The Power of

FREEDIVING

WHAT IS FREEDIVING?

Freediving is simply natural diving with very little equipment.
Diving underwater while holding your breath allows you tap into your own psychology and your Mammalian Dive Reflex (MDR), your body’s natural ability to function well underwater. Freediving practice brings many benefits & enables you to feel free and grounded in the beauty of the underwater world.

You can freedive recreationally or competitively, but most of the power is found by simply learning the process and getting smarter than your brain.

A Mental Skill …

Freediving is mostly a mental / emotional practice. Holding your breath and trusting the science of your body’s natural biological ability underwater gives you a landscape in which to shift beliefs, roll with sensory experience, and connect with deeper values that guide you. It allows you to practice being SMARTER than your brain. This builds the neurobiological “muscle” of our prefrontal cortex, which helps us control our attention, emotion, and behavior. Anyone can benefit, and it directly translates to wellbeing and control in other areas of life.

Two scuba divers underwater, one facing the camera with held hand showing the ok gesture, the other with back to the camera, holding a rope.


Mindset & Performance Training

Freediving is a powerful tool for strong mindset shifts. With just one training session in freediving, you are able to push against false assumptions and exceed perceived limitations. You forge new thought patterns regarding your potential, your body’s ability, and your beliefs about the ocean.

You gain lasting skills to regulate anxiety and stress in all areas of life, and become more strongly attached to your purpose. You experience something most people never get to see and feel. And, it’s a wonderful way to experience being connected to and embraced by a unique and fascinating natural world.

A woman in a swimsuit with snorkeling gear slides down a rocky underwater waterfall with scuba fins.

A Natural Meditative State

Once you learn to trust your MDR, you get the full benefits of freediving. The activation of the MDR allows you to access a very natural and unique meditative state underwater … a state of complete oneness, peace, gratitude, and deep connection with yourself and the world. Your heart rate is significantly lower, your brain is working more efficiently, and you are fully immersed in the awe-inspiring beauty of the ocean.

3 Sciences

Mammalian Dive Reflex

Freediving taps into your Mammalian Dive Reflex (MDR), a biological response to water that is present in everyone, ready to be used.

Our heart rate lowers, our blood flow shifts, and we become more aware, calmer, and totally in control.

The MDR is activated quickly when our body detects the physics of the ocean (coolness and pressure), and it allows you to be unexpectedly efficient at holding your breath underwater. But - to access the power of the MDR, you have to master your own psychology to let go and lean in, which is a beneficial emotional exercise in itself.

Dr. Bira leads static apnea training

Freediving Facts:

  • BREATH HOLDS: Most people can hold their breath for up to 5 minutes on the first try without practice. Once you learn the science and get smarter than your brain, it’s surprisingly easier than most people think, especially in water because the MDR kicks in. The longest natural breath hold is 11 minutes and 35 seconds.

  • HEART RATE: Under the pressure of the water, the MDR causes heart rate drops to 1/3 of resting, meaning the heart can beat at only 20 beats per minute to continue to supply oxygenated blood to the brain while using less energy

  • OXYGEN: The spleen is full of rich, oxygenated red blood cells that the body uses when needed to give you more oxygen-rich blood cells than you’ve ever have at one time, allowing you to hold your breath underwater much longer and more comfortably than expected

  • BRAIN: Blood flow is concentrated to the brain underwater, meaning your brain has more oxygen-rich blood than it ever does at the surface, making you alert and in control

  • SPEARFISHING: Many people get into freediving to be better, safer spearfishers, valuing the sustainability of catching their own clean protein in the wild while getting exercise, experiencing the beauty of our world, and having fun

  • WORLD RECORDS: In the competitive freediving world, Alexey Molchanov holds the men’s world record at 131 meters deep (430 feet) and Alenka Artnik holds the women’s world record at 122 meters (400 feet), both achieved in 2021, all on holding just one breath of air

Enjoy Dr. Bira’s favorite freediving photos taken by Ocean Oriented™ photographer Laurent Gloor (@LCGloor):

A man in a diving mask and blue swim trunks kneeling underwater surrounded by multiple stingrays on the sandy ocean floor.
A woman scuba diving underwater, wearing a wetsuit and goggles, with light rays shining down from the surface.
Underwater scene showing coral formations and sandy ocean floor under clear blue water.
A scuba diver swimming near a shark in a coral reef.
A woman wearing scuba diving gear and swimming in the ocean, holding a yellow rope.
Three people on a boat with the waterline visible. Two women sitting at the edge of the boat, one with glasses and a bikini top, the other in a wetsuit, smiling and waving. A shirtless man standing behind them, looking at the camera, with a blue sky
A person scuba diving underwater with sunlight streaming through the surface, illuminating the water and swimming near the seabed.
Illustration of a shark swimming underwater alongside a woman in a yellow swimsuit with snorkeling gear and fins.
Group of people in the ocean, some wearing snorkeling gear, standing in shallow, clear water with a small island and trees in the background, and a bright blue sky.
A woman kneeling on the sandy ocean floor, wearing a black dress and snorkeling mask, appears to be holding a large stingray.
Two people scuba diving underwater, one holding a rope and the other making a hand gesture, with sunlight filtering through the water.
Man snorkeling underwater reaching towards a large shark swimming on the sandy ocean floor.
A woman wearing scuba diving gear, including fins, explores underwater ruins, with sunlight filtering through the water.
A woman in a wetsuit and diving mask exploring an underwater shipwreck, swimming through a rectangular window.
An underwater scene featuring a diver swimming near a large fish and several smaller fish in the ocean
Two men snorkeling in the ocean, one holding a flotation device, both wearing snorkeling masks, under a blue sky with some clouds.
A woman in black wetsuit and fins swimming underwater near a glass wall or window.
A scuba diver swimming above a coral reef underwater.
A woman in leopard print swimwear with a snorkel and mask kneeling in water at a beach with a rusty, abandoned shipwreck in the background, showing both above and below the water surface.
A woman in swimwear and snorkel gear swimming underwater next to a large seashell sculpture resting on the ocean floor.
A woman in a black wetsuit and snorkel gear swimming near a sunken, wrecked shipwreck underwater.
An underwater scene showing a woman in a black swimsuit and snorkeling gear interacting with a shark among shipwreck debris, surrounded by small fish.
Two people underwater, one wearing black swim trunks and the other in a black wetsuit with fins, interacting with a red buoy tied to a measuring tape.
Person with a snorkel and mask in black swimwear on a paddleboard, underwater with a sunken shipwreck, marine life, coral, and fish.
A man and woman are underwater, the man holding onto a rope and the woman swimming towards him, both wearing snorkeling gear.
A woman in black scuba diving gear kneels on the ocean floor near a statue of a soldier. The ocean floor is sandy, with a few rocks and skull-shaped objects in the background.
Two people underwater, holding a rope and pulling a striped object.
Three people are snorkeling underwater in a clear ocean, with a seabed and sparse coral at the bottom.
A woman in black swimwear and long black gloves swims underwater, wearing a snorkel mask and fins, with a clear sandy ocean floor visible beneath her.
A shirtless man wearing goggles and swim trunks, floating underwater, making a shaka sign with his right hand, with a clear blue background and bubbles around him.
A person scuba diving underwater surrounded by striped fish, wearing a black wetsuit with mesh sleeves, a mask, and fins.
A woman in lingerie and snorkel gear swimming underwater near a large shark.
A person wearing a white wetsuit, snorkel, and mask swims underwater near a reef, accompanied by a small shark and various fish, with blue water and coral in the background.
A man diving underwater wearing black shorts, with diving fins, and holding onto a yellow line with a buoy attached, with a blue ocean background.
Two people in snorkeling gear holding hands underwater, with a yellow buoyant line between them.
A woman swimming underwater near coral rocks, wearing a red swimsuit and goggles, with sunlight filtering through the water.
A woman in a swimsuit and scuba fins swimming underwater with sharks and fish.
A person snorkeling underwater among coral reefs and fish, with the sunlight filtering through the water's surface.
Two scuba divers exploring underwater, one in front holding a rope and the other slightly behind, both wearing masks and fins.
A person swimming underwater near a sunken wreckage with visible debris and skeletons.
Two men are snorkeling underwater, wearing masks, fins, and swim trunks. They are swimming in clear blue water.
A woman in a bikini and diving mask lying on the sandy ocean floor with fins on her feet, surrounded by clear water and rocks.
A woman in diving gear snorkeling underwater, surrounded by various fish and coral reef, holding a camera to take pictures.
Two people swimming underwater with a coral reef below, using snorkeling gear and holding a line for guidance.
Two scuba divers underwater, one appears to be fishing or holding a fishing line, and the other is reaching towards them, with a deep blue ocean background.
A person swimming underwater, reaching towards the sunlight with their arm extended above their head and their other arm bent, wearing goggles and a swimsuit, with rippling water and sun rays overhead.
A man wearing goggles and fins swimming underwater over a coral reef in clear blue water.

FAQs

  • Statistically, not really at all, especially not when compared to the risk of everyday risky things we all do, like driving. In fact, freediving is significantly safer than SCUBA diving. And, if you are just freediving for fun and you do it with a trained instructor or buddy, there is very little risk with so much to gain.

  • Common misconception. Since freediving is 90% mindset and everyone has the MDR ready-to-go within them, fitness (at least how most of us think about it) and practice is not necessary to freedive. There can be some medical restrictions if someone has organ problems or inability to equalize their ears, for example, but generally anyone can get started. Also, breath work practice is not necessary at all. Believe it or not, we all have the ability to hold our breath for 2-4 minutes on the very first try, with no breath hold training and up to 5 minutes overall. It’s simply science! :D

  • This goes through everyone’s mind, and most people are surprised to find out that this is the last thing they think about when underwater. To help your brain feel comfortable quickly, first you learn the science and the skills of freediving. Then you take it step-by-step at your pace. Remember that when we dive, the MDR creates several biological safety barriers so that we stay calm and in control. You always choose what to do - there are so many awesome things to experience along the way no matter how much or little you push yourself.

  • Quite the opposite! Science shows that our bodies have plenty of oxygen for much longer than we think. What starts to feel uncomfortable is the build up of CO2, which gives us the urgency to breathe and anxiety but it means nothing. Tolerating that discomfort and giving it a new meaning is how we practice being smarter than our brainstem. In fact, breath hold work as a part of “interoceptive exposures” is exactly what psychologists do with clients as treatment for anxiety … it all relates to emotional control and the ability to relax in the face of stress that everyone can benefit from practicing. Plus, keep in mind that we always have enough oxygen to hold our breath for 5 minutes or even longer if we’re relaxed. Extensive research has shown that even in competitive freedivers, who dive almost 300 feet holding one breath, come up with plenty of oxygen and there’s no negative effect of this type of breath hold because the MDR kicks in and our bodies are made for it. So if you’re diving only 5 feet, 10 feet, or 30 feet, no problem at all!

  • Yes! Multiple entities offer freediving certifications. Dr. Bira is a PADI-certified Freedive Instructor, and certifies people in PADI Basic and Level 1 Freediving. Level 1 Freedivers can hold their breath for 90 seconds and dive 10 meters or 33 feet. Basic freedivers have the knowledge and skills but might only go 5 feet. It’s a wonderful practice to work toward, as much as you want. You can make it a goal to complete Level 2 and 3 over time, or just stick with basic knowledge and the enjoyment that always comes with the practice of freediving.

  • It is very important to seek training and guidance from a certified and well-trained instructor who follows guidelines closely, and who makes you feel comfortable and interested in the process. As we know, the right match is key for growth and performance.

  • Know that you are in control and everything you do will be step-by-step. With everything in life, we want to push ourselves; growth happens in that zone. However, we should also feel interested, motivated, and rewarded with each thing we do, so going at the right pace is important and always under your control! Remember to have an open mind, trust the science, and always dive with a trained buddy to feel awesome under the ocean!