Author: Liv

Tim thinks freediving makes the world go round, however his non-freediver friends refer to it as “hold your breath club”! He has been diving for a few years now and first represented the UK in 2006. Since then he has dived all over the place, and one of his favorites has to be Honaunau Bay, Hawaii. Imagine heading out for a dive, walking over the black lava rock beach, getting into the water with a turtle swimming in the coral reef, and then heading out to the deep past a few spinner dolphins to the dive line! He loves any events in freediving, and really enjoys the competitions as you spend a day, weekend or week in the pool, lake, sea or other country with loads of other people who are excited about the same stuff you are! Tim is very grateful to his employer, Saba Software (www.saba.com), for sponsoring him and enabling him to have the time to represent the UK in Sardinia.

Mike is a 7 times National Record holder for team Great Britain, an SSI Freediving Instructor Trainer, and a former Royal Marine Commando. Mike has a strong background in teaching, as a freediver he is an SSI Instructor Trainer and an Apnea Total Master Instructor, but he is also a TDI Technical Diving Instructor and a PADI OW scuba instructor. He has a strong physical approach to his own training, however through Freediving he has discovered that equally important is the balance achieved through activities such as yoga and gaining greater self-awareness and mental focus. Both approaches feature strongly in his teaching style. Mike has dived to 102m in the Constant Weight with Fins (CWF) discipline, has set seven British National records, and is the current British record holder for CWT at 102m and for Free Immersion (FIM) at 96m. He was also a member of the British Freediving Team for the 2011 World Freediving Depth Championships. Mike lives in Indonesia, on the island of Gili Trawangan, where he teaches freediving courses and training (www.freedivegili.com).

Adam is an Aida Instructor, Judge and Chairman of the British Freediving Association. He has represented the UK at the World Championships in Belgrade last year and has participated at other international freediving events. He greatly enjoys the recreational side of freediving, diving on shallow reefs and the simple pleasure of being in the water. Adam started freediving as a spearo in the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, where he discovered the beauty of the underwater world. After running a spearfishing school for a few years in the UK, he then decided to enter into and concentrate on the pure discipline of Freediving. Freediving changed his life, giving him the right input to discover and enjoy life in a whole new way, through the many amazing techniques and experiences. Adam runs a club called Blue Water Freediving (www.bluewater-freediving.co.uk).

Jay has been freediving for many years and is currently training to be an instructor. He runs a club session in the City of Liverpool for Apneists UK (www.freedivingcompetition.com). Jay has always been drawn to the sea and freediving has simply allowed him to grasp what he loves about it. He enjoys the competitive side of Freediving and likes to see people come out of their ‘freediving shells’ and pull out big performances. He also relishes the camaraderie and support of his teammates and fellow competitors alike, there is in his opinion, no sport like it. This will be the second time Jay has represented the UK. He is a ‘pool rat’, ‘depth junkie’ and ‘spearo’ all in one. Jay works on the British Freediving Association committee, dedicating his time to supporting and promoting freediving in the UK.

George has always been interested in the underwater world. She learned to scuba dive in 1998, and is a PADI MSDT instructor since 2005. She has been freediving since 2007 and is an SSI freediving instructor. George is a 5 times British National record holder, currently holding the women’s record of 06:27 in static apnea and competes for the UK; she has been part of the UK team since 2007. She has trained all over the world, including the famous Deans blue hole. George has a strong background in yoga and swimming and believes that mental focus and self-awareness is a crucial part of freediving, but most importantly it has to be fun. Above all freediving is a passion for her and a fantastic community to be a part of. She has recently set up a club called Aquacity Freediving (www.aquacityfreediving.com) along with her partner, photographer Daan Verhoeven. George has also been a committee member of the British Freediving Association as Clubs Officer since 2011, to help to share her love of the sport.

Liv has represented Great Britain at 7 World Championships. In 2013 she won a bronze medal at the AIDA Individual depth World Championships in her favourite discipline Constant No Fins (CNF). In 2010 she was the World Absolute Freediving Champion with the highest combined international ranking and has been the UK Champion 7 times. This year she was awarded for outstanding contributions to British Freediving. Liv runs the UK’s longest running freediving club London Freediving (www.londonfreediving.org), as well as her own businesses in landscaping and in Freediving Teaching and Coaching (www.livphilip.com). She has body doubled for Halle Berry and taught numerous stars including TV personalities Ant & Dec. As Training and Safety Officer for the British Freediving Association, Liv helps to promote safer freediving in the UK. Based in London, she has collaborated on many arts projects and has recently completed her first soon to be released short film ‘A Place Below’. Liv says ‘over the years freediving has given me a great deal of pleasure and allowed me to meet some wonderful people. I look forward to this 2014 Great Britain Women’s Team pulling together to produce some really solid competitive performances at the Team World Championship in Sardinia in September’.

Beci got into freediving after scuba diving in Thailand in 2012 and was blown away. She came back to the UK wanting to continue her underwater adventures but without all the heavy equipment and found a club in Richmond called London Freediving (www.londonfreediving.org) where she was introduced to an exciting yet tranquil, silent, underwater world, falling in love instantly. That same year she joined the UK Team to compete at the World Championships in Nice, France, her very first competition. Because of the support and encouragement of her fellow teammates and club, she has continued competing and playing under the water. This year Beci came third in the women at the pool National Championships, more commonly and affectionately referred to as the Great Northern (www.freedivingcompetition.com).