The Freedive Cafe Podcast

Lotta Ericson is co-founder, owner and manager of Freedive Dahab, the longest established freediving centre in Dahab, Egypt. She has a deep history in freediving as a competitive athlete and developer of the freediving education systems.In this episode we discuss:We are in Home Sweet Home, Dahab for this one!Lotta is from Sweden and was a social worker before moving to Egypt.Lotta’s early days in Dahab, starting in 1998.Shout out to Tom Sietas, Episode #52 of the podcast.How Dahab has changed...

Samo Jeranko is an elite freediver and top-level coach to freediving athletes, based in Slovenia. In this episode we take a deep dive into the coaching and training strategies he employs for his clients and himself.In this episode we discuss:Samo was recently in Croatia for spearfishing and the sea temperature was worryingly warm.Samo Jeranko first appeared on episode #86 of The Freedive Cafe Podcast.Samo now has two long daughters of 3 and a half years old and 6 weeks old.How does having you...

Originally produced between 2019 and 2021, the Lost Episodes of The Freedive Cafe were originally released as exclusive content for Patreon subscribers, then lost to time. Recently unearthed in the Sinai desert, I can now deliver them for your listening pleasure!This episode with Johnny was originally released on Patreon in July 2020.To become a supporter of the podcast through Patreon visit:https://www.patreon.com/freedivecafeJohnny also appeared on Episode #68For all episodes of the Freediv...

Stéphane Tourreau is an elite level competitive freediver from France.In this episode we discuss:Stephane first appeared on episode #5 of the podcast.Stephane was in Tenerife at time of the interview.Stephane spent 1.5 years in Dominica.How did he dive over 100m almost every three days in one year?What did his training look like, in general, while he spend those 1.5 years in Dominica?Call back to Episode #137 with Bizo Silva about potential for harm to lungs by breathing pure 02 for recovery....

Erika Schagatay PhD is a scientist based in Sweden and Dahab who focuses on researching freediving and apnea.She first appeared on Episode #42 of the podcast.In this episode we discuss:Shout out to Nathan McClatchey for saving this interview, and Chou and Mireia in Barcelona!Erika’s ‘Divelab’ in Dahab.What is the apnea RAMP test?Genetics vs Training.Continued and upcoming research to take place.Lactate threshold, and diving mammals.Do aerobic training benefits also feed into apnea abili...

Alenka Artnik is the deepest female freediver in the world. Originating from Slovenia, she transformed her life and broke free of her old bonds to pursue this amazing sport and its deeper dimensions.Alenka first appeared on Episode #57 of the show.In this episode we discuss:She was in Dahab for training at the time of the interview.What are the biggest changes Alenka has noticed in Dahab in the 7 years since she was last here?Alenka got married! Congratulations!Alenka's feelings on the recent...

Originally produced between 2019 and 2021, the Lost Episodes of The Freedive Cafe were originally released as exclusive content for Patreon subscribers, then lost to time. Recently unearthed in the Sinai desert, I can now deliver them for your listening pleasure!This episode with Davide was originally released on Patreon in October 2020.To become a supporter of the podcast through Patreon visit:https://www.patreon.com/freedivecafeDavide also appeared on Episodes #22 and #151For all episodes o...

Kateryna Sadurska is a world record holding freediving athlete from Ukraine. Kate joined me at The Little Blue in Dahab to discuss her amazing 2023, how she trained for those huge dives and how her philosophy of freediving is evolving.She first appeared on Episode #139 of the podcast.In this episode we discuss:This was the first Freedive Cafe interview filmed at The Little Blue | Freediver's Oasis in Dahab.Kate first appeared on Episode #139 of The Freedive Cafe.A breakdown of Kate's last yea...

Frank Pernett is originally from Colombia. He has been freediving his whole life and been involved in the deep freediving and freediving competition scenes for many years. He is currently based in Sweden where he is working towards his PhD under the watchful eye of freediving scientist Erika SchagatayFrank is a wealth of knowledge about freediving science and physiology and today we discuss some of the traditional topics of freediving science that interest us most as well as some new approach...

Davide Carrera was born in Turin in Italy and began freediving as a child during his summers spent in Leguria.He has was part of the World Championship winning teams of 1996 and 2001 and established a FIM world record shortly after when he dove to 91m. He moved away from the competitive sphere in the end and went on to study yoga extensively, and he integrates that into his freediving, and it was his tale of solitary wandering across the mediterranean in his 28 foot trimaran that inspire...

Alexey Molchanov is a multi-world record holding and world record breaking freediving athlete and arguably the greatest and most consistent freediving athlete of all time.In this episode we discuss:This is the 150th episode of The Freedive Cafe!Alexey was in Cyprus at the time of recording, preparing for the AIDA World Championships.Alexey's thoughts on the doping accusations against Vitomir Maricic and Petar Klovar and doping in freediving.Is it time for new freediving organisations?Talking ...

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Bevin Reynolds is a competitive pool freediver with multiple national and African continental records. Despite only coming into the sport 18 months before her first AIDA Indoor World Championships this year, she took home 3 medals and the title of Vice-World Champion.In this episode we discuss:Bevin is from the suburbs of Cape Town, South AfricaShe had an early affinity and feel for the water.Started in swimming school at a very young age.Getting into som...

Shadi Türk is a Syrian former fixer and journalist who worked through 10 years of the terrible war in his home country. After reaching his breaking point in this capacity he embarked on a journey of discovery which led him to Kaş, Türkiye, and the new adventure of deep freediving.In this episode we discuss:Shadi was born and raised in Syria and moved to Türkiye when he was 18, where he studied architecture.How Shadi became a fixer and a journalist.The psychological impact of seeing so much de...

Khaled ELGammal is Egypt's deepest diver and the first to reach the 100m mark. Today we hear about how Khaled left a corporate life working in oil and gas to dedicate himself to training for and teaching freediving.In this episode we discuss:Khaled was fresh back from Kuwait where he was acting as safety diver for the CMAS Indoor World Championships.Shout out to co-host Jordy Duncan who is competing for Australia at the AIDA World Championships in Jeju, South Korea.Khaled is originally from C...

Gary McGrath is the deepest ever self-propelled freediver from the UK, claiming a national record of 112m in CWT at 2022's Vertical Blue competition. In this episode we catch up with Gary since last years amazing Vertical Blue performance and examine the dark places in our mental environments, open up about depression, anxiety and seeking help, and sincerely hope you benefit from this discussion ❤️ Also watch on YouTube at Freedive and Thrive.In this episode we discuss:Second time lucky!Catch...

Miguel Lozano is one of the deepest freedivers in the world. He first appeared on episode #67 of The Freedive Cafe podcast!This interview is also available in video format on the Freedive and Thrive Youtube channel:https://youtu.be/XW-Y_zBHixwIn this episode we discuss:Miguel and I last spoke in January 2020, recorded an interview and forgot to release it!About Miguel's Deep Camp in Dahab.The structure of the Deep Camp.What Miguel's been up to these past 3 years.Miguel's thoughts on the...

Stefan Randig is a German competitive freediver based in Dahab, Egypt. He first appeared on episode #10 of The Freedive Cafe:https://freedivecafe.com/2017/10/01/10-stefan-randig-freedive-panglao/In this episode we discuss:The last time Stefan and I talked was in 2017, on episode #10 of The Freedive Cafe! (link above)What happened to Freedive Panglao?Stefan started his freediving journey in Dahab.Shout out to our colleagues in The Philippines.Dahab during COVID times.What's it like to raise a ...

Jordy Duncan is not only my awesome co-host on the Freediving Journal News Dispatch, but an up and coming elite freediver in her own right. Jordy has only been diving for around 2 years but has managed to achieve distances in the pool of more than 200m, which for me is an absolutely mind-blowing achievement! Perhaps more interesting than Jordy's rapid rise as a freediving athlete is to see that in the context of where she's coming from.... Jordy has struggled with an eating disorder...

Pete Botman is a Canadian/Dutch freediving athlete and instructor based in Dahab, Egypt. He is a 100m+ diver, multiple World Record holder in the CMAS Master's category and didn't start freediving until he was later in his forties.In this episode we discuss:Pete was born and raised in Canada but grew up speaking Dutch.He joined the swim team and competed at quite a high level until aged 16.Teaching, coaching, lifeguarding, and cross-country skiing.How difficult is cross country skiiing?...

Tito Zappalà is an Italian freediver and coach. He worked under the eye of Andrea Zuccari at Freediving World in Sharm el-Sheikh for five years before moving up to Dahab when he currently lives and coaches.In this episode we discuss:Tito and Kat's plans for the winter.Only 3 people in 7 years who pissed him off!Tito is from the galaxy and the stars, and ... specifically from Sicily, Italy.Early start in freediving, spearfishing with his father.Selling the family gold for a Gopro.Tito's early ...

Ali Okab is the boss and face of the world-famous Aqua Marina, located right at the Blue Hole north of Dahab, Egypt.His restaurant is the starting point for all freediving adventures in the Blue Hole and the de facto family house for freedivers from all over the world.In this episode we discuss:Ali's full name is Ali Rekab Ali Ali Okab.Aqua Marina is a home for all the freedivers of the world.The challenges of running a restaurant at the Blue Hole.Ali's realisation about freediving and its pe...

Kateryna Sadurska is a multiple record holder and Ukrainian champion. Kat has a background as a synchronised swimmer and even made it to the Olympics in Rio to represent Ukraine in that sport, and later turned her attention to our wonderful sport of freediving where she has rapidly been rising to the elite levels, especially in her pool performances. In this episode we discuss:Katerina is from Mykolaiv, Ukraine.She has a background in synchronised swimming and did that for 17 years....

Denis Grosmaire was raised in the pacific island nation of French Polynesia, travelling for island to island as a kid with his mom, growing up in the ocean from a very young age. However, he didn't dive deeper than 30m or take a freediving course until he was 39 years old. After that he very quickly rose up through the competition ranks and now dives well over 100m. Denis also has a fascinating relationship with sharks. He spends hours and hours in the waters of French Polynesia wit...

Bizo Silva is an Emergency Medicine physician practicing in a trauma center in Northern California, USA. He specialized in lung ultrasound in trauma. Bizo took part in much of the basic research and development of methods on how lung ultrasound is practiced today. After working for a few years in a very busy trauma center in Brazil, he moved to the USA in 2007. He discovered freediving on a vacation to Hawaii, and shortly after decided to shift careers towards freediving medicine after h...

Alex Llinas is from Colombia and holds several national records. He dived his first 100m during competition at this years AIDA World Championships in Roatan. His story of spending years in immigration limbo, battling cancer and losing his father before going on to become a top freediving athlete is truly inspirational.In this episode we discuss:Alex is from ColombiaAbout San Andres island, ColombiaThen to life in Medellin.From Colombia to Charlotte, NCA slightly complicated immigration issue....

Jani Valdivia is from Peru and is based in Tampa, Florida where he works as a neurosurgeon.He is also a member of the AIDA Medical Committee, President of AIDA Peru and a competitive freediver himself.He was first on the podcast on Episode #99For freediving courses, coaching, podcasts and videos visit:https://freediveandthrive.comIn this episode we discuss:Balancing life as a neurosurgeon and aspiring deep freediver.Training options in Florida.Getting ready for Vertical Blue 2022.What has Jua...

Carlos Diezel is a freediving athlete from Brazil and manager of the world famous Dahab Freedivers school in Egypt.In this episode we discuss:Carlos is from Brazil.The underwater world of Brazil's coast.Discovering freediving at Julia Mouce's Apnea Bali, via Mike Board's Freedive Gili!Carlos is getting steadily deeper and loves depthCarlos is currently coached by Julia Mouce.The issue of diving for the numbers.Carlos did his last comp with a broken ankle!Discovering new layers of relaxation i...

Rami Bladlav is a top level athlete in Static Apnea competing for Sweden. He is nearing the 10 minute breath-hold mark.Today we talk about his journey from Iraq, to Mixed Martial Arts, to his passion for long breath-holding performances. In this episode we discuss:Rami is originally from Iraq, but grew up in Iran, then moved to Sweden at age 10/11Rami started sport with football, then eventually mixed martial arts.What is it like to be a fighter?Rami's fighting history.Rami has two young...

Guillaume Néry is one of the most iconic figures in the freediving world. A World Champion, world record achiever and a filmmaker who has introduced the underwater world and freediving to millions.In this episode we discuss:Guillaume grew up next to the sea in Nice, France.Does going naked in the bed improve breath hold ability?Meeting Claude Chapuis, his mentor.Remembering Loïc LefermePioneers of the freediving world.How were the big dives performed back in the day?Guillaume's current approa...

Lily Crespy is a former molecular biologist turned freediving coach and instructor. She has represented France several times as an athlete in freediving competitions and is part-owner of the world famous Dahab Freedivers school.In this episode we discuss:Lily is from France.An accidental discovery of freediving, from pharmaceutical company to the ocean.Apnea Total on Koh Tao and a broken leg with a nice boy.Shout out to Julia Mouce at Apnea Bali.Shout out to JP from Freediving Planet and Thib...

Today we are joined by Croatian athlete Lidija Lijic. Lidija is a 5 x world record holder, a World and European champion, a pilot, a climber, a mountaineer, an architect, a motivational speaker and a Sea Shepherd ambassador. The strength of the Croatian athletes in freediving is well known, Lidija is not an exception. We talked about her Jump Blue Days, running up mountains with a snorkel in your mouth, an incredible project in the Himalayas with Vitomir Maricic, her lov...

Stig Severinsen has a degree in biology and a Ph.D. in medicine. He began experimenting with holding his breath as a child at the bottom of his parents’ pool.Stig has played underwater rugby at an elite level, he's been a freediving world record holder, he's broken a few Guinness world records, he was the first to break the 20m breath hold barrier on pure O2 among other feats of human endurance, and now he works on spreading the word about his system Breatheology, a set of tools and technique...

On today's show is Jennifer Wendland, Jennifer is a current World Record-holding freediver from Germany and unless anything has changed since we recorded this interview two months ago, currently holds all of the German national records, and has done for quite a long time!We talk about how she manages to balance training as a top-level athlete while working a regular human job, we compare athletes of other sports and talk about what challenges she faced over the years and how she overcame them...

On today's show we are talking to Mr 10 minutes himself, Florian Dagoury. Florian is French freediver with more than 10 years experience in the sport and has reached in these last few years, the amazing performance of 10 minute in static apnea, his chosen discipline - a performance that very few in the world have achieved. Florian is based in Thailand, from where he joins me today. We'll hear about his journey as a freediver, his work in Thailand with his school Blue Immersion...

Petar Klovar is a World Record breaking Croatian competitive freediver. In the 2022 CMAS World Championships he dived an incredible 92m in CNF (Constant Weight No Fins).In this episode we discuss:Is Croatia trying to take over the freediving world?Petar has gone from 70 to 90+ metres in 2 years of CNF!!He has a good background in swimming.Petar is from the coastal city of Rijeka in Croatia.Gym training for appearance and a spell in kickboxing.How has focusing on freediving affected Petar's ph...

On today's show we have a Freedive Cafe favourite returning to the show. Founder of Immersion Freediving and the Freedive Live Podcast, Ted Harty came back and we had a conversation sharing some of our experiences and advice regarding the instruction of freediving. So this episode may offer up some helpful or insightful information for new or aspiring freediving instructors and my even hold a few gems for experienced instructors too.In this episode we discuss:Ted has moved to Georgia!Abo...

MT Solomons is a link to the early days of deep freediving before the modern competition era, along with her partner at the time Aharon Solomons they were there in the time of Pipin and Audrey, Umberto Pelizzari and Davide Carrera, a young Martin Stepanek was around, Kirk Crack, Tanya Streeter, a whole host of freediving royalty, a time when things were simpler in the world and also in freediving, when freediving was still very exploratory and deep diving logistics and training were being fig...

World Record Holder Vitomir Maričić returns to The Freedive Cafe to answer the legendary Training Talk questions!We also discuss his experiences with nitrogen narcosis and decompression illness.The Training Talk Questions are:What is your favourite freediving discipline and why? Do you have a coach and who do you train with? Do you periodise your training through the year? What kind of dry training do you do?Do you have a dry EQ practice, if so, what kind of exercises?Desc...

Originally aired on Thrivers Podcast exactly one year ago, in this fascinating interview we discuss James Nestor's latest book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.James Nestor originally appeared on episode #19 of The Freedive Café when we discussed his previous book Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and what the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves.In this episode we discuss:How did the Coronavirus situation affect the release and promotion of the book?Was James nervous to go on Joe Rogan’s po...

Chris McKay was Chief of Safety at the 2021 AIDA World Championships in Cyprus and runs Freedive Tulum in Mexico.In this episode we discuss:How was Chris' whole experience of the AIDA WC 2021 in Cyprus?Did the issue with Taiwan flag negatively affect the athletes?Chris is from Queensland in Australia.A start in freediving through spearfishing.Enjoying depth but not competing.Comparing freediving to climbing.Chris came from a safety and rescue training background, working in adventure tourism....

Tom Peled is a breath coach and freediving coach from Tel Aviv, Israel. Join us for this fascinating conversation on the power of the breath, working with trauma, helping athletes to their peak performance and much more.In this episode we discuss:Shout out to Madison and Alice ModoloTom is from Tel Aviv, IsraelHe joined the Navy when he was 18 and eventually became a scuba instructor.Discussing the diving conditions off the coast of Israel.Did Tom get involved in the competitive scene?Meeting...

Julia Mouce, Freedive Cafe favourite returns for her fourth appearance!Julia is the owner of Apnea Bali freediving school on the island of Bali, Indonesia and one of the most highly regarded professional freediving coaches in the world.Today we focus on the art of instructing freediving, from the beginning level, to coaching athletes at the top of their game.In this episode we discuss:Discussing the AIDA World Championships in Cyprus.Advice for instructors:Don't talk too much!Always say somet...

Fatima Korok is a World Champion freediver from Hungary.She first appeared on the show on Episode #110 and now returns to dig deep into her training methods with a special Training Talk episode.The Training Talk questions are:What is your favourite freediving discipline and why?Do you have a coach and who do you train with?Do you periodise your training through the year?What kind of dry training do you do?Do you have a dry EQ practice, if so, what kind of exercises?Can you handsfree? How deep...

On today’s show we have another amazing girl joining us, you know the girls are really the ones leading the way in terms of exciting freediving these days, and Alice Modolo of France is no exception. This year at the famous Vertical Blue competition she achieved the first ever 100m dive for a french female athlete and topped that off with a CMAS world record in CWT bifins with a dive to 95m. Alice has had a long and interesting journey in freediving, at one point giving up the sport...

Gary McGrath is and English competitive freediver. His first appearance was episode #109.This is a Training Talk episode. The Training Talk questions are:What is your favourite freediving discipline and why? Do you have a coach and who do you train with? Do you periodise your training through the year? What kind of dry training do you do?Do you have a dry EQ practice, if so, what kind of exercises?Describe your favourite pool training sessions, if you train in the pool.How do y...

Claire Paris is a competitive freediver and professor in the Department of Ocean Sciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Her research is dedicated to biological oceanography and ocean conservation and we'll go into that in detail in the show. If you wanted to know how pelagic fish begin their lives or what the difference is between phytoplankton and zoo plankton and how important they both are to the health of the planet, you'll find th...

Tom Ardavany first contributed to the Vertical Blue medical team in 2012 and has been part of the team many times since then. He has also been present as a medic at many other top-level freediving competitions including Blue Element in Dominica.Tom is an expert in the field, and brilliantly educates us on everything from lung squeeze and athlete monitoring protocols as well as the unforeseen and strange situations that have taken him by surprise over the years.In this episode we discuss:Tom i...

Louisa Collyns hails from London but eventually found her way into the underwater world through scuba diving, and then, as so often happens, she met some freedivers and nothing was ever the same again.She has been involved in teaching freediving and being a safety diver at major competions for the best part of a decade and is also the founder of Freedive Ibiza, which has been providing freediving education on the beautiful Spanish island since 2015.In this episode we discuss:Louisa grew up in...

Mirela Kardasevic is and has been World Champion, Vice-World Champion, 6 times World Record Holder, twice bronze medalist at the European Championship, and multiple Croatian national champion and record holder and some of that might have to be updated since the CMAS competition last week, but as you can see, it's quite the list of achievements for someone who came into the sport aged 30 and has only been at it for a few years.In this episode we discuss:It's the 4 year anniversary of The Freed...

Nathan Vinski is an up and coming Canadian competitive freediver and freediving coach.Nathan's specialist skill is 'being a struggling freediver' and knowing how to apply a sports science-based approach to freediving, helping to turn freediver struggles into strengths. If you want to know how to train and compete for depth, or pool, in cold or warm locations, Nathan is a guy that can help you out because he's been through all the struggles and reached all the dead ends that we aspiring deep d...

Fatima Korok is from Hungary. Fatima has been on a special journey through freediving, not just quickly rising to become the first Hungarian freediver to become a World Champion, but overcoming many personal challenges on the way. In this episode we discuss:Fatima was in Dahab at the time of recording.How has her experience of the pandemic been?Getting Dominican Republic and Dominica mixed up in big way!Life in Dahab during 'lockdown'A trip to Croatia to visit Vitomir Maricic and attend ...

Gary McGrath is an English diver who recently surpassed the 100m mark in depth. He joins me from Dahab, Egypt, to discuss his freediving progression.In this episode we discuss:Donny first noticed Gary after he hit the 100m mark!Gary used to work at Freedive Gili! (Donny's 'freediving spiritual home')Gary's is from England, his mum is Thai.Shout out to Saltfree Divers based at The National Diving and Activity Centre, a beautiful flooded quarry in Chepstow, near Bristol in the UK.How did Gary p...

Although Sheena McNally hails from a part of Canada over 1,000 km from the ocean, she has always loved being in the water. Growing up, she spent summers on the lake and winters in the pool, becoming certified in lifesaving, rescue, and swimming instruction. As an adult, shedabbled in many activities, including martial arts, circus, and running, but none of them stuck. She eventually took up scuba diving and fell in love with the sea, which led her to leave the chilly prairies and a career in ...

Daan Verhoeven is best know for his amazing photography of freedivers. He hails from the Netherlands and now lives in Cornwall, UK. He started freediving in 2005. Between 2006 and 2011 he set national records in 5 of the 6 freediving disciplines. He is a freediving instructor with AIDA, SSI and PADI. He’s an AIDA judge and was voted safety diver of the year in 2010 and 2011. He has been a freediving photographer since 2011.He lives together with his girlfriend Georgina Miller, who is also a f...

Emilio Rodríguez-Álvarez is an archaeologist specialising in the archaeology of ancient Greece, the study of pottery technology, geographic Information Systems and maritime archaeology. He finished his B.A. at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) and took his M.A. from University of Reading (UK); after working in Galicia he moved to the University of Arizona (US), in order to work on his Ph.D.Emilio is a keen freediver himself and is especially interested in the ancient divers o...

Gus Kreivenas is a 100+m diver originally from Lithuania and over the last decade has been developing himself into an elite freediver, focusing on awareness, sensitivity and focus to bring himself to this level in the safest and most enjoyable way.This is a Training Talk episode originally released on Freedive Cafe PLUS at www.patreon.com/freedivecafeEnjoy and share the love, and DIVE SAFE!For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and trai...

Sara Campbell is a bit of a legend in the freediving community.She is a Kundalini Yoga teacher, and four times World Record-holding freediver. She is the founder of Discover Your Depths, a unique teaching and personal growth philosophy based on yoga, meditation, freediving and mind-body awareness.Sara has been practising Kundalini Yoga since 2003, and attributes her phenomenal success in breath-hold diving – from beginner to three-times World Record holder in just nine months (diving to 90m b...

Adam Stern is an Australian freediving athlete, Australian champion and 8 x Australian freediving record holder. He also teaches freediving for all levels from absolute beginner all the way up to instructor and competitor levels.This is an interview from the PLUS archives, recorded in May 2019.For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/f...

Daan Verhoeven is best know for his amazing photography of freedivers. He hails from the Netherlands and now lives in Cornwall, UK. He started freediving in 2005. Between 2006 and 2011 he set national records in 5 of the 6 freediving disciplines. He is a freediving instructor with AIDA, SSI and PADI. He’s and AIDA judge and was voted safety diver of the year in 2010 and 2011. He has been a freediving photographer since 2011.He lives together with his girlfriend Georgina Miller, who is also a ...

Julia Mouce is an instructor for SSI, AIDA, Apnea Total and PADI as well as an Instructor Trainer for Apnea Total and PADI, she is an accomplished competition freediver herself, holding records for Argentina in CWT and CNF.She is also the owner of a very well-known school in Bali, Apnea Bali and another school, Freedive Air, on Gili Air, just off the Lombok coast.Julia is especially well known for her success in coaching some of the world’s top athletes, and as one of the most experienced ins...

Donny is currently based in Xiao Liuqiu, Taiwan.Donny is from Scotland and has lived in the Netherlands, Finland, Australia and Thailand among other places.An early exposure to freediving through the Big Blue movie and a long time waiting for the right time to start.Viktor Reshetniak was Donny's first freediving instructor and he did AIDA4 at Freediving Planet with Jean Pol Francois in The Philippines before heading back to Gili Trawangan to do his first instructor course with Viktor again at...

In this episode we discuss:Jani is from Lima, PeruJani got interested in freediving through a scuba accident!He did his first course with William Trubridge and became an instructor under Jonathan Sunnex.Work as a medic at competitions and burgeoning interest LMC and Blackout.Developing the freediving scene in Peru.Jani is a neurosurgeon.Jani is a member of the AIDA medical committee and directs the medical communications.The medical part of freediving is a new frontier.Jani's main interest is...

William Trubridge is a world champion and multiple world record holder. He currently holds the huge 102m CNF record which may just be the most impressive thing a human being has ever done on one breath!He is the owner of Vertical Blue freediving school and organiser of the Vertical Blue competition which many of you will know as the ultimate venue of freediving competition in the world.Will first appeared on Episode #69 For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecaf...

Today on the show we have the inimitable Aharon Solomons. Aharon is a legend in the freediving community, known for his forward thinking attitude towards training, his irreverent sense of humour and general passionate dedication to our beloved sport for decades.Aharon first appeared on Episodes 15 and 16 of the show. If you want to hear Aharon's fascinating backstory and an introduction to his training methodology then check those out, in this episode we further explore in great detail the tr...

Bill Streever, a biologist, is the award winning and bestselling nature writer behind In Oceans Deep, Cold, Heat, and And Soon I Heard a Roaring Wind. He has worked on issues ranging from the environmental effects of underwater sound to the evolution of cave crayfish to the restoration of tundra wetlands to climate change. With his wife, marine biologist Lisanne Aerts, he lives aboard the cruising sailboat Rocinante, currently in South America. When he is not busy fixing the boat, he sp...

#39 – Mateusz Malina – Part TwoFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Dean Chaouche began his relationship with the ocean at a very young age on the beaches of the Gower just off Swansea, Wales.He began surfing at a young age and from that I developed a strong desire to travel and surf all over the world.On his travels he decided to take a surf trip to Indonesia, while looking for a yoga school to practice, he stumbled across “Freedive Gili & Yoga” run by UK record holder Mike Board. There he stayed for around a year and a half, both training and teaching u...

Nays Baghai is an independent film maker and underwater cameraman based in Sydney, Australia.Nays became fascinated with the worlds of film and diving when he saw The Blue Planet at age seven, and has gone on to win over 20 awards for his short films across various international festivals. His first feature film, Descent, is a psychological documentary about ice freediver Kiki Bosch, and won the Best Australian Documentary award at the Academy Award-qualifying Sydney Film Festival.He is curre...

Yoram Zekri | Ocean Prana Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com Use the discount code 1234567890 to get 10% off any orders from BESTDIVE! Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Photo Credit: Smartshot Yoram Zekri is today's guest. With more than 30 years experience in the freediving life, more than 22 years as a freediving educator and a long history of competitive diving and developme...

Pascal Berger Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 20% OFF ALL ONLINE COURSES AT IMMERSIONFREEDIVING.COMUSE DISCOUNT CODE FREEDIVECAFE Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Photo Credit: Robert Strix Pascal Berger was born and bred in Switzerland on a diet of cheese and chocolate. He grew to become half-competitive freediver, and half-designer.After graduating from the University of ...

Martin Štěpánek PLUS Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 20% OFF ALL ONLINE COURSES AT IMMERSIONFREEDIVING.COMUSE DISCOUNT CODE FREEDIVECAFE Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Martin Stepanek is originally from The Czech Republic. He is a multi-world record holder, holding 13 of them, and a true legend in the sport, diving up to 122m in CWT.He is also the founder of the Freedivin...

Marcin Baranowski Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 20% OFF ALL ONLINE COURSES AT IMMERSIONFREEDIVING.COMUSE DISCOUNT CODE FREEDIVECAFE Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Marcin Baranowski is a Professor of Physiology at the Medical University of Bialystok, Poland. His research focuses on lipid metabolism. He's also a passionate freediver, competing both in pool and depth since...

Linda Paganelli Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 20% OFF ALL ONLINE COURSES AT IMMERSIONFREEDIVING.COMUSE DISCOUNT CODE FREEDIVECAFE Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Linda Paganelli is originally from Rimini, Italy and is now based on the Canary Islands. She was an early pioneer on the freediving scene in Dahab, co-founder of Freedive Dahab, co-owner of Blue Immersion in Tha...

Adam Sellars Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 20% OFF ALL ONLINE COURSES AT IMMERSIONFREEDIVING.COMUSE DISCOUNT CODE FREEDIVECAFE Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Adam Sellars has been on what could be described as a spiritual journey these past 5 years that has culminated in the colliding of two worlds that have shaped the person he is today. As an athlete Adam has always g...

Samo Jeranko Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 20% OFF ALL ONLINE COURSES AT IMMERSIONFREEDIVING.COMUSE DISCOUNT CODE FREEDIVECAFE Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Samo Jeranko is from Slovenia. He is a freediving vice-world champion with more than a decade in the elite-level freediving community. He dives to 110m in Constant Weight and has overcome serious obstacles to reach...

Mateusz Malina #2 Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 20% OFF ALL ONLINE COURSES AT IMMERSIONFREEDIVING.COMUSE DISCOUNT CODE FREEDIVECAFE Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Mateusz Malina started diving in late 2008, but already knew that it would become his destiny seven years earlier after trying it in a pool with his friends.His achievements are too numerous to list them all, ...

Sheena McNally Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 20% OFF ALL ONLINE COURSES AT IMMERSION FREEDIVING Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Although Sheena McNally hails from a part of Canada over 1,000 km from the ocean, she has always loved being in the water. Growing up, she spent summers on the lake and winters in the pool, becoming certified in lifesaving, rescue, and swi...

Federico Mana Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 10% OFF ( and FREE shipping inside Australia)! Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Federico Mana originally wanted to become a professional basketball player but his fragile ankles prevented that from happening!He encountered freediving by chance in 1996, and seven years later moved to Egypt and dedicated himself to teaching freedi...

Federico Mana Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 10% OFF ( and FREE shipping inside Australia)! Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Federico Mana originally wanted to become a professional basketball player but his fragile ankles prevented that from happening!He encountered freediving by chance in 1996, and seven years later moved to Egypt and dedicated himself to teaching freedi...

Kirk Krack Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 10% OFF ( and FREE shipping inside Australia)! Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Kirk Krack is pioneer in the freediving world, and has been on a quest to make the sport as safe as possible for over two decades. In 1996, he was working as a Trimix Instructor Trainer in Grand Cayman when he was first introduced to the competitive fre...

Ted Harty #2 Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 10% OFF ( and FREE shipping inside Australia)! Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Ted Harty first appeared on the show on Episode #60.He is the founder of Immersion Freediving and www.freedivingsafety.com. He started his underwater career as a scuba instructor in the Florida Keys in 2005 and took his first freediving class wi...

Vitomir Maričić Use the discount code FREEDIVE CAFE to get 10% off any orders from octopusfreediving.com 10% OFF ( and FREE shipping inside Australia)! Subscribe to PodcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options Vitomir Maričić is from Rijeka, Croatia. He is an experienced extreme athlete and coach in several sports. This rising star made unofficial WR results in his first competitions, and DNF 3rd place in AIDA WC and CNF 4th place in CMAS EC as his best ...

#80 – Dr. Wallace J. Nichols | Blue MindFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#79 – Thibault Guignes #2 | Rising StarFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#78 – Marco Cosentino | Safety AngelFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#77 – Viktor Reshetniak | Ascending UkrainianFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#76 – Tanya Streeter | DeepestFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#75 – Susana Lourenço | The Psychology of FreedivingFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#74 – Martin Štěpánek | Czech LegendFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#73 – Harry Chamas | Train Hard, Dive EasyFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#72 – Daniel Koval & Kristin Kuba | Double DeepFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#71 – Martin Zajac | Coach of ChampionsFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#70 – Akim Ladhari | Deep HunterFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#69 – William Trubridge | True DepthFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#68 – Jonathan Sunnex | Blue ElementFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#67 – Miguel Lozano | Spain’s Depth MasterFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#66 – Nataliia Zharkova – In the Deep DivisionFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#65 – Stig Pryds #2 | Catch-Up with Denmark’s ChampionFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

#64 – Kerry Hollowell | Doctor On WaterFor all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.comFor freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.comTo support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe