Among the many reasons that I decided to take off and travel was my need to find something that truly makes me happy. I was having trouble finding that in DC. I also found myself too focused on what is happening next in my life; great when I started travelling and needed to plan ahead, not so much fun when the return flight is in sight. After a trip to Malaysia that inspired me to make my new year’s resolution to swear more, Phuket was a welcome change. I spent the first week scuba diving; it was amazing. Great visibility, gorgeous dive sites, and great people. I loved being in the water, but something still didn’t feel quite right.
I found We Freedive on trip advisor after a quick internet search for freediving schools; the course dates worked with my travel schedule so I decided to sign up for the AIDA two star course. The course was several theory sessions, pool sessions, and open water sessions spread out over three days taught by the owners Richard Wonka and Sarah Whitcher. I’ve heard from other travelers that other freedive schools do much less theory in their courses. I’m glad we covered as much as we did; I am generally quite open to doing new things but I like to have some background knowledge first. Having some scientific knowledge of the physiology of freediving definitely made me more comfortable once we got in the water.
The first lessons came when we first hopped in the pool to do statics. This is when you simply hold your breath for as long as possible with your face submerged. Sounds easy, right? Despite knowing intellectually that you can keep holding your breath well past the urge to breathe, it is very difficult to actually put this into practice. I relaxed as much as possible and released my snorkel. This was strictly a mind game. It is difficult enough for me to just focus on the present when I am breathing regularly; maintaining this focus while acknowledging and ignoring the urge to breathe was one of the most difficult things I have done in a long time. I have always struggled with what many of my yoga friends call “monkey mind.” It has caused me many sleepless nights, agonizingly long meditation sessions, and general anxiety. The whole process of doing a static – the breathe up, the dive, recovery – forced me to stop the flurry of thoughts in a way that nothing else has been able. It was in the pool that I first began to experience taking control of my body and not simply bending to its every whim.
We also spent two days in the open water. The first day was very difficult for me. I kept straining my neck to look forward, towards my goal. This arched my back and put my body in an inefficient position. Richard kept telling us to just enjoy the present and focus on exactly where we are at each moment of the dive. Again, much easier said than done.
The next day I was finally able to relax, keeping my gaze forwards, and the dives felt so much easier. Additionally, once I stopped struggling to bring myself up to the surface and relax, allowing my buoyancy to do the work for me, I really started to enjoy myself. Despite hitting depths near my maximum scuba depths, it was relaxing and joyful in a way that I had never experienced before.
These two lessons from the open water sessions, to stay focused on exactly where you are right now and to stop struggling and relax, were the two things I have been searching for. That is what drove me to Asia and into Richard and Sarah’s school. The discovery of a way to experience this mindfulness has not been placed with equal significance among my other travel stories. This is one that has made me rethink plans that I thought I could live with and potentially take my life in a new direction that I had never even considered just a few weeks ago.
While this whole trip has been fun and enlightening, in retrospect, those three days in Phuket were the break through that I had been working for. If you are ever in the area, I would recommend without hesitation to spend a few days training with Sarah and Richard. You’ll be mentally challenged in ways that you’ve probably never been challenged before.
