A Mermaid’s Tale

Although courses and training for freediving have been a more recent adventure, the passion and drive for the sport has been with me since I can remember. As I child I insisted on spending as much time in the water as possible, be it in the sea or the swimming pool. Mermaids and pirates were my biggest aspirations. I guess this was my earliest form of apnea practice, as I would love to spend as much time swimming down to the bottom as splashing at the surface.

When I was 11 my fascination for the sea took a step up as I received a scuba try dive for my birthday. I was hooked immediately. Scuba diving became my main passion and I was lucky enough to travel whilst gaining dives, experiences and unforgettable sights. This allowed me to become a scuba diving instructor as soon as I turned 18. However, between all these scuba sessions the love for freedom in the water was not lost. I could still be found beneath the surface just working on one breath, whether it be using snorkel equipment or no equipment at all.

Videos of freedivers had always captivated me for their elegance and calmness and eventually I was given the opportunity to do a freediving course. For me the instant attraction can be found in the very word of the sport, being free. No tanks, no bulky equipment, no regulators. It’s just you and you set the limit for your exploration. Freediving also brings out a bigger sense of challenge or ambition with the many different disciplines. Constant weight inclines you to forever go deeper into the blue whilst static drives you to hold your breath for longer each time. I was fortunate enough to be given the chance to complete my level 1 freediving instructor qualification, but I know that this is just the beginning of the goals rather than the end. I definitely want to improve and push my freediving depths and breath hold times. Yet what is remarkable is that the key to such an addictive, no limits sport is relaxation. The best dives are performed by unruffled divers.

My favourite memory of learning to freedive was using a monofin for the first time. The power from just having one large fin was remarkable and as I looked down in the water I had finally become the mermaid I had dreamt of as a small child. I would definitely advise anyone to give it a go as everybody is surprised at what their body can do, including me. Set yourself new challenges and have a lot of fun!