About Us
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Freediving is much more than a sport. It is a life discipline that strengthens your mind, body and spirit. It is a personal journey of self-awareness and connection to the ocean.
“Scuba divers dive to look around. Freedivers dive to look within.” – Umberto PelizzariÂ
WHAT WE ARE ABOUT
At Zen Freediving we share our passion for freediving through courses, training, events and trips and seek to build a community of freediving enthusiasts in Singapore and around the world.
Our approach to teaching freediving is based on relaxation and internal awareness in a safe and fun environment, dispelling the perception of freediving as an "extreme" sport. We teach beginners to advanced students, and cater to each student's individual ability and personal objectives, whether recreational or competitive. In each course, you will delve into the physics, psychology and physiology of freediving.
We were the first freediving school in Singapore to offer freediving courses in local waters. The visibility may be limited, but there is local marine life to be discovered in our fair city state by those with the patience to explore!
As freedivers, we believe in taking care of the ocean that brings us so much enjoyment and do our part by promoting sustainability and supporting marine conservation efforts. These are some of our current and past projects:Â
- Regular organisation of underwater trash clean upsÂ
- We re-use packaging materials for shipping orders where possible
- Collection of old wetsuits to be sent to Suga Yoga to be up-cycled into yoga matsÂ
- Sponsorship of the music video "Birthplace" by Novo Amor to raise awareness on the issue of marine debris.Â
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
MICHELLE
Co-Founder of Zen FreedivingSingapore Women’s Multiple National Record Holder
Founding member of the Apnea Association of Singapore
Having spent countless hours in the water as a kid, Michelle felt right at home when she started freediving in 2011. An ex-competitive swimmer, triathlete, underwater rugby player, rock climber and a certified PADI rescue scuba diver, she feels that freediving is the only sport to have had such a profound effect on her personality and lifestyle.
Although she enjoys the challenge of training and competition, Michelle's favourite part of freediving is spending time in the water connecting with other ocean inhabitants. She enjoys teaching and helping other people discover the joys of freediving, in the hopes that they get to experience the wonders of the ocean too. Besides freediving, she loves surfing and skateboarding and has a special interest in marine conservation.
CHRISTOPHER
Co-Founder of Zen Freediving
Founding member of the Apnea Association of Singapore
Chris was inspired to pursue freediving over 15 years ago after hearing the humpbacks singing off the Big Island of Hawaii. Since then, freediving has become his lifestyle. Several years ago he left his legal career to pursue freediving and since then has been teaching, diving and exploring the ocean full time.
Chris loves the mind/body aspects of freediving, the endless challenge and the new experiences that freediving offers.
COLEMAN
Molchanovs Instructor
Initial Safety Officer of the Apnea Association of Singapore
AIDA and CMAS Judge
While Coleman enjoys numerous activities including scuba diving, swimming, rock climbing, and basketball, only freediving is so profound that he wants to share and teach it. Nothing else has opened up a range of indescribably amazing sensations like being deep underwater on a long breathhold.
As a Molchanovs-certified instructor with a background in instructional design and education, Coleman enjoys explaining the many intricacies of freediving, and why there’s nothing else quite like it.
Coleman is also passionate about freediving safety. He was the initial Safety Officer appointed by the Apnea Association of Singapore, and set up the standards and training manual for pool competition safety divers. He’s also active as a competition safety diver.
Coleman is also a qualified freediving competition judge, for both AIDA and CMAS.
TRACYÂ
Molchanovs InstructorÂ
Multiple National Record Holder for PhilippinesÂ
When she took the course she knew it would be a lifelong commitment. What started as a personal fascination quickly evolved into a mission to share the transformative power of freediving with others. In 2020, Tracy decided to share her passion by becoming a freediving instructor.
Freediving isn't just a hobby for Tracy. In her own words: “It's been an amazing journey of growth for me, both personally and professionally. There's something about freediving that makes you feel so connected to your body and the world around you. The more in tune you are with your mind and body, the better you can take care of yourself. Join us on our mission to explore the depths, both within ourselves and in the ocean."
In addition to teaching, Tracy has made waves in the competitive freediving scene since 2019, breaking multiple national records for the Philippines in both Pool and Depth disciplines.
FRANCOIS-MAXENCE
Molchanovs InstructorÂ
François-Maxence, aka FM or François (pronounced “Franswa”) started freediving in 2015 when I he moved to Singapore. He became part of the first batch of new coaches in 2018 then first round of new instructors in 2021 as Zen Freediving grew.
Attraction to the ocean has played a big part in getting him hooked into freediving: FM is an avid swimmer, scuba diver, and loves anything related to artistic representation of water in paintings, anime, films; to the point of working on CGI water effects for several films. Speaking of films, he discovered freediving through the cult movie The Big Blue, which he could talk about for hours!
FM is fascinated by the multitude of facets that freediving blends: the sport, the biology, the fitness, the technique, the spirit. He loves to share this passion through teaching and getting his students to dive beyond their expectations.
HAO WEI
Molchanovs Instructor
Hao Wei started freediving in 2022 as he wanted to be closer to marine life and explore coral reefs freely. Ever since, he has explored the seas and found himself swimming amongst turtles, dolphins, and many other marine animals. Hao Wei recounts his experience: "When I first started freediving, I never imagined myself to be swimming alongside dolphins in the sea. And now, everything feels so surreal and magical. I wanted freedom, open air, and adventure. I found it in the ocean."
Freediving, apart from the amazing sea experiences, gives him inner peace and tranquility.Â
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Kathleen
Kathleen began her freediving journey as one of the first students at Zen Freediving, inspired by her sister Michelle, co-founder of Zen. Initially just a fun way to explore underwater, her passion deepened during COVID, leading her to become an instructor after. Freediving has become a vital part of her life, not only as a recreational activity but also as a means to stay grounded and resilient.
Her fondest memory in the water dates back to a family holiday where, despite rough seas and poor visibility, she swam with mantas. This early experience, before any formal training, revealed the pure joy and excitement of freediving. Now as an instructor, Kathleen finds immense joy in sparking a similar passion in her students, seeing that special sparkle in their eyes after they dive.
At Zen, Kathleen cherishes the diverse stories shared within the community, from complete beginners to competitive divers. Each story enriches her understanding and enhances her ability to guide others, making every teaching moment rewarding.
FELICIAÂ
Molchanovs Instructor
Felicia started her freediving journey with Zen Freediving in 2019. She started off with no expectations, only wanting to improve her breath hold as a mermaid. Since then, she has acquired skills not only allowing her to stay longer underwater but also to dive deeper, surpassing her own expectations!
As a former competitive swimmer and athlete, Felicia appreciates the balance that freediving offers, encouraging us to slow down through introspection and mindfulness.
Incorporating her years of experience in education into her instruction, Felicia looks forward to introducing people of all backgrounds to the world of freediving! She hopes to inspire others to explore and appreciate the underwater world confidently and safely.Â
Photo by JoshFather Photography
Testimonials
"We are both scuba divers and discovered freediving some years ago. Now we relocated to Singapore and found Zen Freediving as we wanted to learn freediving properly.
We signed up for the AIDA2* course with Zen and we can definetly recommend this course if you are already comfortable in and under water. Michelle spent half a day explaining the theory of freediving in a very professional and experienced manner. The groups are small and during the pool session Michelle had her eyes on everyone giving feedback and advice. On the second day we went with their own boat to the open water session where we met Chris.
It was also a great experience to have him help us training our skills. Even if it needed more than a few trials, he always found different ways to explain the techniques to us so that we finally succeed.
Now we join the pool trainings frequently and no matter who out of the Zen team is guiding the trainings, it is always fun, challenging and never the same.
What we really would like to point out is that Zen especially takes care that the students understand what they are doing and that they feel confident and comfortable with what they are doing! If you want to learn this sport deeply instead of just getting a certificate then Zen is right for you!"
— Matthias and Christine Bouwman
"Always wanted to learn more about free diving to be able to continue surfing big waves. The team of Zen Freediving was VERY accommodating and able to arrange a last minute course during a busy weekend for them with a big diving event in town. Michelle our coach was awesome and created a 3 hour special program to once again accommodate our needs. It was very good and incredible how we progressed so much in just one session. A lot more to learn and we will sure continue our learning journey. Thanks to Michelle and the whole team !!! STRONGLY RECOMMEND!!!"
— Eduardo Gebrera
“Had the best time learning about free diving and it’s practices with Chris and Michelle, they are wonderful and dedicated instructors, very knowledgable and comfortable to learn from! Exactly what I’ve been looking for in a free diving instructor, if you have any reservations or fear, don’t fret, they understand and are very accommodating! What a pleasure to learn from such wonderful people!”
— Yeong Yao Yi
Want to read about what others think about Zen Freediving? Or are you perhaps already a Zenner yourself and want to tell the world about us?
Visit our Zen Freediving Tripadvisor and Google Reviews pages!