Two years ago, I took my first freediving course in Wellington, New Zealand at Dive Wellington. When I signed up, I was operating on the idea that I wanted to overcome my fears of the ocean. A year earlier I went on a snorkelling trip in Cape Town, and while exploring their beautiful kelp forest, I witnessed a french guy putting lead weights on over his wetsuit.
“What the hell is he doing??” I asked myself, still fearful of open water, sharp and slimy critters, and hyper awware of my own lack of experience in open water.
But it was the moment I saw him gliding through the kelp stalks beneath me that I understood. That there was another way to experience the ocean. A way to explore it without fear, without panic, and with confidence. At this moment I knew that I would try freediving one day.
During that week in Cape Town, I reconnected with my snorkel guide and looked into a beginner course, but between cost and scheduling I wasn’t ready to prioritize it before I left. It was my first itme in the city and there were dozens of things to do before leaving!
So as I flew home to Canada, it ventured to the recesses of my mind. Never really coming back up, until I meet my friend Mats, who lived at my first Workaway in New Zealand. “yeah, I go spearfishing sometimes” he tells me. And that’s where it starts to click… “How do you do that though, what is it, freediving?” and I tell him the story from Cape Town. He sees my excitement, and tells me to sign up for a course while I’m here in New Zealand. And that’s exactly what I do.
Findign a course was tough – limited locations and very specific dates to adhere to, but the one in Wellington makes sense. Spend the next three weeks exploring the North Island in January, and head to the Capital city for a Saturday morning in early February.
Life is a pretty funny journey, and for the past few years I felt like I had been regretting my choice to become an engineer. The money was alright, but I was really becoming more and more connected with the outdoors, and spending my life at a desk was not making me into the best version of myself. Even to the point of looking at an “outdoor guiding” college program to thrust me into the industry. I worked at a great company, and I wasn’t burning out like many other people do in their corporate jobs, but I began to dream of a life where I spent more time outdoors and helping others connect with nature.
So there I find myself, in a tiny office with several other guys and one instructor, learning how to hold my breath. Which in turn forces you to connect more with your body. And your physiology is actually designed to support this kind of thing, and your body kind of becomes a superhero in the water?? I was instantly hooked, and I wasn’t even in the water yet.
My first few breathholds were hard. Maxing out at like, 30 seconds? 45? I was scared. Nervous of what my body would do if I held on for too long. However, I wasn’t experiencing contractions, chest flutters, or anything like this. I just couldn’t trust that everything would be fine. But thanks to my instructor and the kind, wholesome environment I was in, I eventually held on for about 1’30” (conveniently, the requirement for the course!) But more important than the absolute time, or passing the course, was the brewing confidence inside me.
I then tried my hand at dynamic – swimming horizontally in the pool for a maximum distance. I can’t remember the exact ditsance that I went on my 2nd or 3rd try, but both my instructor and I were surprised at how far I went. And right there I gained a little more confidence.
That night I went out for a beer with my new friend Ben from the course, and had an awesome time debriefing with him and learning more about his travels in New Zealand as a British expat. We made sure to leave early though, and get a good night’s sleep.
The next session we had was a few days later because of the weather, but we got suited up and jumped into the water across the street. At first I was pretty anxious about my weightbelt, my fins, my mask… so many new things to think about and take care of. But once I got in the water, I was really able to just chill out. I think this was my first time in the ocean while wearing a full set of gear, basically covered head to toe in neoprene, wearing fins that gave me strength and power, and a mask so I could easily see below the dark surface. And right there I was met with quite a variety of kelps, fish, and other aquatic life, just like when I was in Cape Town.
We eventually swim out to our dive spot, slightly sheltered between some rocky outcroppings to make a small bay. We all start taking turns on the line, and I felt like I was actually doing okay! Equalization was an issue though, and I was struggling to get below about 5 meters before my ears would close up. I was absolutely doing the Valsalva method, and had yet to learn the Frenzel method. Of course, I thought I was doing it right but I was proven so wrong by the ocean.
One of my favourite moments from this day was when my isntructor looks at me and asks “Hey Jake, how are you doing?” and I take a moment, look at him funny, and ask him what he means. He replies “You told me you were scared of the ocean…” and I just laugh, realizing that I am so past the point of being fearful of the water! The transformation was fast, and I truly attribute it to 1) learning what my body was capable of in the classroom, and 2) having all the right gear on. Once again, it was my confidence growing at a very fast rate that began to open this door for me to become a freediver.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to the minimum 10 meters for the course, but I got a second chance about three weeks later when my instructor brought me out for my second session before I left the North Island. During this session, I got much deeper, and finally reached 10 meters on one breath (quite messily though) and had a brief, beautiful moment where I held onto the line while touching the sandy bottom, looking around at the rocks, fish, and abyss that surrounded me. Aaaaaand I quickly realized I needed to breathe! It was a short moment, but as I cracked the surface I truly identified that this was special. I would absolutely try freediving again.
And quite ambitiously, I had a seed planted in my head that day. That I would one day become a freediving instructor, and turn my life from one at a desk to one in the water. Again, this was a VERY ambitious dream to have after my first session, but as I would grow to find out, I kinda love this sport and I’ll continue to chase it for a very long time.