It all began a few years ago in Greece. A Greek island was supposed to be the vacation destination. But it’s hard to decide when there are so many options. So I took a pragmatic approach: I always wanted to do freediving. Where is there an instructor in Greece? On Zakynthos.

So off to the island, a friendly welcome from Ioannis and into the crystal clear water. We learn the theoretical basics, holding our breath (static) and distance diving in the pool (dynamic) as well as deep diving in the sea (free immersion). And it wouldn’t be Greece if it was only the holding our breath and not the fantastic scenery that left us speechless.

Since then we have stuck to this type of diving. A course followed on Tioman Island, in Malaysia, with an initial certification. The program teaches more theory and also the safety techniques and routines that give us the opportunity to continue on our own in pairs. Also on Tioman Island, in the middle of a nature reserve, the time in the water and the view of the coastline is an incomparable experience.

What makes it so appealing? Diving requires very little equipment. Snorkel, diving goggles, fins and a weight belt are the basics. A wetsuit helps also in warmer waters and a buoy can be used to fix a line along which you can dive – vertically or horizontally, depending on your training requirements. The rest is even simpler: put your head underwater and hold your breath. So simple in essence, so rich in detail. The impressions youre body and mind have to process are varied and always new. At each depth, the pressure on the body feels different, the light changes, pressure equalization has to work, posture and fin technique play a role, at a certain depth gravity pulls you down, the mind gasping for air has to be calmed. Everything has to be perceived at the same time and yet must not occupy the mind. Too much effort, whether mental or physical, consumes energy and therefore oxygen. But especially as a beginner, you learn quickly and diving is fun. A successful dive is calm, ease, euphoria, satisfaction and exertion all at the same time.

Freediving diving suits our current sailing lifestyle. There is always a beautiful underwater world around us that we can experience; without compressors, breathing apparatus and hoses. We can practice at any time, just by jumping out of the cockpit. There are also purely practical aspects: Thanks to the training, it is easier for us to check the position of the anchor at greater depths or to retrieve one or the other object that has fallen overboard.

With the higher temperatures, higher humidity and mountainous terrain here in the Caribbean, our usual running laps have become rare. More exercise or challenge in the water is at least a kind of compensation. The constant availability of water makes it easy.

We found coaching opportunities in the Caribbean. In Dominica, Jeff and Matthieu were in the water with us. Jeff offers many different coaching sessions and trains big wave surfers worldwide for critical survival situations underwater. He has also developed his own diving belt that can be easily opened in case of an emergency. On the lÎles des Saintes we had a competent and nice freediving contact in JB who took us through another certification course and went spearfishing with us. Experience in freediving is also an advantage when looking for lionfish. The end of the underwater hunt was at least successful: the reef was rid of some of the invasive fish species and we had a fantastic dinner.

We’ll definitely keep on diving and perhaps the youngest member of the team will soon dare to stick her head underwater and take a closer look at the fish. Until then, she is the best and most entertaining diving buoy you could wish for.