Deep Dive Into the Freedivers Exchange with AnonymousFreediver.com

Meet two passionate freedivers separated by over 15,000 kilometers yet united by their love for the sport. One is a self-taught, self-motivated freediver with a few years of experience, while the other is a freediving coach with decades of experience and a world record to her name.

What valuable lessons have they learned from their journeys of self-discovery and mindset development? How do their training methods complement each other, and where do they differ?

Join us as we explore the transformative power of freediving and discover how it has shaped their lives in extraordinary ways. Meet Michaela Werner - Freediver, and AnonymousFreediver.com

💡Dear Reader—This Freediver Exchange is divided into two parts to help you get to know both freedivers better. You can read the first part here on my page and the second part (blurred out text) on the blog of ➡️ Anonymous Freediver

We hope you get a lot out of it, and feel free to share your own experiences on either blog!

What is your freediving experience, what is your favourite discipline, how often do you train? 

Michaela Werner - Freediver: I’ve spent my entire life in and around the water - more than four decades now, as a competitive swimmer, pool & ocean lifeguard and even scuba diver. I discovered freediving 16 years ago in Australia.

As a mum of three young kids, my training has been mostly pool-based. But recently, I had the chance to spend a full month depth training in Egypt, and I was amazed at how smooth and effortless the deep dives felt - especially in terms of technique and CO2 tolerance.

Training is a huge part of my life, and I never stop because I enjoy it so much! My focus shifts depending on my goals - whether it’s a personal challenge, a competition, or simply maintaining and improving my skills. After years of dedicated training, I’ve realized how much knowledge and experience I’ve accumulated, and now I’m excited to take on more of a coaching and mentoring role, helping others progress in their freediving journey.

My favorite disciplines are DNF and CNF - the two most physically challenging. I love the power, beauty, and simplicity of the stroke. No matter what life throws at me, I train almost every day, whether it’s yoga, static breath holds, walking apnea, rock climbing, pool sessions, or outdoor adventures with my family.

AnonymousFreediver.com: I have been swimming since I was a kid, however freediving was discovered by me a few years ago. I started with a few depth sessions in DeepSpot Poland, and I fell in love with depth. After many years without swimming, I came back to the swimming pool and started training Dynamic No Fins. It was very close to my heart and I dedicated all my efforts to this discipline. For me it is the purest form of freediving.

Swimming without fins gives me an incredible sense of freedom and the best sensations, allowing me to focus on my mind and my body. I’ve also applied this knowledge and experience to Constant No Fins, where I find the same freedom when ascending. I love to experience freefall without fins. 

Both DNF and CNF disciplines are challenging, the workouts are demanding, but the feeling of weightlessness in the water is the greatest reward – nothing limits your glide.

I'm the father of two small kids and I didn’t have much time for myself in recent years.I also didn’t have enough time for freediving.

Six months ago, I decided to say no to stagnation. I failed many times and didn’t fully understand what was wrong. This was really demotivating. This was my turning point. I embarked on a journey of self-discovery to better understand myself, my mind, freediving, and DNF. I started this journey to break through stagnation and lack of progress. I document my experiences, insights, and lessons learned, sharing them with the community in my anonymousfreediver.com journey blog. After six months of consistency, I made significant progress in the way I'm thinking about freediving.

What does freediving mean to you?

AnonymousFreediver.com: When I started freediving two years ago, I didn’t truly understand it. I completed an SSI course that covered all the essential aspects, so I initially focused on the technique, equalization, and improving my depth and distance. 

However, through my journey, I realized that freediving is something entirely different. For me, it became a way to explore both my body and mind. This shift in perspective transformed my lifestyle, leading me to prioritize overall health, flexibility, and relaxation. I train in the gym, pay closer attention to my sleep and recovery, and as a result, my dives have become more relaxed, enjoyable, and fulfilling. 

This is the way of a healthy life, where I accept myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and I work to gradually make my life better. I see that I also started to apply the same attitude to my personal life and work.

Michaela Werner - Freediver: Freediving is both a way of life and my superpower.

As a way of life, freediving influences my daily choices, shaping how I live, think, and interact with the world. My love for the sport makes me a better parent, partner, friend, and, ultimately, a better human. It’s not just about the time spent in the water - it’s about getting to know myself on a deeper level, connecting with others, the bond with nature, the passion, and the motivation to take on challenges.

As my superpower, freediving has always felt natural to me. Holding my breath and continuously improving has never felt like a struggle. I see challenges as opportunities for growth, making me not only a stronger freediver but also a more resilient coach and person.

Can you talk about your experience with self-taught path vs getting coached?

AnonymousFreediver.com: I’ve never had formal coaching for my pool freediving. While I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible athletes on depth-related aspects like equalization, these were ad-hoc sessions rather than ongoing collaborations. 

I chose to train DNF as a self-directed freediver because it allows me to truly get to know myself. This approach lets me explore at my own pace, giving me the time to deeply understand and feel every aspect of DNF. I enjoy analyzing my failures, identifying what went wrong, and applying insights from previous sessions. I also spend a lot of time reading and integrating new knowledge and technology into my training planning.

I highly recommend this method to anyone, as I believe it provides the best way to immerse yourself in freediving and truly understand its essence. I see this also as a good starting point for a collaboration with a coach in the future as I will be more aware of my body and my previous achievements.

Michaela Werner - Freediver: For the first twelve years of my freediving journey, I was essentially self-taught. I trained mostly on my own, with only minimal input from others. Looking back, this approach had its advantages - I developed a deep awareness of my body, learned through trial and error, and built a strong foundation of self-discipline. But there was always a limit to how far I could go without guidance.

Just before COVID, I finally had the time, energy, and motivation to train full-time. By then, I understood myself well enough to realize that if I truly wanted to improve, I needed the expertise of someone far more experienced than me. That’s when I reached out to Martin Zajac, a coach who has worked with World Champions in both depth and pool disciplines. To my surprise, he was willing to offer his guidance - and with his help, I was able to exceed even my own expectations.

A huge part of my progress came from refining my mental approach to long dives. Martin gave me confidence in my own abilities and helped me develop better strategies to improve. His coaching played a direct role in my personal bests across all pool and depth disciplines, and his perspective on freediving completely changed my own.

Since then, I’ve continued to train with him and others for depth, and I’ve discovered the immense value of collaboration and shared experience. There’s something incredibly powerful about learning from those who have already walked the path, whether it’s refining technique, mastering breath-hold strategies, or overcoming mental barriers.

I love helping others through the journey of self-discovery and I encourage freedivers to ‘become their own coach’ during my ➡️ No Fins, No Worries Course.

What were your top 3 lessons learned from the beginning of your freediving journey that you would share with other freedivers?

AnonymousFreediver.com: Lesson #1: The process is more important than the goal

While my AnonymousFreediver journey's announced goal was 150m DNF, the actual number doesn’t really matter. What truly matters is the journey – the continuous growth, improvement, and consistency. The goal is just a reference point; the process is where real progress happens. I spent many weeks before I understood this, and after it was clear to me I started to really enjoy my training. The numbers also were better as a natural consequence of what happened inside of me.

Lesson #2: Perfect buoyancy and relaxation are the foundation

These two factors influence everything else. When you’re fully relaxed and neutrally buoyant, you can refine your kicks, strokes, and glide under ideal conditions. You’re suspended in the water, focused entirely on the present moment, without distractions from past mistakes or future moves. If your buoyancy or relaxation is not perfect you will be distracted and you won’t be able to fully focus on other aspects.

Lesson #3: Embrace submaximal dives and avoid chasing max attempts

Get comfortable with submaxes, repeat them consistently, and try to complete them even when you’re tired, didn’t sleep well, or aren’t feeling your best. Know your submax distance and do it 10 – 50 times. You will succeed many times and this is a great motivator. 

I enjoy submaximal dives because they allow me to fully immerse myself in the experience. I feel great when doing them on full breath, or on full breath with packing. I can do it after I slept well or after I had a bad night. I can do it easily when I’m distracted by external or internal factors. Repetition of this distance helped me to build strong confidence that this is something normal and joyful.

On every submax, after your last turn, assess how you feel – if you feel that the conditions are ok, continue; if not, exit. I find far more satisfaction in surfacing fresh than in pushing too hard and failing. I swim further only occasionally – this is nothing special for me – just another great dive that is a bit longer than usual, not so far from my comfort zone. 

Michaela Werner - Freediver: Lesson #1: Let the water be your teacher

Freediving offers a unique opportunity to fine-tune your senses and observe both your body and mind. Water is an incredible medium - 800 times denser than air - providing constant feedback if you learn to listen.

Wearing a wetsuit and weights all the time can dull this feedback, potentially slowing your progress. So, shed the wetsuit, leave the weights behind, learn how to adjust your buoyancy with nothing but air in your lungs and truly feel the water. It won’t be easy but it’ll be worth it!

Lesson #2: Know your WHY

Why do you train? What drives you to keep going and improving? If your motivation is purely ego-driven, focused on numbers or records, you might push yourself hard for a while, but this kind of goal rarely brings lasting fulfillment. Over time, it becomes unsustainable.

True satisfaction comes from finding joy in the process, the ups and downs, the lessons along the way. In my view, freediving and life are inseparable. When you’re happy and content in life, your training flows naturally, and progress follows.

That’s why, when I coach someone, we don’t just talk about freediving, we talk about life. Because you can’t separate the two.

Lesson #3: What you do on land matters
Just because freediving is a water sport doesn’t mean that all your training should be done in the water. Many freedivers underestimate the fact that their bodies are quite weak and inflexible, and simply enjoying freediving won't significantly improve strength or mobility. To enhance these, you actually need to incorporate gravity and focused work into your training routine.

I’d say that about 75% of all my training is done on land, and I reap the benefits when I'm in the water. I was fortunate to discover yoga just before I began my freediving journey 15 years ago. Some yoga poses can take years to master, and even then, there’s always room for improvement. I apply the same approach to my freediving training.

What would you say to a beginner freediver to inspire him or her with your passion?

Michaela Werner - Freediver: Freediving is not just something you do—it’s a place you go. It’s a journey inward, where time slows down, the noise of the world fades, and you reconnect with something ancient within yourself.

If you think you can’t hold your breath, you’re wrong. Everyone can. The only questions are for how long and how much you enjoy the experience. And here’s a secret—you’ve already done the longest breath-hold of your life.

For the first nine months before you were even born, you floated effortlessly in water, completely at ease. That ability, that connection to water, is still within you.

Freediving is simply a way to rediscover it - consciously, purposefully, and with pure joy. Let me show you how. 

AnonymousFreediver.com:  Stand in the pool with only a nose clip, leaving all other equipment behind. Relax for 2–3 minutes with calm, tidal breathing. 

Then, take a breath, immerse yourself in the water, and push off the wall. Adjust your air to find the perfect buoyancy, allowing yourself to float effortlessly. Stay still for a few seconds. Close your eyes. Relax your legs, your neck – let go of everything. Feel the water against your skin, listen to its gentle sounds. Take a soft pull with your arms and glide forward, letting the movement carry you until you almost come to a stop.  

DNF is a discipline where you truly connect with your mind, free from all distractions. At that moment, nothing else matters. It’s a practice you can fall in love with – pure, meditative, and deeply joyful. 

Great example of freedom offered by No-Fins freediving is presented in Guillaume Néry “One Breath Around The World”.

Who are your role models and why?

AnonymousFreediver.com:  I don’t know many freedivers so I’m not sure who could serve as role models for me. I’m inspired by those athletes who are passionate and consistent in their approach. I see many dedicated freedivers around me, exploring the beauty of this sport with determination and hard work. I love seeing their passion and dedication to freediving. 

One sentence from my swimming instructor has always stuck with me: "Champions are made, not born.". That statement rings so true. After six months of hard work, I can see how my journey has brought me to a better place – one where I better understand myself. Initially, simply training didn’t yield the results I expected. But when I started to truly reflect on the process of building my DNF, the journey became incredibly exciting. Looking back now, I can see just how much I’ve achieved and what I’ve learned.

My attitude, journey and consistency of me in the past can serve as a role model for me in the future. Only I truly understand how much I’ve sacrificed to get where I am today. I believe this is something everyone should consider – whether they are satisfied with their own journey, and if they see themselves as role models. After all, no one else fully knows the effort, struggles, and dedication behind their progress.

Michaela Werner - Freediver: In the world of freediving, I have three major role models - Martin Zajac, William Trubridge and my students.

Martin is not just an incredible coach but also a friend and mentor. He has a rare ability to reach deep inside and bring out the best in me after he’s seen my worst! He knows what I’m capable of and makes me work very hard, but in a way that keeps an internal smile on my soul  - that, to me, is the ultimate way to coach.

William Trubridge has inspired me for many years. Reading his book Oxygen years ago immediately resonated with me - his ideals and approach to freediving felt deeply aligned with my own. I was lucky enough to train with him once, and I look forward to doing it again in the Bahamas one day.

My students inspire me every day. Their dedication and commitment are gifts that give my freediving journey a deeper purpose and meaning.

💡Want to know more? Read another part (blurred out text), that focuses on personal freediving goals, training consistency challenges, helpful resources, and how one’s attitude toward performance has evolved on ➡️ AnonymousFreediver.com Blog

What were your freediving goals in the past and what is your current focus?

What was the biggest challenge that you faced to be consistent with your training?

How has your attitude towards performance evolved overtime?

Final Thoughts 

Michaela Werner - Freediver and AnonymousFreediver.com exemplify two unique yet deeply connected journeys. Despite their differences in experience and approach, both share a profound passion for DNF and the pursuit of self-discovery through the sport.

Michaela’s path has evolved from record-breaking ambitions to a more holistic and sustainable approach, where training is not just about performance but about balance, resilience, and personal growth. Her transition into coaching highlights her commitment to sharing knowledge and guiding others on their freediving journey. AnonymousFreediver.com, on the other hand, embodies the essence of a self-taught, self-exploratory path, emphasizing the importance of consistency, mindset, and embracing the process over specific goals. He also found great benefit of sharing his experiences with others, to show how a heart driven freediving journey could look like.

Looking at these two approaches, one clear theme emerges: freediving is more than just a sport - it’s a way of life. Whether structured through coaching or self-guided discovery, the journey of a freediver is deeply personal, shaped by continuous learning, adaptation, and a connection with both the water and oneself.

There is no singular path to mastery. Freediving is about trust - trust in the process, in one’s abilities, and in the water itself. As freedivers, we are all students of the water, forever learning, evolving, and sharing our experiences with the wider community. Whether through structured training, personal experimentation, or open discussions, the essence of freediving remains unchanged - a journey of discovery, freedom, and pure joy beneath the surface.