I started out my career working as a Sport Psychologist, mostly in France. My athletes included a mix of motoGP racers, rock climbers, boxers, skiers, and rugby players.<\/p>\n
After a few years of traveling on a world championship circuit for motorcycling, I realised that I needed to get some \u2018lived experience\u2019 on the techniques I was teaching these athletes.<\/p>\n
As most of my athletes were competing in high-risk sports, I thought I should find something that would challenge me in a similar way.<\/p>\n
Where I was living, in the South of France, freediving was a popular sport. It is basically a competition to see who can reach the greatest depth in the ocean on a single breath of air. With the intense discomfort of the sport, and the fear involved, I thought it would be an ideal choice to apply these mental fitness techniques to.<\/p>\n
Had you always been good at holding your breath or was it a skill that you trained? <\/strong><\/p>\n I once held my breath at school for 2mins. At the time I thought any longer would be physically impossible. With training I\u2019ve been able to reach over 8mins. Anyone can achieve a decent breath hold with a little time and effort (when done safely away from water).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Diving has taken you all over the world, what\u2019s that experience been like? <\/strong><\/p>\n It was a fringe sport when I began 20 years ago. I embraced the competition side of things – that\u2019s where I wanted to test myself.<\/p>\n Much of the competition scene initially was on the Mediterranean Coast. Over the past decade the competition scene has taken off with events throughout Europe, Asia, USA, and in the Pacific.<\/p>\n While the stress of competition was always a challenge, I absolutely loved travelling to compete. I always found the other competitors to be so giving with their knowledge and advice. Before my deepest dives I would often seek advice from them. I guess the sport is unusual in that regard!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do you like to get up to when you\u2019re not diving and breaking world records?<\/strong><\/p>\n What I love most is spending time with my family and our two dogs just enjoying the Torquay beach lifestyle. I run my leadership development business out of Happy Spaces which is a communal working space on Gilbert St.<\/p>\n It has been a fantastic change after a decade of big firm consulting in Sydney and Melbourne. And when I\u2019m not freediving – I enjoy riding dirt biking, going spearfishing, or experimenting with different surfboard shapes and styles.<\/p>\n What are the mental and physical barriers like to compete in such a difficult sport? <\/strong><\/p>\n There are two big hurdles to overcome if you want to succeed in freediving. The first is learning to stay calm through the discomfort of a long breath hold, especially when the pressure at depth feels like it\u2019s squeezing the life out of you. The second is dealing with the fear that comes from sinking alone into the open ocean.<\/p>\n On a big competition dive, you might be free-falling through darkness for two minutes before turning around and finding your way back to the surface. For me, coming to terms with that fear has been the hardest part \u2014 and easily the most rewarding.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What\u2019s your next big goal with your career?<\/p>\n After 20 years of competition, I have moved onto a new challenge in my sport. Over the past 5 years I have been going up to the Arctic Circle to push myself in new ways – under the ice.<\/p>\n In 2019 I became the world\u2019s deepest man under ice. And last year I swam the furthest distance under ice ever attempted of 182m. That one was tough. It was done in the middle of winter in Iceland and filmed in immersive format as a documentary for the Apple Vision Pro.<\/p>\n I have just finished writing a book about my experiences and the techniques that made me mentally fit to excel in my sport. It\u2019s called \u201cLet it Be Tough\u201d and will be in all good bookstores in April!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/IS-TV-WW-240328-IMT__05913.jpg\")
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