Ocean Warrior

The Incredible tale of Liv For The Sea

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“Liv’s story highlights how freediving, beyond being a thrilling sport, can be a profound tool for personal growth, connecting with nature, and inspiring action for a healthier planet. Liv's expeditions offer unique experiences, combining freediving instruction with immersive ocean exploration, fostering a deep connection with marine life and promoting responsible ocean stewardship. Her ultimate goal is to empower individuals to become "ocean warriors," leading by example and advocating for a sustainable future.”

Background

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I grew up in Victoria on the Mornington Peninsula, a special coastline with the inviting Port Philiip Bay on one side and the often wild and wooly Bass Straight on the other. We were lucky kids growing up, spending time in the bush making mobile phones out of timber and clay, learning how to chop wood and finding joy in getting our hands dirty. Most family holidays found us in another coastal paradise, Mum and Dad loved being by the water, being sailors they knew how to embrace the elements. Inevitably we were all brought up as water babies, bodysurfing, collecting sand from the bottom, snorkelling and swimming. Childhood was a happy time.

My years being a teenager were a little more challenging for my young mind. In my first years of high school I was bullied to depression and a very dark place for a young girl. These formative years changed me forever and I still battle with the scars of being rejected by my best friend to this day. Thoughts, feelings and trauma I wouldn’t wish upon anyone, but I do have this experience to thank for my now courageous spirit. Little did I know that freediving was developing as a healing place for me.

What drew you to freediving? What was it about the experience that resonated with you and sparked your passion?

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Initially I didn’t know that I was already freediving when I discovered this so-called course that taught you how to be more fish like! The ocean and sensation of submerging my body became a place of peace for me. The depression ebbed and flowed throughout my teenage years, and I found the sea gave me this strength and acceptance to surrender and let go. The peace that overcame my mind was honestly my medicine. I would head down to the beach after school, walk out to the shallows and just swim as far as I could underwater. Everything slowed down, my thoughts stopped racing, the world appeared more peaceful, and the presence of the moment always felt like home. When I heard that there was a course I could do to learn how to stay down here for longer, my world changed forever.

How do you maintain such a fantastic zest for life and attitude to go with it?

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Haha aww that is a tricky question. To be honest I don’t know! Since finishing school I have always been drawn to ‘more’ from life. I would have conversations with a girlfriend talking about how I just felt like I didn’t fit into this normal way of living in society, it never seemed to fill my cup or make me feel like I was living life to the fullest. And so I guess I’ve been on this pursuit of finding where I belong. I can assure you I’m still working it out at 31!

I did a bit of travelling after school and in between Uni and it was on these adventures that I met like-minded souls who were also seeking their people and place. These experiences of travelling opened my eyes up to the opportunities to connect to beautiful strangers that would teach you things you could never learn at school.

It showed me how embracing the unknown always led to positive change and growth within myself and naively saying yes to experiences that might scare me, more often than not left me deeply inspired. So, I’d say I’m grateful for this desire to seek belonging elsewhere as it has fuelled my passion for adventure and finding trust in the unknown.

How would you describe the feeling of freediving? What makes it such a unique and captivating experience?

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Mmm, I love this question. There are many layers of freediving from exploring a shallow reef and staying down long enough to observe the movements of an underwater neighbourhood. To freediving off a deep shelf looking for pelagic fish to hunt.

To the vertical descent down a line where your focus is all within. Personally, the purest form of freediving for me is when I’m training for depth. You are tethered to a line with what’s called a lanyard (like a sort of leg rope attached at the waist), the line descends into the blue beyond sight. You are preparing to take your final breath on the surface, slowing everything down, the heartrate, your thoughts, releasing any tension in the body. You are visualising the perfect dive, your body feels warm, you feel confident, you are ready. After a smooth duck dive, you continue down with strong but steady kicks, equalising the shrinking air space in your ears and sinus as you go.

After not long your buoyancy becomes neutral and then negative, this is the magic zone. Once you feel you have enough momentum, you can slow down your kick to a complete stop. You position your body so you are a falling bullet to the bottom of the sea. Your shoulders are relaxed, eyes are closed, you feel the temperature change as you dive deeper. This feeling. This place of surrender 50m below the surface is like no other. You have completely let go and you are flying. It’s not adrenalin, it’s pure peace. Something I’m not sure can be replicated above the surface. This is what captivates me the most about the experience of freediving.

What inspired you to create Liv For The Sea and offer freediving expeditions?

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Liv For The Sea was born on a notepad as I was sitting outside on a lunch break during my exchange program in Hawaii in 2016. My Environmental Science degree was far from uplifting subjects. Every subject described the negative impacts humans have had on the ocean in one way or another, from pollution, over fishing, dredging, degrading coastlines, climate change, you get the drift. I felt helpless. What was I supposed to do about all of this? Meanwhile I was exploring this enchanted underwater playground of lava tubes and tunnels and coming face to face with the problem itself, marine pollution.

I wanted to share what I was learning and seeing in the ocean every day, with the hope that it would inspire change for those at home in Australia. This is where Liv For The Sea was born, initially an Instagram page sharing videos and photos of my ocean experiences and ways to protect it. Then the dream grew, as it does, and I found my way to truly inspire change – via the vessel of freediving. From personal experiences of learning to freedive I discovered how I wanted others to learn, that being totally immersive and all ocean encapsulating. An expedition on, in and under the sea where learning to freedive was the icing on the cake!

What kind of experiences are you hoping to provide for your clients?

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Our trips are adventurous and challenging but oh so rewarding. We are often in the elements, hoisting sails, spotting whales, putting on our wetsuits for the third time that day.

I want to inspire our guests way beyond the moment they leave our side. I want our guests to be the change, to be the ones that carry on the ripple and ignite shifts in those around them. Our trips are predominantly ocean based. We teach our guests how to trust their bodies in order to freedive and once we have them comfy within themselves, we share the magic of freediving to explore and get to know what lies beneath the surface.

From interactions with sharks, understanding coral colonies, reading changing conditions in order to stay safe.

We want to build ocean warriors, not just ones that take cute photo’s but warriors that lead by example above the surface in whatever way they can. Whether it be living lighter by consuming less single use plastics, refusing a coffee unless you have your reusable cup, recycling appropriately and putting their money into places that encourage a sustainable future.

Can you describe some of the destinations you offer expeditions to? What makes these locations special for freediving, and what kind of encounters can participants expect?

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I feel extremely grateful to be running expeditions in two of Australia’s World Heritage Listed Destinations, Lord Howe Island in New South Wales and Nyinggulu Reef in Western Australia. The Nyinggulu has been my second home for almost 5 years and was where I brought my liveaboard expeditions to life.

The Nyinggulu is one of the, if not the, most abundant, healthy, thriving marine ecosystems I know. The reef is healthy and diverse, the marine life is enchanting and populations are flourishing. A place where the biggest fish in the sea come to feast on the spawning of coral, the whale shark. You truly never know what you might find on the reef whether it’s a tiger shark, hammerhead, humpback whale, orca, manta ray, dugong, sea snake, it is honestly just teeming with life and to me feels like one of the last remaining hopes for our oceans.

It’s not just the marine life that captures you on the Nyinggulu, it’s the people and the desert that bring so much inspiration and charm. The North West Cape is full of treasures, ancient corals surrounded by deep pindan dirt, prehistoric shark teeth embedded in the land and indigenous tales that transcend our time.

On the other side of Australia, about as far East as you can go, you’ll find Lord Howe Island. The remains of an ancient volcano that has been eroded by the sea over millions of years to create one of the most unique islands I know.

This island is designed for diving! No matter the wind or swell (most of the time) there is somewhere to tuck away in a sheltered bay and explore the depths below. With a unique convergence of currents, one from the south bringing colder temperate temperatures and one from the north, the East Australian Current, sending down warm nutrient poor, but electric blue visibility.

The blend of the two have evolved hundreds of endemic species above and below the surface, meaning these plants and animals are found nowhere else in the world. What we are treated to below the surface is incredible visibility ranging in summer anywhere from 15m – 40m+. Being volcanic, there are endless playgrounds to explore, tunnels and caves, crevices and arches, it’s a true underwater wonderland. Lord Howe Island is also known for the greatest density of Galapagos Whaler Sharks in potentially the world, so we often have very curious small sharks greeting us on the freedive line.

What are some of the challenges and rewards of leading freediving expeditions?

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The rewards far outweigh the challenges that’s for sure. One challenge would include the good old mother nature of whom we have no control over. She governs our days, being outdoor expeditions based around the ocean. This can raise some inherent challenges but we do our best to make the most of it and we like to encourage our guests that we are building them into strong ocean warriors! Wind, swell and currents are conditions you will face as a diver, so if we can teach them how to read, forecast and manage a dive in these conditions, this is what it’s all about.

The rewards are honestly endless, but for me it’s the response from our guests. This is why I do what I do. To see the spark in their eyes for their new found love, the sea. Hearing their inner triumphs as they smash their goals, or reading the personal messages of thanks and gratitude after the trip is over. These are what give me the energy and drive to keep it all going

What are some of the most memorable moments you’ve shared with your clients?

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Ohh my. There are many. One highlight that comes to mind is during a freedive expedition on the Nyinggulu in 2023. We were all in the water, mid freedive course, students diving up and down the line when our skipper yell’s out to us, “Liv! There are some whales coming your way!”, we all stopped what we were doing and we gathered around the floats waiting for them to pass by. Before we knew it, we had a mother, her calf and their escort gliding in slow motion below us. The gang all started squealing and celebrating, it was one of those moment’s that you couldn’t have scripted, it was a dream come true for most, tears and all, such a special moment.

Video by Liv For The Sea

What are the goals of your freediving courses? What skills and knowledge do you aim to impart to your students?

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Comfort. Comfort within their own ability and within the ocean. With comfort comes the mental capacity to be a safe diver and to have fun! Creating a level of comfort in both the ocean and themselves obviously doesn’t happen overnight, hence why I’ve always pushed for weeklong experiences as they are truly the best way to grow strong ocean people.

Being with our students for multiple days at a time for a range of different water activities allows us to cover so many more bases than we can in just a three-day freedive course. I’ve met people who are ‘certified freedivers’ but they hold zero ocean awareness. Personally, I don’t know how this is allowed. If we are teaching you to freedive and explore the ocean on a single breath, we will also be teaching you all the things that the ocean can throw at you in order to keep you and your buddies safe out there.

How do you approach teaching freediving? What are some of the key principles and techniques you emphasise in your courses?

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Everyone’s journey into freediving is different. Like any sport I guess, but with freediving, in order to truly excel and find our peace down there, we must settle the mind, we must find our ability to surrender. This is the most challenging part about the sport, the mental game. I’ve found freediving surfaces barriers within people they didn’t realise existed and this is where it is so individual and such a personal journey. This is where I believe my gentle, empathetic approach to teaching allows my guests to be themselves, trust that they’re supported and gives them space to release these barriers if need be.

I would say I can be strict on the safety side of things, I think this is just so important to understand, but at the same time, we’re having a laugh and not taking ourselves too seriously. I mean I’ve had these moments where I just burst out in laughter and go, look at what we are doing?! We are all following this line up and down, up and down, up and down, and it makes us feel so good!? Haha you gotta laugh. Us humans are bizarre creatures.

What are some of the benefits of learning to freedive? How can freediving enhance a person's connection with the ocean and their own body?

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Ohh there are so many!
Here are a few..
- Learning how to maximise a full breath and how you can stretch and strengthen your lungs to do so
- Strengthening your ability to relax, mentally and physically
- Finding peace in a totally foreign world like under the ocean is something that will change you forever
- As freedivers we are calmer, more efficient and quieter underwater so our interactions with marine creatures can be extra special

What is the most rewarding aspect of sharing your passion for freediving through expeditions and courses?

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Witnessing the change that occurs over the time together. From a stranger who is so nervous to hold their breath to next minute they’re off in their own world diving with the sharks and the rays. I feel like a proud mum every time. It never gets old.

What impact do you hope to have on your clients?

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Mmm, this is a good one.

Ultimately, I want to connect our guests to the ocean and themselves in a way that will transcend into their everyday life forever. For me, choosing this path of adventure tourism and engaging with people within the ocean is my way of inspiring change for the planet. I truly hope the people I get to connect with and help dive into the sea creates a ripple effect to all the people that know them and so forth. Perhaps this is naïve or unrealistic, but you have to have hope!

How do you see the future of freediving evolving? What are some of the trends and innovations you're excited about?

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Freediving as a sport has grown sooo quickly over its short existence amongst competitors. It wasn’t long ago we were in awe watching freedivers reach 100m. Now it’s common to be pushing the 120m+ mark! We are still in the very, very early days of the science of the sport. As technology develops, we will be able to monitor the human body at depth more thoroughly and answer many questions and theories. Even the equipment has evolved in such a short time that there are bound to be new and improved freedive fins, masks and weight belts to come. It is really an exciting time to be a freediver, it is just the beginning!

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in learning to freedive?

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The one thing holding you back is that you are probably thinking “I’m not sure I can do it” – let me tell you, you are already halfway there just being a mammal! The same things shift within you as it does in whales, dolphins and seals. Just being in the water your heartrate will slow, your body is preparing you to dive. Trust me, we can all do it, you just have to try.

What are some key considerations people should consider before taking the plunge?

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Not too much, other than, be prepared to challenge the mind! Freediving surfaces layers within us sometimes we didn’t realise existed. Be prepared to face these head on. If you are willing to work through some of these barriers, then you are ready, my friend, let’s go!

Words of Wisdom

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Life is too short to wonder ‘what if?’ – whatever that dream is, whatever that little flame in your belly is telling you to do, don’t think about it too much, just go and do it. The biggest regret you will have is not doing it.