Alchemy Podcast

Welcome back to the Alchemy Podcast, the only freediving podcast out there where we dig (and dive) deep into questions and topics most don’t want to discuss. I am your host Luca Malaguti, a proud Alchemy ambassador, professional athlete and record holder. Tday we have the opportunity to sit down with none other than Jani Valdivia, whom I consider a “gem” to the freediving world. 

Jani is a medical doctor, neurosurgeon, deep freediver, and Peruvian record holder…and I’ll stop there since his CV and accomplishments continue for pages. Jani advises the medical community on freediving, he sits on the board of important organizations like DAN.org for critical research in our sport. Without him, competitions and organizations like AIDA and CMAS would not know how to apply the latest safety and medical standards in world championships. 

He is the one bridging the freediving community and medical community on the spirit, safety and health of our sport. Providing insights and knowledge in order to break down stereotypes such as the incorrectly perceived dangers of freediving. 

Please sit back and enjoy this episode. 

We are delighted to present our special guest today, Gary McGrath. Gary is a renowned deep freediver, holding the British National Record and serving as an instructor in this exhilarating sport. In his favorite discipline, monofin (CWT), Gary achieved an astounding record of -112 meters on a single breath. This remarkable feat was accomplished during the summer of 2022 at the prestigious Vertical Blue freediving competition in the Bahamas, often referred to as the Wimbledon of freediving.

In this episode, we delve into profound topics.  We engage in an open conversation about mental health issues and depression, subjects rarely discussed among athletes who consistently perform at their peak. Gary's philosophy on deep freediving, characterized by a strong emphasis on safety, has developed over 15 years and is viewed as a lifelong journey. His gradual approach included a leisurely descent to -100 meters to celebrate his 40th birthday last year, preparing his mind for the eventual national record. Now, he stands poised for even greater achievements.

Additionally, we provide valuable training insights, including Gary's preferred supplements to maintain peak physical condition during intense training and effective warm-up techniques you can incorporate into your routine.

It is our honor to introduce you to Gary, a person we deeply respect, a cherished friend, and a guiding mentor. Gary possesses one of the most resilient mental fortitudes in the world of freediving.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Stefan Randig, a renowned German freediver who has lived in various parts of the world, including Egypt and the Philippines. Stefan previously owned the well-known school "Freedive Panglao" in the Philippines, but sold it before the COVID-19 pandemic and relocated to Dahab, Egypt with his family to focus on teaching, training, and spending time with his loved ones.

As an accomplished athlete with multiple German records and an instructor trainer, Stefan recently participated in the Vertical Blue competition and is now training hard to achieve his goal of an 80-meter no fins dive. During our conversation with him in Dahab, we delved into the challenges of balancing family life with the rigorous demands of being a competitive diver and elite athlete. We discussed the necessary level of self-centeredness required for success in athletics and the accompanying feelings of guilt. Stefan's experience can serve as a source of inspiration for any freedivers who are passionate about the sport but also want to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Tune in to the Alchemy Podcast to hear more from Stefan Randig.

Welcome to the Alchemy Podcast. We have a very special guest with us today, Mr. Tim Emmett. Tim is a professional ice climber, rock climber, former pro base jumper, author, speaker, and father. He is also a pretty bad-ass freediver himself, we've dove together in freezing waters, beneath icebergs in Iceland and Greenland. Tim has an incredible life story to tell, traveling the world for climbing, from deep water soloing in Vietnam, to climbing remote boulders in Mongolia and ice climbing the hardest route ever seen by humans. 

What can we learn from Tim for us in the freediving world? Well, Tim happens to be an elite athlete, a performer at the top of his game. The kind of mind we need to develop when climbing Everest or being hundreds of meters on a rock wall, is very similar to the kind of competitive mind freedivers need to focus. In this podcast, we'll chat about almost dying in base jumping accidents, breathing techniques when ice climbing, a flow state of mind, peak performance concentration, and many more topics in the "extreme sports" world. 

Tim and I have been friends and adventures for a few years now, and we are fascinated by the connection between freediving and climbing, the mountains and the sea. Tune in, and find out more. 

In this episode of Alchemy Podcast, we chat with Enchante Gallardo about balancing the freediving life of a professional athlete, being a mother, and relationships. We’ll talk about how sometimes in certain aspects of our lives we have to be “selfish” - selfish with our training, selfish with the core group of people in our lives amongst a very friendly community of freedivers, and selfish with our emotions and energy. 

Freediving is an immensely emotional and psychological endeavor, so how does this affect other aspects of your life? How can you find the energy to balance multiple things such as family, friends, work, training, and competitions? One of the pillars of ancient Greek Stoic philosophy was to acknowledge that, “you have to direct your actions accordingly: your energy in this world is finite”. This includes our mental and emotional energy, and freediving is a sport that drains from that reservoir. 

So, today we will hear about Enchante’s experience being a national and (now) continental record holder, one of the deepest women in the world, a wonderful mother, friend, community member, and adventurous traveler. How does she do it all? How does she balance this incredible life? 

Welcome to yet another episode of the Alchemy Podcast. My name is Luca Malaguti and I will be your host for today. We’re very lucky to have a special guest today, a crazy man, a genius, and my good friend Gus Kreivenas. 

Gus is a deep freediver, accomplishing over 100 meters on one breath at the Vertical Blue competition in 2018, a well-respected coach in our community and runs his school Touch Down Space in Dahab, Egypt. 

He has an immense amount of knowledge when it comes to training and performance, however, he is also very much fascinated by the emotional, mental, and psychological aspects of performance athletics, specifically freediving. 

Today, we will discuss a topic most don’t talk about, “Sex, Self Love & Freediving”. This touches on subjects that many might consider " sensitive " based on cultural background, religion, and nationality. Regardless, they are very important in the world of an athlete’s mind and although our intention is not to offend, it kind of is. So, be advised dear listener, there might be some questionable language and topics in this interview, but please know it is a REAL conversation, it comes from the heart and soul and is meant to break down the common barriers we have placed upon ourselves. 

In this episode, we sit down and chat with French freediver and record-holder Thibault Guignes. Thibault is a highly experienced competitive diver, instructor trainer, and business owner. Having dove up to -120 meters on one breath, and known for his impressive hangs at depth, he is one of the most experienced freedivers in the world. I have personally seen him do hangs up to 45 seconds at -90 meters to prepare both mind and body for going even deeper. He is known for doing even more impressive feats, all the while being one of the most safety-focused divers I’ve met. As an instructor trainer, he ran the famous Freedive HQ in Cebu, Philippines, and is now opening his new school, Camotes Freediving,  just a short ferry ride from Cebu City. 

I had the pleasure of being stuck on Siquijor Island, Philippines with Thibault for four months during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We ran a training camp there at Siqujior Freedivers, and subsequently got stuck on the island. With no lockdown or quarantine, we dove every day in what will always be one of the most memorable experiences in my freediving career. 

In this episode, I sit down and talk to Thibault about some tough things. With his experience and years in the game, he’s seen quite a few things: major accidents he suffered himself and seen friends suffer and overcome great difficulties. These are things we don’t always see on social media’s glass façade, but there are dark truths behind any performance-based sport at the elite level. Shit happens. How we deal with it, overcome it, and be strengthened by it are the lessons worth knowing and sharing. It’s my pleasure to sit down with my friend and coach Thibault, grab a beer, and chat about some real issues that the freediving community can benefit from listening to. 

In this episode, we sat down with Carlos Diezel in Dahab, Egypt. Yep, pretty awesome name, suits the guy well. A former Brazilian engineer, Carlos turned his life 180 degrees to pursue his dream and take his family with him. Becoming a professional freediver, instructor, and business owner at the famous Dahab Freedivers school, Carlos is an awesome inspiration to many of us looking to dedicate our lives to this sport. We discussed the harsh realities of changing a life, the difficulties of being a family man, and the beauties of pursuing what you love. 

Welcome to the Alchemy Podcast. Please be aware that this is not your regular freediving podcast. My name is Luca Malaguti, and I will be your host. I’ll travel the world to meet the top freediving athletes, coaches, trainers, and generally awesome human beings to pick their brains. We’ll sit down one-on-one, grab a beer or two, and dive into topics related to freediving, most people don’t want to discuss. We’ll chat about ego and freediving, sex, relationships, and self-love in the life of this sport and pain, suffering, and loss. We’ll be aiming for topics in conversations most people look to avoid, some are disturbing, yes, and some may disturb you. Freediving is a deeply mental and emotional sport, and so having the most experienced people opening up is incredibly valuable to all. 

I’d like to start by first thanking all the people that dedicated their time to joining this podcast. Sitting down with us, opening up on conversations, and just being real about things. 

In this first episode, we’ll sit down with Harry Chammas, a well-known freediver, UK national record holder, and much-respect coach based out of Dahab, Egypt. Harry runs his school Freedive Passion from there, where he specializes in teaching students the skills you need for real deep freediving. Make sure to give him a shout if you’re in Dahab. 

For the first episode, Harry and I will chat about what is this love, passion, and addiction for narcosis, the feelings of being really deep, and question "Why The F*** Go Deep"? We’ll also chat about psychedelics, out-of-body experiences, and how these are thought to be - by some - beneficially used in performance sports like freediving. 

Stay tuned and thanks for joining us.