What does freediving have to do with Ocean Access?

With the largest Ocean Access Programme for African Scientists, Conservationists and Storytellers, NEWF labs create opportunities for freediving certifications too.

Recently, a cohort of fellows added this discipline to their skillset, each calmly descending and ascending along a dropped buoy line in Sodwana Bay's inviting water, to a qualifying depth of 10 metres… just one breath at a time.

Led by Dr Nelson Miranda (co-founder of Argonaut Science, a marine scientist and freediving instructor), the cohort spent five days on a holistic training journey to get comfortable with their mammalian dive reflexes, supported by Dr Nasreen Peer (co-founder of Argonaut Science, scientist, and certified freediver) and Gino Naidoo, a NEWF fellow and video content creator whose freediving journey is on the instructor track.

Together George, Ketha, Khosi, Muha, Sanele, Sandile and Sihle (pictured below) went through breath work and physiology, static breath-hold exercises, and rescue techniques, duck diving techniques, equipment use and management, and equalisation techniques. Gently stretching their diaphragms, these skills practiced in the pool and open water awakened ancient reflexes that will serve them in their ocean exploration, scientific disciplines, and impact storytelling for a lifetime—modern iterations of ancestral activities.

Photo by Mogamat Shamier Magmoet.

Muhamago, a NEWF fellow, musician, and artist, shares a brief reflection on his experience:

I had the most incredible experience learning to freedive at eKhaya in a lab facilitated by Argonaut Science. It was amazing to experience myself in between breaths, learning what triggers my urge to breathe and how to manage it. The team was so supportive; we all showed up for each other and made it through together.

Since freediving relies on simple techniques that come to feel natural, your breath and minimal equipment, the experience is one of fluid, sensory movement and often far less environmental disturbance too. Added to this is a level of accessibility and freedom unique to this ancient discipline.

Not only does this allow divers from all walks of life to spend time exploring their local, dive-safe shores more often than most people in Africa can afford to SCUBA dive, but it also gives marine scientists, underwater photographers, and cinematographers a skillset that is invaluable in a moment when a species appears and time is of the essence.

Multidisciplinary divers are far more likely to be succeed in the recreational and professional dive industries across the globe - particularly when applied to the storytelling and research sectors where so many stories about Africa and her oceans are told through a western and colonial lens due to underrepresentation in key ocean activities. More so, freediving skills shared in communities is a significant tool in reconnecting coastal communities to their local waters safely and confidently.

These divers now have a new way of experiencing the ocean and sharing stories across the continent and the world at large.

Africa Refocused—it's a thing! Come and join us…

Curious to learn more?
We’ll soon be sharing stories from George, a passionate ocean advocate re-storying Ghana’s coral reefs, and Muhamago, who will soon immerse in his 2025 National Geographic Explorer project.