I have been a water person as far back as I can remember, spending more time in and under water than on dry land. Water feels like home. It is a safe space that’s both soothing and exhilarating at the same time. I feel most alive and present when in and around water.

As a young child I was absolutely convinced that I belonged to the mermaid tribe, that being human was only a phase. I was absolutely convinced that if I spent more time in the water I’d eventually develop gills, grow skin between my toes and return to the ocean to find my mermaid tribe. While I grew out of the fantasy, the water and underwater world remained a sacred space for me.

Surprisingly, I only learned to freedive in my early thirties. My husband John, co-founder of Cape Town Freediving, taught me to freedive. “Mermaids don’t exist,” he said. “But freediving will give you the physical ability to be as close to a mermaid as humanly possible.”

The underwater world proved to be a matchmaker and we got married 10 days later. So while I may not have found my mermaid tribe, we’ve been able to create an immensely inspiring, diverse and vibrant freedive tribe through our school, Cape Town Freediving.

It’s not just a sport or a hobby, it is a way of being, a way of life. Freediving is a powerful tool of transformation, it will challenge and change you one breath, one dive at a time. The lessons go far beyond the physical – it is a reconnection to source, to life, to nature as a whole. As our motto goes, freediving allows you to reconnect to nature within and around you, one breath at a time. What this means, how this is experienced and what it feels like is as unique as each and every one of us.

Honestly, each experience brings something special with it. I think this is because freediving takes place in an environment that is not controlled by humans. It is a humbling experience, one that cultivates a heightened sense of awareness, kindles deep respect and inspires immense gratitude and awe.

As such, being gifted a precious moment with a mother whale and her curious calf is just as special as a freedive adventure spent in a totally remote place with nothing but a mask, fins and a best friend to share the crazy adventure with. Freediving makes you feel alive in the most humbling of ways.

It is far less about what one needs to know and more about the willingness to let go of what we think we know!

Freediving can be a mentally challenging experience and the more we relax and let go, the less challenging it will feel. Holding your breath will produce physical and mental stimuli and once you accept that this is absolute normal (in fact, vital) the easier it is to become comfortable with the uncomfortable. 

Humans like all other mammals have an innate mammalian dive reflex, just like dolphins, otters, seals and whales. As such, freediving is a skill that each and every one of us can develop and unlock. Some of us take to it like a fish to water while others will take a little longer to hone their skills. For the most part, the limiting factors are fear-based mental blocks and beliefs. If you can relax and trust the process, then the rest will generally fall into place quite easily. 

Another factor that people may struggle with is equalisation, which is of course central to freediving. The good news is that most people need nothing more than additional training, building muscle memory, flexibility and strength in the muscles within the mouth and throat.

There is a common misconception that scuba diving and freediving are pretty much the same thing. However, the only common denominator is that both take place under the surface of the water. Freediving in many ways is the deepest form of meditation and as such it has a lot in common with yoga, meditation and even martial arts! That’s because it is breath we intend to harness while moving our body in a very specific way. You are the vessel. You are your breath. That is your superpower – that is freediving!