I had been floating face-down in the swimming pool of Matamanoa Resort in Fiji for nearly three minutes, eyes closed, breathing through a snorkel, when my freediving instructor’s voice reverberated faintly through the water. “Dobrina… Dobrina? We are done. You can get up.” The exercise was part of my free diving certification and had started as a way to activate my “mammalian dive reflex,” which is switched on the moment we put our faces in the water.
Also referred to as the Master Switch of Life, it immediately slows down the heart rate by roughly 25%, conserving oxygen, and enabling extended breath-holds. Or, as author James Nestor describes it: “[...] it turns us into efficient deep-sea-diving animals.”
Another side effect of the Master Switch? It relaxes your body and mind to a meditative state, which apparently caused me to tune out and drift to the opposite side of the pool, unintentionally ignoring my instructor calling me for at least a minute.
Normally, my brain is in a constant race against time—one where the finish line seems to move before I can cross it. But in that pool, under the glistening Fijian sun, with the ocean waves lapping below on the beach, the moment I put my head underwater and focused on the rhythmic hissing of my exhalations, my mind went completely blank.
Free diving—the ability to dive underwater on a single breath—has been practiced for thousands of years, mostly by people in coastal communities around the world as a method to gather food (or, in Japan, for pearl harvesting). In many places, it’s also a way to deepen the spiritual connection with the ocean. In South Korea, the haenyeo, women aged well into their 70s, still descend underwater without any modern-day gear, relying only on their breathhold.
But free diving is now drawing a new audience of wellness seekers in pursuit of calm, focus, and improved lung and cardiovascular health. Celebrities have taken note, too—Orlando Bloom devoted an entire episode of his Apple TV series To The Edge to free diving. As urbanites search for antidotes to data-obsessed, tech-heavy wellness routines, elemental pursuits like recreational free diving are gaining momentum. In 2023 alone, the International Association for the Development of Apnea (AIDA), one of several free diving global organizations, issued 35,000 new certifications. That figure nearly doubled in 2024.
Free diving is as much about body awareness and physicality as it is about harnessing natural instincts and learning to be completely in the present. “It’s a journey of self-discovery,” Trevor Neal, my instructor at Matamanoa, told me one breezy afternoon after practice. Humans are intimately related to the ocean, even if we don’t live in it.
Amniotic fluid and ocean water share many chemical similarities in their composition (for the scientifically inclined, one study called it the “ontogenetic recapitulation of the prebiotic seas”). In the 19th century, French physician René Quinton discovered that blood plasma and seawater are 98% the same. And we’ve all seen videos of infants swimming underwater: that’s because babies up to six months old have a natural diving reflex that causes them to hold their breath. Humans have amphibious skills—all life began in the water—and free diving training can help unlock them.
On my first day of pool training, I could barely hold my breath for 40 seconds, but after a few hours of breath-holding exercises and relaxation techniques, I easily clocked in a minute and a half underwater the next day. What really amazed me is the extent of relaxation and self-awareness my body was able to achieve—something that no meditation practice has ever managed to help me do.
“Free diving is about having—and letting go of—control. [Once you dive], you cannot change the water, you cannot change the wind, but what you can change is having control over your emotions, your anxiety, and your breath,” Neelam Raff, a free diving instructor and owner of Liquid State Freediving School in Fiji, told me. “A good free dive is where everything is quiet, your mind is quiet, you hear yourself, and it s beautiful,” she said.
Raff explained that free diving skills extend far beyond the water. Many breathing techniques are designed to quiet the mind—after all, the body cannot truly relax underwater unless the mind does first. For women, in particular, free diving can be empowering.
Katie McCarthy, a New York City-based civil rights lawyer and USA Freediving Board secretary, told me that she first tried free diving in a cenote in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula as a way to unwind from her job, which, albeit fulfilling, requires long hours and heavy subject matter. “From my very first dive, I was hooked,” McCarthy said. “The stillness under the water was like nothing I had ever experienced—you can hear your heartbeat slow down and you become fully present in your body. [...] Since then, I ve explored both the recreational and competitive sides of freediving. But I always come back to that original experience of being overwhelmed with gratitude for what my body could do and with wonder of this magical universe underneath the surface. When you re down there, no one can call you, no one can email you, you can simply be.”
Of course, for many, the main draw is the connection with the ocean. Both Raff and Neal highlighted that, while scuba diving allows people to stay longer underwater, it can disturb marine life by creating noise or producing bubbles. Free diving doesn’t use any bulky equipment, just fins and a mask, and is a much more natural way to move throughout the environment.
“I’ve nearly bumped into a shark before while going down [free diving]. I’m literally there [next] to a shark, and it’s not freaked out,” Neal told me. “Once you re underwater as a free diver, you re not there for long, but the encounters you have are so much closer.” Raff agreed: “Freediving allows you to be part of the ecosystem. When they re [marine animals] not afraid of you or the noise that you make, they go about their business, and you can be part of that without disturbing them. It feels like I am this little insignificant thing in this big blue ocean. It is very humbling.”
Free diving is not a one-size-fits-all experience. During my practice in Fiji, I discovered I had ear equalization issues that prevented me from diving deeper. (Proper equalization is crucial to relieving water pressure.) So after I returned from my trip there, I booked another one to South Andros in the Bahamas, famous for its blue holes. There, after some pool practice at Caerula Mar Club Resort with the resident dive instructor, we sailed to a quiet bay with crystal-clear water, roamed by tropical fish, and I was able to dive deeper and stay underwater for longer.
Back in the resort, I wandered along the wild stretch of beach that fronts it and remembered a scene in one of my favorite films that I first saw as a teenager, the 1988 Luc Besson drama Le Grand Bleu. In it, Rosanna Arquette’s character, Johanna, asks Jean-Marc Barr, who plays one of the world’s greatest free divers, Jacques Mayol: “What’s it feel like when you dive?” Barr, looking down, answers quickly: “It’s a feeling of slipping without falling.”
Below, some of the world’s best resorts, where you can start—or continue—your free diving journey (without compromising on luxurious amenities).
Caerula Mar Club Resort, The Bahamas
As the Bahamas’ largest yet most sparsely populated island, Andros’s sense of remoteness is rivaled only by its jaw-dropping biodiversity. Nestled along a pristine wild beach along the eastern shore of South Andros, this chic 10-acre resort has only 18 suites and five white-washed standalone villas, providing an elevated tropical escape—and every possible luxury you could think of—along with easy access to some of the world’s best free diving sites.
“The water is warm and clear, immediately putting divers at ease, and our shallow reefs provide the perfect foundation for learning core skills in a relaxed, accessible setting,” says Shannon Stewart, the resort’s director of activities and water sports. “As divers progress, our blue holes offer a calm, controlled environment with greater depth, allowing divers to advance at their own pace.”
But the real draw of Caerula Mar Club Resort is its seclusion, postcard-perfect views, lack of crowds, and robust list of water activities. The serene retreat is perfect for couples and solo travelers. The stunning setting and laid-back vibe immediately put me at ease and eliminated any sign of water anxiety or stress.
Anantara Plaza Nice Hotel, France
This Belle Époque grand dame along the French Riviera has partnered with French free diver and five-time world champion Arthur Guérin-Boëri for a half-day free diving experience, World of Silence. The day begins with yoga, breathwork, and relaxation techniques, led by Guérin-Boëri, on Passable Beach in nearby Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. After the open-water dive—the area is known for its calm waters, excellent visibility, and vibrant marine life—guests can recover with the Oceanic Bliss Ritual at Anantara Spa, encompassing a body scrub, a custom massage, and a hydrating body mask, using Thalion skincare products.
Manava Beach Resort Spa, Mo’orea, French Polynesia
The warm, turquoise waters of the South Pacific, bursting with wildlife, make an excellent backdrop for a free diving course. At Mo’orea’s Manava Beach Resort Spa, the on-site free diving school offers lessons and multi-day retreats for all experience levels. The program is led by Marine Grosjean, world champion monofin swimmer, whose gentle and highly personalized teaching style makes the experience especially well-suited to beginners and anyone with open-water anxiety.
Later, test your diving skills for a good cause and book a tour with Coral Gardners, a local coral conservation organization, which works on education and marine conservation projects with Rolex, Kenzo, and Prada. (Their ambassador is actor Jason Momoa.) The private tour will take you to the organization’s largest coral nursery in the lagoon of Mo’orea, where you’ll get the opportunity to dive and help restore corals.
Savasi Island Resort, Fiji
If you are the type of traveler who likes a private island vacation, while still having access to urban amenities and the local communities, then you’ve come to the right place. Savasi’s 13 villas are tucked among lush tropical greenery, with features like private pools, decks, and panoramic ocean views. The resort’s partnership with the local Liquid State Freediving School, owned by Raff, is an excellent perk.
Raff is an incredibly knowledgeable instructor who doesn’t rush through diving techniques and breathing exercises but takes her time to ensure you are relaxed and feeling at ease in the water. While Savasi overlooks the windward southern coast of Vanua Levu island, Raff’s preferred free diving spot is a mirror-like bay near the town of Savusavu. That meant, after practice, I could explore the local farmers’ market and fuel up on tropical fruit and fresh coconut water.
Jumeirah Olhahali Island, Maldives
The Maldives—and especially the Malé Atoll—are home to some of the most vibrant coral reefs in the world, and Jumeirah Olhahali Island offers the opportunity to explore them on a single breath. The resort’s resident marine biologist and certified dive instructor, Andreia Tami Akaki, guides experienced free divers through the reef shallows, inhabited by electric-blue fusiliers, reef sharks, and parrotfish.
Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, Hawai’i
Over two days with champion free diver and ocean conservationist Kimi Werner, guests at this Four Seasons resort can learn the basics of free diving and practice off the coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi, where the waters teem with turtles, spinner dolphins, manta rays, and tropical fish. The experience is capped with a private four-course dinner celebrating Hawaii’s flavors and culinary traditions.
Matamanoa Resort, Fiji
This adults-only private island retreat has 47 guest rooms and beachfront villas, with ocean views and private plunge pools. Its open-air spa, perched in a breezy treehouse, where treatments unfold to the soundtrack of wind and the waves below, is easily one of the most relaxing wellness spaces I’ve ever seen.
The resort reopens in March after a comprehensive update, but one thing will remain—its on-site diving school. Purple Turtle is known in the Mamanuca archipelago as the place to learn to free dive. Run by husband-and-wife duo, Trevor and Emma Neal, both certified diving instructors with decades of experience, the course balances safety skills and technical knowledge with the deeply calming environment. Trevor’s no-nonsense approach had me double my breath-hold time in a day and reach levels of mental stillness I never thought possible.