Ten years ago, I never imagined I’d leave London for a dusty Red Sea village, discover freediving, and set records beneath the surface. In Dahab, at the legendary Blue Hole, I trained with Gus Kreivenas, pushed past my limits, and discovered the thrill, focus, and freedom that only freediving can offer. This story captures the adventures, challenges, and transformative moments of my underwater journey — from first dives to competitive milestones — and offers inspiration for athletes and ocean explorers alike.
This January I was so excited to get to start diving in the French Riviera in Villefranche sur Mer again, however I had a creeping problem - how will I ever get used to the Med winter again after two years spent in Dahab, Egypt? I am not so fussy about cold water being at 13 degrees, after all I have 2 World Records for diving at -7 degrees in Lake Garda with my 3mm wetsuit.. But would I be able to bear the cold wind on a winter boat?
The Aquastar Deepstar II is the evolution of the original Deepstar from 1963 and is a result of recreation of one of the most influential dive watches of the 60s.
Freediving legends Jaques Mayol, Jacques Cousteau and Eugenie Clark were early ambassadors of Aquastar. Since 2023, Simona Auteri continues the legacy of he freediving Aquastar Brand Ambassadors.
Aquastar is a Swiss watch brand focused on watches for diving and sailing.
Aquastar watches were worn by Jacques Cousteau and his team during countless expeditions and by French freediver Jacques Mayol for its chronograph, which he could use to time breath holds on his deep apnea dives. He was wearing the Aquastar watch when he set the depth record of 75 meters on a single breath in 1968.
Since 2023, Simona continues the legacy of Aquastar Brand Ambassador.
Whilst training at Y-40, I have been playing around with the gear from FreeXperience, specifically their different lanyards and nose clips.
Last summer after the Mediterranea Cup Competition, we travelled to Ustica with photographer Federico Buzzoni from Studio Likuido to explore the Ustica underwater scenery through freediving in its underwater caves.
Freediving for a shooting with photographer Varya Azovtseva was about soft power this early morning in Eel Garden.
It was a gentle reminder that freediving isn’t all about depth and numbers, but could also be about flooded sinuses on an exhale dive, and trying to relax into that feeling 😅
But mainly seeing the beauty of the reef and feeling the connection with water and with another beautiful human being.
These pictures remind me of the painting of the Girl with a pearl earring
I have spent a whole year looking for the best freediving dry bags and backpacks.
Finally in July 2022 when training in Nice I came across Zulupack.
Their dry bags first stand out for their sleek design, but as my collaboration with Zulupack kicked off and I could finally put my hands on a range of bags, the quality really made an impression.
Like in any sport, in freediving nothing beats structured training, a balanced diet made of real and whole food, and proper rest and recovery.
Having said this, during the months of intense depth training and competitions, I personally use supplements, vitamins and minerals to help my body recover faster.
I love freediving for a number of reasons, one of them is the fact that I have become a master in relaxation.
I kind of consider my life as before freediving (BF) and after freediving (AF) and after freediving, I have really mastered my way to relaxation, how to get in the zone, space out, and relax only with the aid of my breath and power of mind.
Beside technique, relaxation is the very fundamental of freediving. Even our ability to equalize depends on our ability to relax and let go. The deeper we want to go, the more we have to let go.
As Freediving Competition starts doubled between 2009-2019, a great number of newbies, myself included, approached competitive freediving for the first time.
The idea of joining their first competition might sound daunting for many but it doesn't have to be.
Here below are some recommendations and tips on how to make your first experience a smooth one.
