Mindfulness under water

For a freediver, the serene aquatic world is the epitome of freedom,” Ezz Eddin told the Egyptian Mail.

Ezz Eldin was named in the BBC list of the world’s 100 most influential women in 2018 for setting the Egyptian freediving record with a 45-metre dive in 90 seconds and staying underwater without oxygen for five minutes.

She studied pure mathematics in the UK. After she came back in 2016, she learned to scuba dive, but eventually she grew tired of the heavy equipment, the preparations for the dive and the restrictions. She wanted the freedom to play with the fish and the dolphins. She learned and practiced freediving where she found her real enjoyment and passion.

“There is a difference between scuba diving and freediving. Scuba diving has a lot of equipment you must know about before you can enjoy it. You must follow a rigorous schedule to go up and down, and due to the heavy tank, you feel restricted in how fast you can move up and down and where you can go.

“Freediving, on the other hand, is diving with complete freedom. A properly trained freediver can go up and down as quickly as s/he likes since there are no restrictions. In freediving, all you really need is a mask, fins and a single breath for you to go anytime, anywhere underwater,” Ezz Eddin said.

Due to our busy lives and sometimes hectic schedules, meditating is considered a luxury for many of us. It’s not always easy to find a quiet place where we are not bothered by interruptions. This is why free diving gives you an advantage. The best way to calm down, develop inner peace and reduce stress is meditation under water. There is nothing better than diving under water where all you hear is bubbles and waves breaking on the surface.

Ezz Eddin’s passion for freediving has blossomed into her co-founding Blue Odysea through which she, together with another professional Egyptian diver, introduced diving training sessions in Egypt’s dive centres in Dahab on the South Sinai coast.

“Blue Odysea offers people underwater meditation experience that takes them away from the hustle and bustle of life above the waves and into a world of peace, bubbles, and tranquility. It helps more people reconnect with the water, whether through deep diving, underwater dancing or playing simple water games,” Ezz Eddin said.

She noted that the sport requires no age, shape, or athletic background – only a desire to explore your physical and mental potential.

What a beautiful experience freediving can be, but holding one’s breath for so long may seem impossible to those who haven’t tried the sport. Ezz Eddin assures us, however, that learning to freedive is wonderfully easy and even relaxing.

She said: “Like yoga, freediving focuses on relaxation, breath, and body awareness. Beginners start off learning to relax while floating through slow and steady breathing. As they gain confidence under water, they can hold their breath for longer and the depth to which they go is gradually increased. After two sessions, most beginners are often surprised to find that they can dive up to 10 metres and hold their breath for two minutes.”

“When you fall in love in the sport, you will not only progress in terms of time and depth, but also in the sense of enjoyment and inner serenity within your reach,” she added.

According to Ezz Eddin, Egypt has some of the world’s most spectacular dive sites, but only few Egyptians know about freediving. Fewer still actually practise the sport. Dahab is the world’s premier freediving destination, attracting the best freedivers from across the globe.