THE ALCHEMY TEAM

Sofía Gómez Uribe was born in Pereira, Colombia on April 15th 1992. She studied in the Inmaculado Corazón de María school where she graduated with honors in the year 2008. Since she was 10 years old, she has been practising underwater sports. She started as a Synchronized swimmer, which she practiced for a year and in 2002, started her life as a Finswimmer, sport that she would practice until 2014. After graduating highschool, she moved to Bogotá and then to Medellín, where she continues living,  to study Civil Engineering and to continue finswimming.

Since 2009 she competes for Antioquia and even though she wasn't born there, she feels she is an antioqueña de corazón.
Sofía started training and competing freediving in 2011, when, almost by accident she descovered her passion for the sport. 

Since then she has had outstanding performances in both national and international freediving competitions, reaching first places and obtaining more than 6 national récords. She now holds 3 Pan American and 1 South American records, in pool and depht freediving. 

Apart from being a sucsessful freediver, Sofía is also a Civil Engineer, degree she achived last year, graduating from the Universidad de Medellín. 

Ryuzo is a living legend in Japan as he is the first man who reached -100m throughout the Asian continent. He is still an active freediver, although not a competing one, owner of Apneaworks, AIDA Judge & instructor.

Achievements:

CWT - 115m National & Asia Record (27/04/2010)
FIM - 104m National & Asia Record (25/04/2010)
CNF - 56m National & Asia Record (23/05/2013)

World Cup 2000 Swiss Round - 3rd Place
Pacific Cup of Hawaii 2002 - 3rd Place
1st Japan Championship 2003 - 1st Place
4th Team World Freediving Championship 2004 in Canada - 5th Place
Cyprus 2004 Freediver Open Classic Static - 1st Place
2nd Japan Chamipionship 2004 - 1st Place
Kona Freedive Invitational 2005 Static - 1st Place
Dahab Triple Depth 2005 Egypt - 1st Place
Coupe Des Calanques 2006 France - 1st Place
Aida Hellas Summer Games 2006 Dynamic with Fin - 1st Place
Aida Hellas Summer Games 2006 Static - 2nd Place
5th Team World Freediving Championship 2006 in Egypt - 4th Place
3rd Individual World Freediving Championship 2007 in Slovenia - 5th Place
Dahab Triple Depth 2007 Egypt - 1st Place
Egypt Prechallenge 2008 Static - 1st Place
Egypt Prechallenge 2008 Constant with fin - 2nd Place
Vertical Blue Suunto Dive Off 2010 - 3rd Place
7th Team World Freediving Championship 2010 in Okinawa - 2nd Place
Indoor Cup Tateyama 2012 Static - 1st Place
Deep Water CupOkinawa 2012 - 1st Place
Caribbean Cup 2013 Free Immersion - 2nd Place
Caribbean Cup 2013 Constant no fin - 3rd Place
One Breath Jamboree 2013 Bali Constant - 1st Place
Vertical Blue 2015 in over all - 2nd place

See Ryuzo's AIDA rankings.

Jonathan's affinity with water started at an early age. He swam competitively during his childhood and in later years took up surfing and surf life saving.

Jonathan grew up in New Zealand but it was whilst traveling through Australia that he discovered the sport of freediving. It was also during this time in Australia that he became a diving professional, working as both underwater photographer and PADI Scuba Instructor on North Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

Freediving remained his true passion though and in 2011 Jonathan made a decision to commit his life to breath hold diving. Within the year he was achieving depths greater than 70 meters, less than a year after that he had broken the magical 100 m barrier in the constant weight discipline. In 2012 and 2013, in only his second and third years of freediving he finished the competitive seasons with top 5 world rankings in both free immersion and constant weight. Jonathan has represented New Zealand at the 2011 and 2013 depth World championships and in 2013 was the winner of the bronze medal for mens free immersion. He was the winner of the prestigious Triple depth and Deep Dahab competitions in 2011 and continues to compete on a regular basis.

Jonathan is a world renowned safety diver. Member of the Vertical Blue safety Team in 2012, in 2014 he returned as Chief of Safety and Event manager for the competition referred to as 'The Wimbledon of freediving' by The New York Times.  His team of expert safety divers raised the bar and brought a new level of professionalism to safety at high level freediving events. Since then he has featured prominently on the competition circuit as an organiser and chief of safety. Jonathan assumed the role of AIDA safety officer in 2017 and together with an expert panel they strive to improve the safety of freediving for all.

Jonathan has a strong background in teaching. As a coach/instructor Jonathan has had much success. So far he has helped athletes achieve five world records, more than 70 national and continental records, world number one rankings and world championship medals. He is an AIDA and PADI Instructor trainer, SSI Master instructor and EFR instructor.  

He teaches and trains in various locations worldwide including Dominica, Egypt, Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

Achievements:

110m Constant weight (unofficial)
105m Constant weight (official)
101m Free immersion (official)
105m Variable weight (unofficial)
65m Constant weight no fins (official)

Bronze medal Mens Free immersion World depth championships Kalamata Greece 2013
World number three Free immersion 2013
World number five Constant weight 2013
World depth number three combined depth disciplines 2013
Nominee for AIDA awards in three categories- Best male new comer, Best coach, Best Instructor

Winner Triple Depth Championship Dahab Egypt 2012
Winner Deep Dahab 2012
Winner FDD June mini-comp 2012

World number four Constant weight 2012
World number three Free immersion 2012
World depth number three combined depth disciplines 2012

New Zealand representative World depth championships 2011
Third place Static Danish Masters 2011

Event Organiser/Co-ordinator:

CMAS WR attempt Sofia Gomez, Blue Element 2017
Blue Element 2016
Steinlager Return to the Deep 2016, William Trubridge 102m record attempt
Vertical Blue 2016
Vertical Blue 2015
Vertical Blue 2014
​Deep Dahab 2012
​
Safety diving:

AIDA Safety Officer 2017- current
Chief of Safety, Event Co-ordinator, Locations Manager Suunto Vertical Blue 2014
Chief of Safety 'Big Blue' Freediving competition, La Paz, Mexico 2015
​New Zealand Depth Champs 2014
New Zealand Depth Champs 2013
Suunto Vertical Blue 2012
Freedive Dahab minicomps 2011

Coach/Instructor for five World Record performances:

2017 Sofia Gomez Uribe CMAS CWT bi-fins 84m
2017 Sofia Gomez Uribe CMAS CWT bi-fins 83m
2014 Sahika Ercumen CMAS Variable weight no-fins 91m
2014 Sahika Ercumen CMAS Free immersion 72m
2013 Jeanine Grasmeijer AIDA Free imersion 90m
Coach/Instructor for 50+ National and Continental Records

Qualifications:

AIDA Safety Officer
AIDA Instructor Trainer
PADI Instructor Trainer(freediving)
SSI Master Instructor
PADI scuba Instructor
Emergency First Response Instructor

See Jonathan's AIDA Rankings.

Luca is a cold-water freediving and spearfishing instructor in Canada. Having trained under Alchemy athletes Jonathan Sunnex and Thibault Guignes, he has been teaching since 2018 and competing since 2019. He founded the Sea to Sky Freediving school in Vancouver, Canada and the Siquijor Freediving School in Siquijor, Philippines. Luca was born in Bologna, Italy and left for Canada at the age of seven. Growing up in Montreal, Quebec and later moving out west to Vancouver to be near the mountains and the ocean. Luca is fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish.

He's a former geo-environmental engineer that realised he couldn't stay in an office for any longer. He decided to leave his office life to pursue his passion in the cold waters of the Canadian Pacific Northwest. His athletic background also includes ice climbing, multi-pitch rock climbing, backcountry skiing and surfing. Based out of Vancouver and Calgary in Canada, he has helped to bring freediving to Western Canada by teaching and coaching.

Luca is also an underwater photographer and amateur filmmaker. He runs the online blog the Freedive Wire where he uses his background in research to write on the science of freediving. He also loves to write about freediving gear and reviews diving equipment. Through this Luca was led to Alchemy, when he became intrigued by the passion and detail in the material engineering of our products.

See Luca's AIDA rankings.

Cristian, although born in the mountains of the Colombian Andes, far from the sea, has always had a love for the ocean. He began his freediving career in Koh Tao, Thailand in 2014 and has since been teaching in some of the most recognized freediving spots around the world including Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Egypt, Honduras and now Colombia. Cristian holds a wealth of experience as an instructor in both AIDA (instructor trainer) and Apnea Total (master instructor), having certified and coached over 300 freedivers of all levels around the globe. His passion for freediving extends to regular training and competitions. He started competing in 2016 and has participated in over 20 international events. Highlights were the CMAS World Championship 2019 in Roatán, Honduras where he was part of the Colombian national team, which participated for the first time in such an event; as well as the CMAS World Cup 2019 in Kaş, Turkey where he won two silver and one bronze medal in CWT, CWTB and FIM respectively. Cristian has broken national records, 21 times for his country in all depth disciplines and static apnea. He is the current Colombian record holder in Free Immersion, Constant Weight and Constant Weight bi-fins for both CMAS and AIDA organizations. He’s also the deepest South American Freediver in Constant Weight bi-fins with an official record of 82 meters which he achieved in Dahab, Egypt using our V3 Alchemy fins.  

Achievements:

Bronze overall, Egyptian National Championship 2019
Bronze FIM, World Cup Kas Baska 2019
Silver CWTB, World Cup Kas Baska 2019
Silver CWT, World Cup Kas Baska 2019
Gold overall, Vostok Europe Cup 2018
Gold CWT, Authentic Big Blue 2018
Gold FIM, Authentic Big Blue 2018
Bronze CNF, Russian National Championship 2018
Gold overall, Red C Cup 10th Edition 2018
Gold overall, Fusion Breathold Hero Challenge, 2016

CWT: 92m (AIDA national record)
FIM: 90m (AIDA national record)

CWTB:82m (AIDA national record)

CNF:59m (AIDA)

STA: 5:27 Seg (AIDA)

FIM:85m (CMAS national record)

CWTB: 77m (CMAS national record)

CWT:75m (CMAS national record)

CNF:40m (CMAS)

See Cristian's AIDA rankings

Yasuko was born and grew up in Hiroshima, Japan. Now she is based in Tokyo and works for a pharmaceutical company when she is not diving. She started freediving in April 2016. For the first few years, she mainly focused on the pool disciplines and joined Japan national team for the AIDA World Championships pool competition in 2018 and 2020. She has won national records 7 times until March 2022. In 2019, she started depth training and participated in World Championship in CNF in 2021.
Now she aims to enhance both depth and pool disciplines.

Achievements:

3 x national record (DYN)
4 x national record(DYNB)
2019 Singapore Open Pool Competition overall 1st place
Japan Freediving Pool Championships 2019 overall 1st place
AIDA Indonesia Apnea Competition 2019 (IDAC 2019) overall 1st place
27th AIDA World Championship CNF 4th place
Freedom Depth Games 2021 AIDA CNF 1st place
2021 AIDA World Championship overall 2nd place

See Yasuko's AIDA rankings

Vanessa Estol is an elite adventurer and freediver originally from Uruguay, who merges her background in psychology with a passion for extreme sports. As the first Uruguayan to summit Mount Everest, she demonstrated unmatched determination and drive. In 2022, Vanessa transitioned into freediving, rapidly reaching depths over 60 meters and setting national records across all four freediving disciplines (CWT, FIM, CNF, CWTB). Based in Mexico City, she organizes adventure tourism expeditions worldwide, blending her leadership skills with her love for extreme environments. Through her expeditions, workshops, and public speaking, Vanessa inspires others to push boundaries and achieve their personal bests. Her journey serves as a testament to breaking limits, both on mountains and beneath the sea.

Tomoka was born in 1978 and raised in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. She learned swimming from an early age and in 2007, she moved to Okinawa, focusing on freediving from 2011. It's been one hell of a ride since then, as she progressed to be one of Japan's most awarded freedivers.

See Tomoka's AIDA rankings.

Linda started freediving in 2002 but only got into competitive freediving in 2005 when she set her first italian records in all 3 depth disciplines, Constant Weight, Free Immersion and Constant No Fins. She held most of the depth records (cwt, fim, cnf, variable weight) for Italy for over 1 decade from 2005 until 2016, and set a Continental Record in Variable Weight in 2007. 

She has been teaching freediving since 2004 and became an Instructor Trainer in 2007, taught hundreds of instructor courses for a decade. She coached hundreds of competitive freedivers and continues to do so to this day. When she stopped training and competing she became passionate about underwater photography and she always has her camera in the water with her. 

She lived in Dahab, Egypt from 2002 to 2015, where she could train all year round while running her school, Freedive Dahab. In 2016 she moved to Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) where she started another freediving center, Atlantis Freediving.

See Linda's AIDA rankings.

Annelie Pompe is a professional adventurer from Sweden. She works as a inspirational speaker, adventure guide, freediving / yoga & breathing teacher, author and photographer. Amongst her adventurous achievements is a world record freedive to 126m on one breath, as well as being the first Swedish woman to summit Everest from the north side and climbing the 7 summits. 

Adventures happen on the inside as much as it does on the outside. Annelie believes adventures are more about attitude than adrenaline. It’s the studies and work with the mind that took her to to the extreme limits of the body, which made her the highest and deepest human in the world. She prefers nature and outdoors before the city or indoors and does most outdoor sports like climbing, freediving, yoga, running, skiing, surfing, kayaking and mountainbiking.

 As Annelie has spent most of her life in nature and has seen the effects of humans everywhere. She believes in giving back to nature through sharing and caring. She is a passionate advocate for the Ocean and gives back through teaching free diving, ghost net diving and being an ocean ambassador for WWF.

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Achievements:

WWT 126m WR

CWT 99m
FIM 72m PB

Climbed the 7 summits

See Anelie's AIDA rankings.

Brad James, born in Auckland, New Zealand, is a passionate freediving athlete, instructor, and national record holder. From an early age, Brad was drawn to the water, engaging in activities like snorkeling and swimming before taking up scuba diving, and basic freediving. However, it was his foray into spearfishing that properly ignited his fascination with freediving. Determined to improve his breath-holding abilities, Brad enrolled in freediving courses, which marked the beginning of his journey.

In 2015, Brad participated in his first freediving competition in the pool, but it wasn't until 2019 that he made his debut in depth competitions. Since then, he has hit many freediving milestones, but the highlight was setting his first National Record in Constant Weight Bi-fins in February 2023. Prior to this his performances also earned him silver medals at the New Zealand Depth Nationals in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Not wanting to settle, Brad has set his sights on competing in international events in 2023, to represent New Zealand on a global stage. His training regimen includes pool work during the winter months, depth training in Lake Pupuke, Auckland, and frequent trips to Lake Taupo. Complementing his aquatic training, Brad also dedicates himself to gym workouts, running, breathwork, dry equalization training, and yoga.

As a member of the Auckland Freediving Club, Brad actively contributes to the freediving community. He has served as the Club President and a Board Member for Freediving New Zealand. Brad's dedication to the sport extends to sharing his knowledge and expertise as an AIDA Master Instructor. Since becoming an instructor in 2017 and achieving Master Instructor status in 2022, he has guided numerous students, focusing on creating a safe and comfortable learning environment. Brad's teaching philosophy emphasizes building confidence, exploring breath-holding capabilities, and safely pushing limits. Drawing from his personal experiences, he integrates practical examples to support theoretical concepts.

Brad's impact as an instructor is exemplified by several of his students who have gone on to become instructors themselves, perpetuating his dedication to spreading the joy and art of freediving. Seeking new depths and experiences, Brad James continues to push his boundaries while freediving. His future aspirations include adding more records to his resume and exploring new and exciting locations.

Kim started freediving during 2012 in Korea. As at the time very little was known in Korean about freediving, she started running a blog that conveyed important information such as freediving theory, training methods & equipment. In the years to come, she formed three training teams and worked as a leader in order to be able to travel more and freedive around the planet. So far, she has traveled to 15 countries and participated in more than 10 competitions. Her journey is still in progress.

Achievements:

2016 Panglao Depth Challenge CWT NR
2019 Mactan STA Comp
2019 Dahab Apnea spring comp
2019 AIDA Blue Ocean Depth Comp
2019 AIDA Depth World Championship
2019 AIDA Cyprus Depth Game CWT 2nd
2019 Blue Element

See Kim's AIDA rankings

Ellie Hayden was born in Far North Queensland, Australia, and spent the majority of her younger years on her family's boat on the Great Barrier Reef. Some of her earliest memories are swimming among vibrant coral reefs, going through swim-throughs, and holding onto her mum's back as she would dive down underwater and swim along the reef. Ellie had no idea what she was doing was freediving; rather, for her life up until her early 20s, it was just a way of exploring the underwater world and a fun challenge for herself.

In 2020, Ellie was taught how to spearfish by some really talented spearos, and she soaked up everything she could learn from them. After she shot her first bigger fish, a Yellowtail Kingfish at 24 meters, she was completely hooked, soon after getting her first Australian Women's spearfishing record.

In 2021, Ellie completed her Molchanovs Freediving Instructors course under the guidance of Adam Stern and started a freediving school called Salty Pilgrims Freediving with her business partner. Since then, she has been lucky enough to teach freediving full-time, having taught over 1000 students in three years, run over 15 International and 10 Australian Retreats for Freediving and Spearfishing, and completed her Molchanovs W3 Instructor cert. Also, founding an all-women's freediving & spearfishing community called East Coast Sea Sisters, she is passionate about sharing her knowledge of freediving and spearfishing with women in Australia, helping to bring them together in a safe and fun learning environment.

Although Ellie hasn't had much time away from teaching to really focus on her own diving and push deeper, she has dove to 55 meters CWTB and 35 meters CNF, soon to be competing in her first depth competition in the Philippines. She has many aspirations for both freediving and spearfishing and is excited to see where she can take her diving and continue to help others enhance their lives through this incredible way of life that is freediving.

Marese started Freediving formally in 2016 and left the corporate world to pursue depth in the water and in life. As one of the pioneers of Freediving in the Philippines, her work and influence have been significant in the growth of Freediving in the country. A freediving instructor, Marese founded Apnea Philippines Freediving Center in multiple locations across the country, such as Batangas, Dumaguete, and Bohol, where they offer training, courses, and freediving events with over a thousand students both foreign and local under her wing. As a trailblazer in this industry, Marese has also been featured in local and international media such as Business Mirror, National Geographic, a  Netflix series called Homegame, Philippine Inquirer, and Discovery Channel UK, and has the support of brands such as Seiko Prospex, Prana Freediving gear, Alchemy Hellas, Lobster Freediving and Trudive wetsuits. And now, as her most important and innovative achievement to date,  she has launched MARESESECADES.COM to bring Freediving to the world in the comfort of your own home to encourage reliable, safe, and professional freedive training.

Achievements:

2022 | Panglao Depth Championships: Champion women’s category
2022 | National record constant weight Bi-fins 57 meters
2022 | National record constant weight Monofin 60 meters
2020 | AIDA Manila Pool Open 2nd place overall women's category & competition organizer
2019 | Philippine Depth National Championship: National record Constant weight monofin 59m
2019 | Freedive Panglao Staff Competition Static: National Record 5:04
2018 | Panglao staff competition: National record constant weight 42 meters

See Marese's AIDA rankings.

A freediving instructor in his native Philippines, the Top 1 freediver in the country, and a 15x national record holder, Martin has all the breath-hold credentials he needs. Martin has been a creative media professional for more than ten years. He has also developed a wide-ranging imaging skillset from photography and filmmaking to video editing and color grading. Martin’s technical abilities and creative eye are in clear evidence, with beautifully choreographed depictions of his fellow freedivers and evocative marine life portraits composed with almost impossible precision. In a word: breathtaking.

See Martin's AIDA Rankings

Lily Crespy was born in 1981 and grew up in the French Alps. However, be it mountain lakes and rivers, the turquoise sea of Corsica during summer holidays, or at the local swimming pool, it’s in the water that she has always been the most comfortable. After 7 years of a scientific career in neuroscience, it’s completely by chance, during a trip through Asia in 2012, that she took a beginner freediving course. It was an immediate revelation and love at first dive. Since then, freediving has become her lifestyle. She turned it into a career, instructor since 2013 and now AIDA instructor trainer, and has had the chance to pass her passion on to others in various places around the globe: Bali, Philippines, Egypt. She is co-owner of the freediving school Dahab Freedivers in Dahab, Egypt, which she also managed for three years. She is involved in all sides of competitive freediving. Competing as an athlete since 2013, her steady progress in her 3 favorite depth disciplines regularly ranked her among the top 5 deepest French female freedivers and allowed her to get selected in the French « elite » national team, to take part in the World Championships in 2015, 2017 and 2021. She has also been a safety diver in many competitions including the Vertical Blue in 2018, trained by Marco Cosentino. Lily is also a keen underwater photographer, passionate about shooting the artistic side of freediving. You can find her pictures under her photographer's name Chips Photography. Teaching, training and competing around the globe for the last ten years, she had the chance to train and work with some of the top freedivers in the world such as Miguel Lozano, Pascal Berger, Stephen Keenan, or Alchemy athletes Thibault Guignès and Cristian Castano Villa. She is now based in France where she plans on putting all her experience and knowledge to good use as a coach, and in particular getting deeper into her favorite aspect: mental coaching.

See Lily's AIDA Rankings

Diana García Benito is a passionate for the ocean. She is an Oceanographer, Submarine Pilot, Master Freediving Instructor, Yoga teacher, Marine Conservationist and an Activist. She believes sharing knowledge, information and creating a special and unique connection to the ocean can get people to understand the importance of caring and protecting it, which we know very little about.

One of the methods to raise awareness and showing the reality is through pictures. In collaboration with her partner Livio Fakeye, they create images that reflect the beauty and the problems concerning the ocean all around the world. Through the images, they not only create art but also presenting tools for people to be part of the solution and to be more conscious about the consequences of our actions in our daily life. Exposing beauty, nature and problems together in an artistic way, people are more attracted and open to help.

The reason the ocean is constantly being polluted and its health destroyed is mainly due to lack of education and awareness. It is Diana's main objective to help educate and raise awareness of the fundamental role of the ocean. Through teaching people and children to have an intimate relationship with the marine world she aims to give a conscience of safeguarding and protecting such an important part of earth’s life. With freediving the connection between the underwater world and yourself generates a strong bond with the ocean that is impossible not to care about it and therefore to give all the strength and energy to protect it.

Growing up in the middle of Europe, but with a strong passion for being under the water, Pavel started with BMX as a young guy and played tennis and basketball. He got in touch with scuba diving as a kid, but he knew from the beginning there was something missing in such an activity. More than 20 years ago he got his first monofin and started to use it for finswimming and fun. That was the missing piece; the physical & mental challenge.

He traveled to Koh Tao island in the Gulf of Thailand in 2012 and it changed his life forever. He started freediving with Blue Immersion and shortly after that, he became an instructor. He spent 5 years on the island and worked for elite freedivers and trainers such as Linda Paganelli, Lotta Ericson and Florian Dagoury. He has worked as an instructor, coach and manager for the center. After years in Thailand, he moved to Egypt and did the same for Freedive Dahab. More than about 700 people went through his courses and training programs.

In 2017 he got an offer from Jacques de Vos to work as a freediving guide on his project Arctic Freediving; seasonal expeditions on two yachts behind the polar circle in the fjords of Norway and freediving with orcas and humpbacks. A dream that he hopes will last forever. During the pandemic, he decided to start his own freediving school and training club Apnoe Space back in the Czech Republic.

Achievements:

Freediving Guide With Orcas With Arctic Freediving
Molchanovs Instructor Trainer
SSI Level 3 Instructor
Owner of Apnoe Space

Dean Sevilleno is a Filipino speech-language pathologist by profession and a freediver by passion. He has always been a thalassophile, but it was not until he was 21 that the ocean became my second home. Before freediving, he had gratified his love for the ocean through surfing. He chased the adrenaline that came with it. He sought storms, searched for turbulent seas, and tried to tame the waves. The ocean was where he felt most at peace. Where he's from, however, he could only get waves big enough to surf every few months, so he wanted to find a sport he could do in the water all year round. In November 2020, a close friend introduced him to recreational freediving. Immediately, he knew he wanted to do more of it, and learn more about it. And he became more fascinated each time. Suddenly, he found himself doing it every week. Then eventually, a couple of times a week. In 2021, he left his full-time job to pursue the depths and regain himself. He began proper training under Pacific Blue Freediving in May 2021 and progressed from being a 15-meter diver to a 70-meter diver, all in a span of seven months. After reaching such depths, he immediately had plans to compete. In May and June 2022, he joined his first two national competitions and was able to bag three national records in the Free Immersion discipline. Freediving is not easy, it takes a lot of time and sacrifice. But he will continue to put in the work, fueled by his love for freediving and driven by these four goals: be an advocate of the sport, help build a strong community of fellow Filipino freedivers, inspire the youth to explore the beauty of the sport, and to witness everything the ocean has to offer.

Achievements:

Panglao Depth Games May 2022 : 68 meters FIM and 69 meters FIM
Panglao Depth Championship June 2022 : 70 meters FIM

See Dean's AIDA Rankings

Ariston Ignatius Inot abandoned his former professional life to pursue a new path as a deep freediver. Hailing from the Philippines, a land blessed with pristine waters, he felt a strong affinity for the sea and developed a deep love for swimming and all water-related activities from a young age. At the age of 25, he embarked on his freediving journey and, under the guidance of Pacific Blue Freediving, achieved remarkable success. Within just two years of training, he participated in his first competition and secured the National Record for the No Fins Discipline (CNF) by reaching an impressive depth of 56 meters. Driven by his ambition, Ariston now sets his sights on joining the elite ranks of the Philippines' 100-meter freedivers. He diligently trains alongside the country's deepest divers and his fellow National Record Holders, tirelessly working towards his goal.

See Ariston's AIDA Rankings

Keith Ocampo grew up in Cebu, Philippines, and first dipped his toes in competitive swimming at age 8, preparing him for his triathlete journey years later. He also enjoyed hiking and camping in the tropical wilderness in his homeland. He spent his mid-20s working as a Fire Paramedic. With water as his element, Keith continued challenging himself by becoming a Molchanovs Freedive Instructor, and at the same time performing Medic duties in depth competitions. Last 2022, he founded his school, Ginhawa Freediving. 

Nuntawut Boonrubsub, aka Woody, is a professional, renowned Thai actor. When Woody isn’t working for TV or cinema, he enjoys spending his time below the surface of the water by being an avid freediver, instructor, recreational scuba diver, and spearo.  Woody owns a dive center and hotel in Phuket and Phang Nga, two of the most famous provincial towns in the South of Thailand. Fun fact, he once missed an award ceremony as he had planned to go freediving.

Iru Balic is much more than a professional freediver who has broken the National Record (Venezuelan) for 13 times. She is more than the first place of the World Ranking from May to September 2013. Iru is: mom, friend, companion, supportive & concerned about the welfare of others. All these qualifying adjectives have made her an excellent life coach throughout her years as a freediving instructor, in Venezuela, Panama, Brasil and the world.

She is a great professional, she decided to combine all her knowledge and skills in a Master, to become a qualified Coach. Today she is a complete woman who has even more to offer because she has the ideal base as a human being, plus the necessary tools to carry out any challenge and work project.

John Prins is a freediving instructor and founder of the Fins and Foam Freediving school in California. Born in Australia, he grew up next to the beach, swimming with sharks, dodging blue bottle stings, and sticking his finger into anemones from a very young age. On a break between jobs in finance, John traveled to South East Asia where he discovered deep freediving’s ability to compress an hour of meditation into a single minute underwater. Returning to his home in northern California, he realized that the cold, rough waters of the Pacific Ocean hide magical conditions for freediving. Sunlight filtering down through kelp forests hundreds of feet deep; a coast hugged by seals, dolphins, and grey whales; and coastal towns full of ocean lovers, already surfing, sailing, and kiteboarding. He made it his mission to bring freediving to California and founded the first school dedicated to freediving in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fins and Foam freediving, which has successfully introduced hundreds of students to freediving and built a thriving community of freedivers that continues to grow each year.

See John's AIDA rankings.

Rafael Nolasco was born in Brazil, and he is a British citizen. He studied law in Brazil, and shortly after graduating with honors, he chose to travel and acquire different languages to broaden his horizons. As a result, he left his homeland to pursue his European origins in Barcelona, Spain. He studied a postgraduate and an Executive MBA degree while residing in Spain, both of which he completed with distinctions. After a busy life in Dublin, Rafael took a work sabbatical to travel across New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. When he was in Koh Samui, Thailand, he tried scuba diving, but it did not work because of his open water fear.

After his career break trip and back to the UK, he decided to get into spearfishing with some friends. He says he was scared of passing 7 meters, so his friend said he should take a freediving course. Therefore, at the end of 2016, he did a beginning freediving course and fell in love with it. There was no doubt that he would continue developing his freediving journey. Back in 2018, he finished his AIDA Instructor course. Having an already busy life, why teach freediving? He explains that he felt disappointed about himself having problems gaining confidence in open water and holding his breath when he first started. As an instructor, he mentions that he can help people overcome their fears of holding their breath by sharing his experience with his students 'If I could, you can'. In addition, Rafa is so passionate about freediving that in 2019 he decided to create a new Freediving club in Bristol-UK and asked a couple of friends if they were interested, so it was when Limitless Freedivers started.

In 2018, he started doing finswimming with a local club in Bristol and realized he was good with monofins. Some of his freediving friends said he was good at it, so he should compete in finswimming and freediving. Still, in 2018 he started competing in finswimming and won a few competitions in his category in the UK. In 2019, two months and a half from the UK National Freediving competition, he decided to participate. In short hard training and coaching time; he became a Brazilian National record holder for DYN, second place, and Best Newbie of the UK National Freediving competition. 2020 he broke another Brazilian national record, and this time was for DNF.

Rafa says his focus for the next few years is to explore more depth disciplines alongside the pool ones. However, he likes to keep himself busy, as noticeable, he is full-time employed as a Senior Project Consultant and currently doing a master's in the University of Oxford.

Achievements:

Freediving Safety Director of Welcome to Earth Series
Fastest Finswimmer in 2018 V1 Category - UK
3x Times UK Champion V1 Category- (Apnea 25m and 50m) UK
Brazilian Frediver National Record holder: 177m
Brazilian Freediver Former National Record Holder: 131m
Best Newbie Bristol Blue 2019
AIDA Freediving Instructor
Freediving Coach

See Rafael's AIDA Rankings

Natsumi Mitsuno was born and raised in Japan. She is a passionate freediver and a CMAS 3X National Record Holder. She travels the world regularly, either for attending competitions or working as an instructor/safety diver.

Chris was born in the small town of Hilo, Hawaii. Having been in the ocean his whole life, he picked up freediving in 2013, under the guidance of some local diving legends. Fast forward a few years and he got himself on the US freediving team for the world championships in Kalamata, Greece. Since then he has spent his time supporting the diving community in Hawaii as an event organizer for freediving & spearfishing, freediving judge, and chair of the local fishery council. He believes that giving back to the community is the most important work he can do in his free time.

Born and raised on the waters of central Florida, Aaron has had a lifetime of experience in and on the water. He started spearing fishing at a very young age out of Port Canaveral with his father. His passion for modern day “freediving” began in the murky waters of the Indian River. Aaron built his first speargun, a 36” true mid handle, to target sheepshead and mangrove snappers. 

In 2013, Aaron was laid off from his full time job. He decided to sell everything he owned, move to the Florida Keys, a place he and his family regularly visited as a kid, and pursue his passion. The Florida Keys were an easy choice with its reputation of world class fishing and diving! Aaron dedicated 3 years learning the waters off of Key West and spent every spare second and dollar on the water. 

In 2016, Aaron started his own charter fishing and free diving business, Dibs On Bottom Adventures in Key West, Fl. Today, Aaron works full time as a charter captain, commercial fisherman, and aspiring YouTube creator with his channel Key West Waterman! Through his work, he shares his love for the water and the experiences that come along with it! 

Garrett Moss is a professional waterman, with a focus on spearfishing, free diving, photography/videography, and surfing, currently based in Hawaii. He spends his time spearfishing the warm & beautiful waters off Maui. Proud team member for Alchemy Spearfishing and an Fii Level 1 free diving instructor. His specialty is hunting deep reefs, looking for Uku(grey snapper), Ono(wahoo), Yellowspot Trevally, Mu(big eyed emperor), Mahi, Ahi(tuna). His spearfishing travels have lead him to destinations such as Fiji, Bahamas, Florida, Dry Tortugas, California, and all over the Indonesian Archipelago. 

Ariel Quintana was born in the Canary Islands, Spain. When he was a child, his family had a summer house in Salinetas Beach and at the age of 5 he started snorkelling and catching octopus as well as little fish. He was always impressed by older spearos who caught large prey and that feeling made him want to evolve. When he bought his first speargun at the age of 12 and started going after groupers he was instantly hooked to the sport. He educated himself by going to the sea a lot and by reading magazines featuring giants such as Pedro Carbonell - ring any bells?. At the age of 19 he enrolled into medicine in Madrid and stopped spearfishing as there were no beaches out there. 7 years later he returned to his hometown where he got to start again. He became friends with legendary Rayco Garcia Habas, one of the Spain’s best spearos, and that relationship was crucial to him getting better. They are still buddies and spearfish together most of the time. He is at sea three to four times per week, and if you’ve seen his Instagram, you know this guy means business.

His journey began from a young age in Kuwait, when he used the pole spear to hunt giant cuttlefish and crabs. Coming from a family where their heritage revolved around pearl diving and fishing, the ocean's mystery drove him closer to it.

At the age of 10 he managed to achieve his Junior and Advance scuba diving license and at the age of 11 he joined a local sports club and swam competitively until the age of 17. Thereafter, he thrived to finish his bachelor degree in Finance and that’s when he moved to a small town called Oshkosh WI in the USA. There he swam for his team college for 3 years and moving to America was a new experience for him that shaped the person he is today. After he graduated in 2012, he continued pursuing his career in corporate banking in Kuwait, and in 2014 purchased his first ever boat which allowed him to spearfish more on weekends and improve his spearfishing skills.

Humoud also lived in Hawaii for three months to sharpen his diving skills and learn from the best spearos on Big Island whose ancestry was based on spearfishing; that was where he achieved his personal record in freediving - 58M CWT - and trained himself to hunt at depths of 36 meters.

In 2015, after his trip from Hawaii, he heard about a spearfishing tournament in Kuwait, where he signed on together with a team together to compete and won. Later on, we competed in 2017 and scored 1st again, 2018 scored 2nd, 2019 scored 1st.

In 2018, he managed to compete in the toughest pearl diving championship held by Katara in Qatar, where there was over 20 pearl diving teams of the best divers throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Each team had 10 pearl divers which included a scout, and they used to dive with swim trunks which excluded the use of dive suits, masks, snorkels, and fins which reminded them of how their ancestors used to pearl dive before the discovery of oil. They managed to score 1st place.

Achievements:

Kuwait Spearfishing Champions 2015, 2017, 2019
Biggest fish: Yellow Fin Tuna 106Kg, Ascension Island

Born in Greece, Lambros started spearfishing at a very young age in the Ionian sea. He later on progressed to post his adventures on Youtube and started writing spearfishing articles for magazines and newspapers. At the same time he experimented with designing wooden spearguns which led him to produce Optimum Spearguns and also being the distributor for Polosub wetsuits in west Greece. During 2013 he was a member of AIDA freediving world championship safety team in Kalamata Greece. He has also worked as an UW cameraman for Fabrizio D’Agnagno (Totemsub, Italy) for Sky TV Italy, for a total of 15 series. He is the kind of guy who even if you throw him in a bathtub, he will manage to get back with a grouper or two.

Luka Dolman is a spearfishing guide from Vancouver, Canada. His passion for the underwater world was ignited during his childhood, diving off the Big Island of Hawaii. It was there that he learned life values he continues to live by. Now specializing in targeting Dogtooth Tuna, Luka shares his expertise and enthusiasm for this species with clients from around the globe. His love for exploration has only intensified over the years, driving him to venture further, discovering uncharted dive locations in some of the most remote parts of the world.

Outfitter, overlander, pilot, hunter, cooking chef, and Chief Financial Officer, Arnaud Dufossez was born in France in 1971 and raised on the Atlantic shores of the republic of the Congo where his family had moved for work. Near Pointe-Noire, he learned to swim, dive and became a self-made spearo at the age of 10. Totally passionate but very conscious of the impact one can have on the reef, he was already limiting his catches to a fixed number of fishes back then. He still enforces a bag-limit rule now as spearfishing guide, an activity he started in 2013 when his tuna videos started to raise attention, in parallel with a successful career in corporate finance. His work brought him to Panama where he settled in 2010 and now operates his charter Atuneros de Panama / @thepelagicshannibalbank, specializing in tailor-made high-quality tuna and reef spearfishing adventures. 

Salvatore Roccaforte doesn't need many much to be said about him as he is considered to be a legend in Italy. He has been spearfishing since a very young age in Sardenia and since his first days, he progressed to be a part of the Italian National Spearfishing Team, having taken part in many competitions in Europe and around the world. Known for his deep & hard style, he manages to dive up to -60m and harvest anything that might come up to him, especially out-of-this-world big Dentex.

Nicolas Tahimanarii was born in 1996 in Raiatea, an island in French Polynesia. He spent his early years out there and his love for spearfishing started at the age of four, when his dad took him to one of his fishing sessions for the first time. Spearfishing in French Polynesia is a lifestyle and a way of life. He grew up near the ocean surrounded by the stunning Polynesian islands and this unique lifestyle. Moving to Tahiti, he would spend the majority of his time in front of his house fishing or surfing. He found fishing rewarding because he was able to feed his family and connect to the calmness of the ocean. During high school, he already knew he wanted to make a living out of spearfishing and share his passion and the beauty of the French Polynesian islands with everyone. After years of spearfishing, he managed to harvest trophy fish like marlin, dogtooth tuna, wahoo, sailfish and many others. He describes French Polynesia as a garden where he wants to spend his whole life with his family. A professional spearo supported by multiple brands, he decided to become a spearfishing guide in 2020, to share his passion on an international level and help his customers experience unforgettable moments in exotic locations. Living in a paradise for spearfishing, Nicolas is always looking for bigger fish to land and seabed to explore. Spearfishing helped him in his young years and he hopes the new generations will fall in love with the ocean and find their way into it.

Leonard Logsdail creates spearfishing & freediving videos on YouTube & TikTok, under the name “Aquatic Apes.” Over the past 9 months, his videos have garnered over 250 million views. They are popular due to his fast-paced style of storytelling & his dad jokes. Originally from New York City, he now lives in Bali, Indonesia. He’s a freediving instructor, spearfishing guide & can freedive to over 132 meters with his Alchemy fins (non-consecutively). Before freediving & spearfishing in Bali, Leonard worked in New York for ten years, making & selling bespoke business suits, shirts & ties to wealthy businessmen & movie stars. He even had a small cameo appearance in the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, as a tailor, after assisting with the production of many of the suits for the movie. During a backpacking trip around Southeast Asia, he realized that the cost of living there was a tiny fraction of the cost of living in New York. That’s also when he discovered his love for spearfishing & freediving. And so, he skipped his return flight back to the US, became a freediving instructor, & has been in Asia ever since. As a spearfishing YouTuber that lives in Bali, his old NYC dress clothes are currently gathering dust & moth-holes in his parent’s basement back in the US. However, he still wears a suit every single day. A wetsuit. 

Antonis Mantzakos is a passionate spearo from Greece.He made his first steps from a very young age as he followed his dad while he was spearfishing. At the age of 10 years old he had his first speargun and the first good catch didn't take time to be accomplished. Later on, at an older age, he successfully finished all freediving levels and got caught up in helping his instructor with freediving courses as an assistant freediving instructor. But his passion for his favourite hobby monopolized his interst and since then he got into deep spearfishing with some amazing catches.

Jamie Ryves was born on a small Island in the South Pacific called Norfolk Island. Over the years since completing high school, he has traveled and lived in various countries for short periods, but the majority of his years have been spent on Norfolk Island. Due to its small land mass, most of his adventures have revolved around the ocean, instilling in him a deep love and respect for its seemingly infinite, vast, and beautiful nature. The boundless learning opportunities within this external and unfamiliar environment have eventually led to a sense of connectedness and unity, where observing the depths of the ocean and its inhabitants becomes a reflection of his inner self.

Jamie's connection to the ocean is strengthened through his practice of freediving, which enables him to observe himself through self-awareness and meditation. His passion for understanding fish behaviors and movements stems from the selective and sustainable nature of spearfishing. By being able to choose the fish he needs to support and nourish his family, he develops a strong enthusiasm for expanding his knowledge in this area.

If Jamie could contribute anything to the practice of freedive spearfishing, he would aspire to inspire divers to ethically and consciously approach their interactions with fish of any species. He encourages divers to carefully consider shot placement and only take a shot when all circumstances align towards the highest likelihood of successfully landing the fish, particularly when dealing with powerful and significant species like Dogtooth.

Currently, Jamie resides in Vanuatu with his family, where he holds dual citizenship to maintain a connection both to his birth island and his current home. In Vanuatu, he not only supports his family through spearfishing but also by guiding guests on freediving and spearfishing adventures. Based in Port Vila, he explores the waters around Efate Island and the Northern Shepard Islands, where an abundance of marine life and pristine environments await his exploration, far exceeding what could be experienced in a single lifetime.

Jamie is thrilled to be invited to join the Alchemy team and eagerly looks forward to contributing by sharing stories of his learning and experiences, as well as showcasing the captivating imagery he captures while pursuing his beloved activities.

In Hawaiian culture the origin of the name Kane dates back to the beginning, Sheldon's bloodlines can trace back 7 generations starting in Molokai and now the 8th generation starting on Kauai and Maui. Sheldons Ohana (family) have always been and probably always will be waterman. Growing up fishing, diving, spearfishing and surfing. Spearfishing and fishing for Sheldon and his family was not only a way to feed themselves but also a way to share time with each other. This union with the water and eachother in the Hawaiian language is called Lokahi and that is to say being one or in harmony. The connection piece to Sheldon is the most important part, and throughout Sheldon's travels all over the pacific island chains from the most remote parts of French Polynesia and Fijian islands to the big cities of Oahu, there is always the same vibe! Sheldon believes there is a very rare and  deep Ohana or Family type synergy not only to the native (kanaka) or people but also the ocean and everything in it, as if it's all so familiar.  Sheldon claims this is why he is so excited to be a part of Team Alchemy and hopes to share that rare but ever so familiar harmony as we are all one with the ocean! 

Timon was brought into the world far from the ocean, yet his fascination with it and its diverse inhabitants ignited instantly upon his initial encounter. Upon completing high school, he embarked on a global journey, dedicating himself to mastering the art of spearfishing. Since then, spearfishing has evolved into a central aspect of his life.

His primary joy lies in hunting amidst the deep reefs, where the elusive fish present the most formidable challenges, pushing him to acquire new skills and refine them continually. Additionally, on more manageable days or whenever the opportunity arises, he takes pleasure in capturing pelagic species.

When traversing new territories, Timon's focus is on exploration, offering him the opportunity to connect with diverse people, experience different cultures, and encounter extraordinary fish along the way. Regardless of the catch's quality, he remains appreciative of every day spent in the water. For him, these moments serve as a respite from the demands of everyday life, allowing him to savor the present fully.

Javier Gil Humphrey was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, which is located in the north east of Mexico. It all started when he was 8 years old in a place called Isla de Lobos, not so far from Tampico. As he watched his dad dive and spearfish every weekend, after 2 years his dad taught him to dive and absolutely loved it.

Over the years he gradually learned to dive deeper. The more he got into it, the more he discovered new things. He remembers that one day, his dad showed him a video about apnea and it instantly caught his attention. He learned more about it and decided to take a course in a cenote in Playa del Carmen. The course was very helpful, so naturally he went from diving 10m up to 20m. At the time, he was living in Texas, so he could only go spearfishing over the summer and holidays when he visited his family in Cancun. It was actually when he moved back to Tampico when he started to dedicate more time to this sport and started to make true progress.

He is currently considered to be one of the best spearos around the Gulf of Mexico.

Robert John was born and raised on a tropical island paradise known as Guam, a territory of the United States where you can’t physically be more than 6 miles from the ocean at any given time. Because of this, his story with the ocean began at the very young age of two years old. Robert found himself on a boat fishing every weekend with his father for game fish like mahi-mahi, tuna, wahoo, and other fish caught via high speed trolling.

He was never really into free diving or spearfishing growing up. It wasn’t until his cousin Nicolas moved back to Guam from a duty station in Hawaii where Nicolas had been spearfishing often. Robert was impressed when Nick would bring up big fish on one breath and this is where the addiction started. At 20 years old and after having a kid of his own, Robert decided it was time to give up some of his hobbies including drift racing, drag racing and building fast cars. Spearfishing being less expensive (most of the time) Robert asked Nicolas to teach him.

Robert picked up spearfishing and free diving quickly and with each dive trip both of them advanced into greater depths and further distances. From there, they eventually moved into blue water spearfishing from shore. This method of spearfishing was almost unheard of in the waters of Guam - A reputation for being dangerous and having many sharks. Guam was a place where most people would only dive the reef. In February of 2016, a competition was held from shore in a village called Umatac. Robert joined this competition with Peter Heradura; a friend and dive buddy of his for the first time. Together they brought back three mahi and a 47lb wahoo on a shore dive.  This was the largest wahoo ever recorded captured by spear at the time on Guam. This event sparked interest around the island and local newspapers that it technically shifted the way Guam spearos fished.

With more and more spearos adopting this method of spearfishing, Robert wanted to be notorious for landing these big game fish so he continued to spearfish the blue and land larger fish by recording it all on camera. In February 2017, Robert and Peter brought back in another large wahoo during the annual Umatatc competition. This time it weighed in at 51lbs and once again, taking home the trophy for 1st place largest fish.

Robert considers himself a competitive spear fisherman, so in 2018 he began his journey into Baja Mexico to compete in the blue water world cup. He took 1st place for reef fish with a large Pargo and took 3rd place overall out of around 26 competitors amongst the best from all over the world. In his eyes this was his greatest accomplishment in spearfishing. These events ultimately led up to Robert filming his adventures and spearfishing trips and posting them on the platforms that allows him to exhibit his version of art, Instagram and youtube. Big brands in spearfishing began to notice Robert’s videos including Evolve Diving, Aussie reels USA and Alchemy Spearfishing. Robert is now an ambassador for these brands and a proud team member of Alchemy Spearfishing. Keep an eye out for his upcoming videos and events!

At 20 years of age, Juanito is the youngest member of the Alchemy Spearfishing Team. Born in the Canary Islands, on the island of Tenerife, his passion for fishing began when he was little, because of his grandfather & brother-in-law. At 7 years old, he managed to get into the sea with his first harpoon. From there on, everything changed. Fast forward a few years later, being 18 in 2020, he went on to get his first license and a new phase began in his life. He decided to start creating content while spearfishing and posting it on various social media. Through his channels, he shares his love for the ocean.

Shaffan Rasheed started spearfishing at the age of eighteen in 2013. Back in those days spearfishing was just a way to spend the holidays with his friends and have a good time. Just a couple of boys enjoying the ocean, no GoPros, no fancy equipment and a couple of self-made pole spears. It was all about trying to see who could free dive the deepest and catch the biggest fish. From spending all day in the water, to trying to hunt octopus in the shallows, to diving down to shoot the biggest fish is how he fell in love with the ocean and the sport of spearfishing. Through spear fishing he learned more and more about the Maldivian waters and the uniquely beautiful creatures that inhibit it.  

In 2016, Shaffan finished his first free diving course which certified him as a SSI level 1 free diver. By then he was going on freediving and spearfishing trips almost five days a week. By allocating so much time to the sport, he had gotten extremely good at using the pole spear and had started to hunt with spearguns. His favorite fish to hunt has always been the Bluefin Trevally known as Fani Handhi in the Maldivian language. Shaffan remembers that in the beginning, landing a Bluefin Trevally was a challenge, which made it all the more fun. As he enjoyed the challenge, landing a Bluefin Trevally was always a great satisfaction.

Shaffan believes that spearfishing is a lot more than just shooting a fish. It is about discipline of the spearfisher as well as the knowledge they acquire through practice and most importantly, the implementation of those skills while shooting the fish.

“The best part about spearfishing is being able to share the catch with my friends and family. I hope to pass on my knowledge and the lessons learnt about this beautiful sport to many generations to come.”

Shaffan was the first non-Greek person to join the Alchemy spearfishing team. He sadly passed away in September 2020, doing what he loved. He will be dearly missed and never forgotten.