Stéphane Tourreau started diving at the age of ten around the waters of Corsica. Over the course of 20 years he has risen to the top of his game as a professional freediving athlete. He has been a member of the French national team since he was 24 and continues to perform at the highest level for his country and as an individual.
What impressed me most about Stéphane is his deep interest in exploring the inner world in relation to freediving. We talk about meditation, mindfulness, visualisation and freediving as a spiritual pursuit.

In this episode we discuss:
Stéphane starts diving as a ten year old child in the seas of Corsica.
The lack of knowledge available to him when he started out and learning from mistakes.
Early experiences diving in lake Geneva and with Guillaume Néry.
Stephane begins pool competition in Geneva in 2007 at age 19 and does his first depth competition in 2009.
Discovering that freediving is a school for learning about the mind, relaxation, and control in the present moment.
Training in Lake Annecy.
Lake training compared to sea training.
Preparation and training for the World Championships in Honduras.
Stéphane’s favourite disciplines are CWT and VWT.
Love for the monofin!
Supporting training for freediving: bodyweight training, stretching, meditation and bioenergetics.
The importance of developing present moment awareness.
The Freediving Universe (click to watch Stéphane’s mini-series on Youtube.)
Mind coach Loïc Gouzerh.
Lessons learned from a big squeeze.
Discussion of possible changes that could be made to competition standards to improve the legitimacy of the sport and make it safer for everyone.
Improving the legitimacy of freediving as a respectable global sport.
The importance of respecting safety divers.
The only limits in freediving are the limitations of the mind.
Love for fluid goggles!
Stéphane’s love for the Blue Hole and it’s power in introspection.
What can be done to improve the health of the oceans.
Freediving as a spiritual discipline and it’s potential in helping with the ocean crisis.
Stéphane’s morning ritual includes writing his philosophy and objectives.
Stéphane’s recommended book is The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz

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