How to get into free-diving, according to the British champion

Why did you start free-diving?

I’ve loved swimming ever since I was a kid. Before taking my first free-diving course in 2007, I was a scuba instructor in Thailand. One day, we were exploring a shipwreck and I saw this lady swim down from the surface using only a monofin, which is a swimfin you attach to both feet. I thought, ‘I’d love to be able to do that!’ At first, it was just a hobby. It was only when I began to realise the importance of sharing my knowledge with others that I knew I wanted to pursue it professionally. 

You’ve since broken the national record for static apnea six times and set a personal best of seven minutes.

It’s funny being good at a sport that involves lying completely still, but it can quickly become very physically demanding. When you’re holding your breath, the most important thing is to stay calm. You need to understand yourself, know your physiology and have a good safety team around you. Deep diving has far less certainty because the pressure you experience is huge. My best depth is 215 feet, which isn’t very deep when you think about the women who reach 390 — that’s seven and a half atmospheres’ worth of pressure! 

Is it ever scary?

It’s all about relaxation and meditation, so I find it very peaceful — not like scuba diving, where you can put yourself in danger quite easily. Humans are well suited to holding their breath underwater — we’ve been doing it for millennia. Many tribes [such as the Bajau people of Southeast Asia] still free-dive to forage for food and pearls.

When it comes to free-diving in open water, what’s your favourite destination? 

My partner and I have just come back from Mexico, where we were exploring underground lakes. Some are hundreds of feet deep and they’re just spectacular. In terms of my favourite spot for depth training, though, Dominica in the Caribbean is hard to beat. Sadly, it’s difficult to find deep enough water close to home — much of the North Sea is only about 130 feet, which is a beginner’s depth. 

What about a stand-out experience? 

On that same trip to Mexico, we were out diving when we spotted a pod of humpback whales. They normally cruise along but, in this instance, they were resting at the surface. You obviously have to be incredibly respectful of the animals and not disturb them, but to have such a great view was amazing. They were vocalising, too, and that’s a sound you feel deep in your chest. 

How has the sport changed since you started?

In terms of the number of people doing it, free-diving has changed radically. When I was starting out, it was quite difficult to find places to learn, but things are much more developed now. My partner and I moved to Cornwall from London to be closer to the sea and we set up a free-diving school here in 2015. We’re very close to the Atlantic, so instead of the rough, murky waters you get in southeast England, it can sometimes look a bit like the Caribbean — only much, much colder.  

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Take a course with a certified instructor: there’s no substitute for having somebody knowledgeable teach you about techniques and safety drills. It’s a very safe sport when practised properly but can be fatal when not. There are a surprising number of diving schools in the UK, so even if you can’t come to a lovely destination like ours, you should be able to find something fairly close by. 

What would you say is your proudest achievement? 

You feel proud when your training pays off, when you make it to a competition and set a personal or national record, but that’s not necessarily the motivating factor. For me, it’s all about community. My proudest moments have been helping students overcome something they’ve been struggling with. Free-diving can be inward-looking, but it’s also a team sport. It’s the people around you that keep you

Georgina Miller and her partner Daan Verhoeven run Aquacity Freediving, offering free-diving courses for all levels at the Porthkerris Divers centre in Cornwall.