The Mental Techniques of Freediving: Part 2

Does It Work?

Yes.
And not just in the water.

Mental practice changes the brain.
It strengthens the same neural pathways as the physical act itself.
And it’s free.
You can rehearse a thousand dives while lying on your back.
And every one of them makes you better.

It calms the anxiety.
Builds confidence.
Creates space where fear used to be.
And when the time comes to dive for real…
You’ve already been there.
You’ve already succeeded.
You just have to follow the steps your mind has etched.

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The Dive

Then the time comes.
I take the biggest breath I can.
And I go.

And suddenly, I’m not thinking.
I’m just moving.
I am the dive.
A body in flow.
A pulse in water.

At the bottom, I feel it.
The stillness.
The part of me that’s older than thought.
And I turn.
And rise.

The final meters are weightless.
I stop kicking.
The ocean lifts me.
I float.

I break the surface.
Grab the buoy.
Breathe.

“I’m okay.”

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The Real Descent

Freediving isn’t just a sport.
It’s a stripping away.
Of ego.
Of noise.
Of everything you thought you needed to be.

The ocean doesn’t care about your medals or your Instagram following.
It just wants you real.
Honest.
Present.

And in that surrender, you find the thing you didn’t know you were looking for.

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Final Words

If you’ve ever felt the pull — the quiet call to go deeper, not just in water, but in yourself —
follow it.

This isn’t about records.
It’s about remembering something ancient inside you.
About learning to trust your body.
About silencing the noise and finding peace in pressure.

Freediving has taught me that vulnerability is strength.
That stillness is power.
That the mind is both the battlefield and the breakthrough.

So take the breath.
The big, fat breath.
And go.

The dive isn’t down there.
It’s in you.

Missed the first part if this post? Check it out here.
Also read: How to Prepare for Your First Freediving Pool Competition, Freediving Competitions: It’s Not Just About Winning, and Competing Against Yourself: The Real Mental Game of Freediving.