Instructors I share water with — off Phuket, over in Amed, and in the pool in Moscow. Go and find them.
Twelve years travelling the world, and freediving is the thing that made him stop and stay. Benoit found it on a trip to Thailand in 2019, and it reshaped everything after.
He teaches breath-hold and yoga together — the two practices lean on each other, and he coaches from that overlap. Calm body, calm breath, one feeding the other.
On his days off you’ll find him deep in his favourite discipline: static.
@burgon_underwater·Nama Freediving
A zoology degree, then Phuket in 2017 to build a life in the water. Over a thousand hours underwater as a scuba and freediving instructor gave Court a deep read on the local reef and the ocean around it.
He teaches freediving, scuba, and swimming to adults and kids alike, and his sessions are built to feel relaxed and safe — a supportive room where you progress at your own pace.
@barefootblondiephuket·ScubaNicks
Victoria came to the water in 2015 and went pro in 2018. She’s now Senior Instructor at ScubaNicks in Rawai, teaching every level up to dive professional.
Freediving, scuba, and mermaid — she moves easily between them, and she’s known for the patience that makes her a favourite with kids and first-time divers. Calm, unhurried, right there beside you.
@tones.of.blue·Nama Freediving
Thirteen years in the water and a photographer’s eye. Tony taught freediving on Koh Tao for seven years before moving to Phuket in 2022, and he brings a calm presence to every line.
His camera background shows up in the coaching — he reads your body position, your movement, your efficiency the way he’d frame a shot, and helps you refine it. Divers of all levels progress with him, safely and at their own pace.
Bali Freedivers·@balifreedivers.amed·Amed
In the water since he was five. Yan is Ukrainian, moved to Indonesia in 2013, and has taught across five countries and more than five hundred students since.
He runs Bali Freedivers in Amed and leans towards beginners, shaping sessions around what you actually do in the water — spearfishing, surfing — with the breathwork and safety skills that hold up when it gets tight.
@roman_gara·Molchanova Freediving School
Swimming and diving since childhood — Roman came up through competitive swimming and swam for his city team before freediving became the centre of it.
He’s a competing freediver, still refining his own dives while he coaches. Certified to teach both adults (Wave 3) and kids (L1 & L2) in the Molchanovs system, and an experienced safety diver and coach.
He organises the amateur I love freediving competitions and works as sports manager at the Natalia Molchanova Freediving School.
@artur_tichonov·Molchanova Freediving School
A competing finswimmer turned freediving instructor — Artur has won national underwater-sport titles in both bi-fins and monofin, and he brings that athlete’s precision to the pool.
Personal bests tell the story: 248 m bi-fins, 227 m monofin, 161 m breaststroke, and a 7:24 static. He teaches Wave 1 and Wave 2 courses in the pool, and he’s a certified freediving rescue and first-aid specialist — the calm hand you want on safety.
fins