World Underwater Federation

What World Underwater Federation does

The World Underwater Federation (Confédération Mondiale Des Activités Subaquatiques, CMAS), founded in 1959 and headquartered in Rome, is a non-profit international sports federation serving as the only IOC-recognized umbrella body for underwater activities worldwide. It operates across 130+ countries and all five continents, governing diver training, certification, and competition across ten or more disciplines including Finswimming, Freediving, Sport Diving, Spearfishing, Underwater Hockey, Underwater Rugby, Parasport, Aquathlon, Orienteering, Target Shooting, and Visual disciplines. Its core products comprise tiered certification programs (Scuba, Freediving, Sport, Scientific, and Children's), digital infrastructure (CMAS Portal, CMAS TV, CMAS Training Map), the Blue Helmets environmental program, and Clean Sport governance in partnership with WADA and the ITA.

CMAS generates revenue primarily through three mechanisms: (1) certification and licensing fees from instructors, dive centers, and individual divers across its multi-tier training standards; (2) sanctioning fees for national federations hosting CMAS-recognized competitions and World Championships; and (3) training standard royalties and educational partnerships. Its go-to-market is federated — national federations in 130+ countries act as distribution channels to local divers, athletes, and schools, with CMAS providing governance, standards, and event authority at the apex. Notable institutional partnerships include the IOC, World Games, WADA, UNESCO, FISU, ARISF, ITA, CIJM, ISF (via a 2026-06-23 MOU for schools), and CoralWatch. Dr. Michel LEGLISE serves in an Antidoping/Medical Director capacity, underscoring the federation's compliance infrastructure. The organization operates with a lean staff of 11-50 employees.

Name

World Underwater Federation

Legal name

Confédération Mondiale Des Activités Subaquatiques

Website

https://cmas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The World Underwater Federation (CMAS) is a Rome-based non-profit international sports federation, founded in 1959, that governs diver training, certification, and underwater sports competitions across 130+ countries as the only IOC-recognized underwater body.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Federation & Diving Certification Services

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Olympic & Multi-Sport Governing Bodies (IOC/IPC, Continental Games Federations) (MPAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vertical/Industry-Specific LMS (e.g., Healthcare, Safety, Aviation, Government) (EDAFAAAM), Lifeguard, Water Rescue & Aquatic Safety Training (EDAOAMAJ)

Keywords

• Diving certification
• Underwater sports federation
• Freediving programs
• Finswimming competitions
• Sports governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Roma

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Certification and Licensing: CMAS generates revenue through certifying divers and underwater sports practitioners via affiliated national federations and diving schools.
2. Competition Sanctioning: Revenue from sanctioning international competitions and world championships in underwater sports disciplines.
3. Training Standards: CMAS Training Map 2024 and associated training materials and standards distributed through the federation network.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CMAS is the world governing body for underwater activities, providing internationally recognized diving certification programs (Scuba Diving Air, Nitrox, Technical/CCR, Freediving, Children's and Scientific specialities) and standardized training frameworks delivered through a global network of affiliated national federations and diving schools. It sanctions international competitions and world championships across 10+ underwater sports disciplines, including Finswimming, Underwater Hockey, Underwater Rugby, Freediving, Spearfishing, Aquathlon, Orienteering, Target Shooting, Visual and Parasport. Supporting the federation mission are digital platforms (CMAS Portal, CMAS TV, CMAS Training Map), WADA-aligned anti-doping compliance, and environmental conservation initiatives such as Blue Helmets.

Product overview

CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques) operates as an international federation governing underwater sports and diving activities worldwide. The organization provides a portfolio of interconnected programs including competitive underwater sports (Finswimming, Underwater Hockey, Freediving, Spearfishing, etc.), diving certification programs (from beginner through technical/rebreather diving), and environmental conservation initiatives. The core offerings span recreational and competitive diving education, sports competition management, scientific diving training, and marine conservation efforts. Digital platforms including CMAS TV (media streaming) and the CMAS Portal (membership/certification management) support the organization's mission alongside training resources like the CMAS Training Map that guides certification pathways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CMAS TV: Online video platform for underwater sports content and event coverage

Products and services

• Scuba Diving Certification Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 130+ countries with affiliated national federations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• ISF (International School Sport Federation)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026CMAS and ISF signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote underwater sports in schools, expanding youth engagement in the sport.
• Olympic CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMAS is officially recognized by the Olympic Committee as the world governing body for underwater sports, appearing in Olympics.com recognition section alongside other official partners.
• The World GamescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMAS underwater sports are featured in The World Games, with official recognition displayed on the CMAS website.
• WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationCMAS collaborates with WADA on clean sport initiatives, implementing anti-doping rules, education programs, and maintaining compliance with international doping-free sport standards.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCO recognition displayed as an official CMAS partner, supporting environmental and scientific diving initiatives.
• FISU (International University Sports Federation)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with university sports federation for underwater sports development among student athletes.
• ARISF (Association of the International Sports Federations)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARISF membership supporting CMAS's position within the international sports federation ecosystem.
• ITA (International Testing Agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationCMAS partners with ITA for anti-doping activities including testing, education webinars, and clean sport program management. ITA provides IF Webinar Series and ADAMS support.
• CIJM (International Committee for Mediterranean Games)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Mediterranean Games organizing committee for underwater sports competitions.
• CoralWatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoralWatch Asia Ambassador Workshop hosted by NKUST in Taiwan, supporting citizen science and coral reef conservation education.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SSI (Scuba Schools International): SSI is a major diving certification and training agency that competes directly with CMAS in scuba diver education through a global network of dive centers and instructors. Both organizations issue internationally recognized certifications and deliver standardized curricula.
• AIDA International: AIDA is the leading international freediving governing body, directly overlapping with CMAS's pool and open water freediving programs. The two organizations have explicit crossover competition for freediving athletes and certification pathways.
• PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors): PADI is the world's largest recreational scuba diving certification agency, offering diver training and instructor programs that directly compete with CMAS's scuba and technical diving certification offerings. Both organizations certify divers through global affiliated school networks.
• NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors): NAUI is a long-standing recreational diving training and certification agency offering diver and instructor programs comparable to CMAS's scuba certifications. Both compete in the global dive education market through affiliated schools.

Regional players

• Fédération Française d'Études et de Sports Sous-Marins (FFESSM): FFESSM is the French national underwater federation and a CMAS-affiliated body, providing diving certifications, training, and competitive underwater sports at a national level. It illustrates the structure of CMAS's national federation affiliates and a regional view of the same market.
• British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC): BSAC is a UK-based diving membership organization providing training and club-based diving access. It is comparable to CMAS-affiliated national federations in offering recreational and technical diver certification and club structures.

Broad incumbents

• World Aquatics: World Aquatics is the IOC-recognized governing body for aquatic sports (swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water). It is a broader incumbent in the aquatic sports ecosystem that includes some disciplines (e.g., finswimming-adjacent) that overlap with CMAS.
• Confédération Mondiale des Sports de Combat (related IOC-recognized federation example): IOC-recognized multi-sport international federations share structural parallels with CMAS, operating multi-discipline governance, IOC affiliation, and anti-doping compliance. These serve as analogous models for federation operations and revenue mix.

Others

• International Lifesaving Federation (ILS): ILS governs lifesaving and aquatic safety sports worldwide, an adjacent IOC-recognized federation that overlaps with CMAS's aquatic safety, lifeguard, and rescue training dimensions. It is an ecosystem peer in aquatic training standards.
• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): WADA is CMAS's anti-doping standards partner and a thematically related ecosystem participant. While not a competitor, WADA's compliance framework shapes CMAS's operational requirements for clean sport programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cmasorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about World Underwater Federation