Rafael Nolasco

Rafael Nolasco was born in Brazil and holds British citizenship. After graduating with honors in law, he moved to Barcelona to explore his European roots, completing a postgraduate and an Executive MBA with distinction. Following a fast-paced career in Dublin, he took a sabbatical to travel across New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. In Koh Samui, a scuba diving attempt failed due to his fear of open water.

Back in the UK, he tried spearfishing but struggled beyond 7 meters. A friend encouraged him to take a freediving course, which he did in late 2016—and he instantly fell in love with the sport. By 2018, he became an AIDA Instructor. Teaching was a personal mission: to help others overcome fear and self-doubt, just as he had.

In 2019, he founded Limitless Freedivers, a freediving club in Bristol. That same year, he entered his first national freediving competition, earning second place, Best Newbie, and setting a Brazilian record in DYN. In 2020, he added a DNF national record to his name. He also began finswimming competitively in 2018, earning multiple wins in his category.

Today, Rafa juggles full-time work as a Senior Project Consultant, a master's degree at Oxford, and a growing ambition to dive deeper in both pool and depth disciplines.