channel their training into a specific technique, refine key skills and arrive at competition day ready to perform at their best. This discipline-by-discipline approach creates clarity in preparation and reduces unnecessary pressure, making personal bests more achievable and safer. As a direct result, Freediving UAE’s February trainings will be mainly focused on no-fins disciplines, aligning with the upcoming Dynamic No-Fins (DNF) and Constant Weight No-Fins (CNF) Performance Nights. By narrowing the focus, freedivers are given the opportunity to train with purpose, sharpen technique and step into competition with confidence — exactly what the Apnea Pirates Cup is designed to support.