All types of knowledge ultimately leads to self knowledge.
Freediving often invites curiosity and prompts numerous questions. Sometimes, questions are about the technical aspects of freediving, such as, “How do I stay safe during freediving?”, or “How do I improve my breath-hold abilities?”. However, as we get more immersed in this world of freediving, other questions arise.
Why do we all hold our breaths and dive repeatedly. What are we searching for within the depths of apnea? Are we seeking to be closer to nature? As we reach further and deeper, in the moment of stillness maybe we get a glimpse of an answer we are looking for.
[Photo] Panglao Depth Competition, Aug 2023 (Left); Taiwan Depth Competition, Jan 2023 (Right)
How did I come across freediving?
As a fine arts undergraduate in 2008, I stumbled on breath holding(apnea) which gave me interesting insights into the human mind, body and spirit. The experience and challenge of underwater apnea brought about interesting ideas, inspiration and sensations, furthered my research of artistic pursuit.
Intrigued, I delved further into the sport called Freediving, where people would hold their breaths underwater and challenge themselves further.
The first book I bought was "Manual of Freediving" by Umberto Pelizzari. He shared his philosophy of using breathing, relaxation and mental techniques to achieve good sensations during apnea underwater and this led me into a lifelong journey of research and pursuit of this sport.
[Photo] Movie: The Grand Blue (1988)
This movie showcases the pioneers and masters of freediving – Jacques Mayol, the first man to reach 100m in a single breath and Enzo Maiorca – in their pursuit for greater depths and mastery of their inner selves. Umberto Pelizzari is a student of Jacques Mayol.
Learning & Career
While the history of freediving dates back to ancient civilisation, formal instruction was not readily available in Singapore in 2008. Fortunately for me, there were several pioneers teaching in Singapore such as Bernard Wong (Singapore) & Jade Leutenegger(Canadian). The community started to grow in 2015. Together with other like-minded individuals, we started the Apnea Association of Singapore (AAS), a non-profit organisation to promote freediving. 
[Photo] 2018 Organizing Team for Annual Singapore Freediving Competition
In 2016, I took the Apnea Academy International Instructor Course with Umberto Pelizzari which is held once every 2 years. This course remains as one of the prestigious instructor course within the freediving community, where only Umberto validates and endorses the candidate’s competency to be an Apnea Academy Instructor during in a 7-day intensive freediving bootcamp. During my training, not only did I learn from Umberto, I had the opportunity to flourish under the guidance of the other grandmasters who were on his team – Andrea Zuccari, Miguel Lozano, Misuzu. 
In 2022, I was privileged to be recommended by Singapore SSI HQ to attend SSI Instructor Trainer Course which was led by Memo Artik. SSI has a detailed freediving theory and teaching structure developed by Memo, Lotta and the SSI Freediving Team. SSI FD Support and approach towards smaller business owners into creating more SSI Freediving Professionals. We are now a team more than 10 freediving instructors, some have started their own ventures!
[Photo] SSI Instructor Trainer Course with Veterans Instructors from Vietnam, Thailand, led by Memo Artik from Turkey
Present - 2024
After a decade of training students and becoming an Instructor Trainer for both SSI & AIDA – one of the highest qualifications of an instructor in freediving academia – I continue to expand and deepened my connection with freediving by engaging in contemplative explorations, pursuing the deeper aspects of inner stillness & calmness to promote the perception of inner knowledge and wisdom.
The opportunity for growth is ever present and my role of an instructor has been augmented by remaining as a perpetual student myself. Applying the techniques, which I have learnt (as a student) and taught (as an instructor) has also brought about positive benefits to my own training and participation in depth competitions, Utilising the holistic approach to breathing, relaxation and mental techniques, I progressed from 50m to 75m depth in 2023.
Apnea42
Apnea42 is a name that represents my idea of what freediving is. It is a search for meaning, the symbiotic relationship between question and answer, and the pursuit for deeper knowledge and wisdom of oneself.
It has expanded from a single entity – myself as a student and guide – to currently a A42 team of freediving instructors and a growing community of freedivers training together.
Why 42?
Why42? - Apnea42 Freediving
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