Katie Wood
Freediver, Writer, Explorer
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Katie Wood
Freediver, Writer, Explorer
Somewhere between your first equalization and your last inhale, something changes. Freediving stops being about time, depth, or technique. It becomes about relationship. With the water. With your body. With the marine life hovering just out of reach. And like any real relationship, it asks for something back.
The question isn’t just how deep we can go. It’s how deeply we care about the places we dive, the species we encounter, and the impact we leave behind. The future of freediving won’t be written in records. It will be shaped by the values we carry into the water.
Freedivers like to think of themselves as ocean caretakers. We glide through reefs without tanks, use our lungs instead of motors, and move silently through ecosystems that many others disturb. But silence is not the same as absence. Our presence still counts.
Travel leaves carbon footprints. Gear manufacturing consumes energy and materials. Spearfishing, when done recklessly, can destroy local populations. Even posting a photo of yourself holding the wrong fish can spark a copycat wave of overharvesting. The myth that we are somehow “invisible” in the ocean is comforting. It is also false.
Sustainability is not just about what we avoid. It is about what we build.
If the last decade of freediving was defined by pushing human limits, the next should be about protecting natural ones. Not everyone wants to become an activist, but every diver can become more conscious. This shift doesn’t start with rules. It starts with values.
Do we care more about going 90 meters or making sure our students understand the local marine laws? Do we praise the diver who spears the biggest fish or the one who leaves it behind because it’s breeding season? These are cultural decisions. And culture is contagious.
A sustainability mindset begins when we stop treating nature as a backdrop to our achievements and start treating it as a co-participant.
Look down at your fins. What are they made of? Who made them? How were they made?
Most dive gear, even high-performance freediving gear, comes from petrochemical-based materials. That’s the industry norm. But some brands have started to rethink that. At Alchemy, for example, we’ve transitioned to using renewable solar energy in our production process. Not because it was easy. Because it was right.
Sustainable gear is not just about materials. It is about transparency, longevity, and repairability. Buying one well-made item is more sustainable than buying three cheap ones. Knowing who makes your fins or wetsuit, and how they treat their workers and the environment, is part of sustainability too. Conscious consumers drive ethical brands forward. Every purchase is a vote.
No conversation about sustainability in freediving is complete without talking about spearfishing. It sits at the intersection of survival and sport, heritage and hobby, ethics and ego.
Spearfishing, when practiced with knowledge and intention, can be one of the most sustainable ways to harvest seafood. You take what you need, leave what you don’t, and waste nothing. But when practiced poorly, it can wipe out local populations faster than nets.
The difference lies in education. Knowing the species. Understanding their life cycles. Learning the local laws. Respecting the community norms. Spearos should not be measured by the size of their catch, but by the size of their judgment.
Ethical spearfishers are mentors. They teach others to aim small, not to show off. They share knowledge, not just footage. They represent the line where sustainability becomes a skill, not a slogan.
Social media has done a lot for freediving. It’s made the sport more visible, more accessible, more celebrated. But it also comes with a darker edge. The pressure to perform, to impress, to post. And often, to do so without considering the consequences.
A selfie next to coral you’ve kicked. A viral spearfishing clip with a species you didn’t identify correctly. A trip to a marine protected area without knowing it’s protected. These moments add up. What influencers post, others follow.
This doesn’t mean we need to shame mistakes. It means we need to talk about them. It means creators should lead with context. Here’s what I caught, and here’s why I chose this species. This site is only open to divers during certain months. We left no trace, and here’s how.
Visibility is power. And power comes with responsibility.
The freediving industry is still young enough that we can shape it with intention. Schools, gear companies, training agencies, and competitions all have a role to play.
Schools can integrate sustainability modules into beginner and advanced courses. Even just a short talk on reef-safe sunscreen, local regulations, and mindful interactions can shift perspectives.
Brands can build sustainability into their design and supply chains. Not just in product launches, but in core practices. Who they sponsor. What they promote. How they package. How they speak.
Competitions can reduce waste, ban plastic bottles, and offer eco briefings. Training agencies can set sustainability standards in their instructor certifications. Everyone has a lever to pull.
At the heart of freediving is connection. We dive to feel something more. To slow down. To listen. To remember that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
This connection is not just physical. It is ecological. Psychological. Spiritual. It is not something you can measure in meters or minutes. But it is something you can live by.
A sustainability culture in freediving is not a checklist. It is a lens. It is asking better questions. Do I need this? Where does it come from? Who does it impact? What will I leave behind?
It is also community. Sharing knowledge. Calling out harmful practices without canceling people. Lifting up those who lead by example. Building a sport that reflects the ocean we love, not just the ego we chase.
Not everyone can sponsor a marine reserve or build their own gear from scratch. But everyone can start somewhere. Here are a few simple ways to begin:
Small changes ripple. You never know who will follow your lead.
In the end, freediving is about going inward. You hold your breath. You feel your heartbeat slow. You quiet your thoughts. But if that is all you do, you miss the point.
The dive is only half the story. The return matters too. What we bring back to the surface, what we carry into our lives, what we give to the places that give us so much, that is the real mark of a diver.
Depth, after all, is not just a number. It is a way of being. A way of living in tune with the world around us.
So let’s go deep. Not just into the ocean. Into our values, our choices, our responsibilities. Let’s build a culture where sustainability is not a trend. It is a given.
Because in the end, green is not just the new deep. It is the only way forward.