My First Freedive to 67m - A Message From Curtis

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share a bit of a personal update – and more importantly, something I hope adds value to your own freediving journey.

It’s never easy for me to step away from Deep Sensations Freediving for an extended period. Running fewer courses, spending less time in the water with our crew – I feel it. ESPECIALLY missing out on humpback whale season! But as many of you know, winter is naturally a quieter time for us, and it’s given me a rare chance to focus on my own development.

While I’ve been overseas, our Instructor, Rory’s been holding it down in Wollongong, keeping things moving and making sure our local community stays connected. I’m incredibly grateful – and I can’t wait to be back in Australia soon to kick off our Ningaloo Retreat.

Over the past few months, I’ve been training at Camotes Freediving in the Philippines – one of the most high-calibre centres in the world – and I recently hit a new milestone: 67m in Free Immersion (FIM).

That depth (unofficially) puts me among the top 10 deepest FIM divers in Australia, which still feels a little surreal. Truth be told, there are probably a few silent legends out there doing big things under the radar, but I’m aiming to step into competition next year and make it official.

While training, I’ve also been working as a safety diver for the CMAS World Cup, keeping athletes safe during national and world record attempts. It’s been eye-opening to be behind the scenes of some of the world’s deepest dives. I’ve also been finalising my Wave 3 Instructor certification, so I can start mentoring the next generation of freediving professionals through Deep Sensations.

But I want to be real with you – this journey hasn’t been easy.

Equalisation has always been a huge challenge for me. There were moments I seriously thought about giving up on depth and just focusing on underwater photography and teaching. I spent nearly two months stuck at the same depth, diving almost daily, feeling frustrated and full of self-doubt.

And I share this because I know many of you have felt the same at some point.

Those tough months forced me to explore every tool, every technique, every mindset shift I could find – and create a few of my own along the way. And that’s the part I’m most excited about: everything I’ve learned is going straight back into helping you.

Whether it’s during our courses, retreats, pool training, or just a post-dive chat, I’m more fired up than ever to support you through your own milestones – because I’ve been there.

Thanks for being part of this incredible community. Big things are coming – and I’m beyond excited to keep growing together.

See you back in the water soon,

Curtis

Founder & Head Instructor

Deep Sensations Freediving