Jani Valdivia is from Peru and is based in Tampa, Florida where he works as a neurosurgeon.

He is also a member of the AIDA Science and Medical Committee and a competitive freediver himself.

Juani also appeared on episodes #99 and #135.

In this episode we discuss:

Catching up with Juani.
Juani was on Long Island, Bahamas at the time of the interview, preparing for Vertical Blue, 2025.
Remote assessment of an injured freediver.
An example scenario of a remote assessment, using lung squeeze.
The Slow Controlled Forced Exhale technique.
Assessment for DCI related or DCI-like symptoms.
MFSCO2 (Mask - motor memory, Fins - fine motor skills, Snorkel - Speech, C - coordination/balance, O - orientation, 2 - vision, eye sight and eyes)
Juani already did a real-world assessment on Donny.
What is Telemedicine?
A question from Patreon member Jorg about telemedicine.
Shout out to Johnny Sunnex.A question from Patreon member Andrew Ferris about what Juani wishes every new freediver knew about their body from the start.
On tracking variables such as resting heart rate and heart rate variability, blood pressure, body weight, etc.
A question from Patreon member Christian Stein, about how freediving interacts with the nervous system.
On over-training and sleep deprivation.
Study suggesting ROS (reactive oxygen species) peak, increase after 3 days of diving.
Defining what is DCI (Decompression Illness).
The importance of being prepared for DCI-like issues.
What is PFO and what does it mean for the freediver?
An incident Donny experienced after a dive.
What is supraventricular tachycardia and can valsalva manoeuvre fix it?
Better post-black out care for freedivers.
A question from Patreon member Adrian about research on freediving’s effects on brain health and cognitive function.
A question from Patreon member Tony Scafidi about fast dive times making a squeeze more likely.
Jauni’s non-profit organisation for freediving research and awareness (UNU Freediving Foundation).

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Marco Puliafito is from Sicily, Italy. He left an 18 year career at Pfizer pharmaceutical company to open Italy's first dedicated freediving training centre, Blue World Freediving.

In this episode we discuss:

Shout out to our interpreter Tony Scafidi
It was Donny’s first time in Sicily and first time in Italy.
Marco is from Catania, Sicily.
He started freediving as a child, following in the footsteps of his father who was a strong spearfisherman.
Spearfishing is a huge part of the culture in Sicily.
Marco became a freediving instructor in 2012.
Before that he worked for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company for around 18 years.
Blue World Freediving’s first location is at Santa Tecla Palace Hotel.
Blue World Freediving has a second location at Santa Maria La Scala.
Diving from the shore vs diving from the shore.
The boat is set up with sonar, counter ballast, etc.
Sicily’s water conditions, thermocline, visibility, etc.
What facilities and courses do Blue World Freediving offer?
Shout out to Nutso!
Blue World offer Molchanovs, AIDA, SSI and Apnea Academy courses.
They have seven freediving instructors on the team.
What is the future of Blue World Freediving? Competitions?
What are the main attractions of the island of Sicily?
Marco has never seen Le Grand Bleu!
DESERT ISLAND QUESTIONS - Patreon exclusive content.
Why does Marco freedive?

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Jeroen is from Belgium. He is a passionate health-care provider working as an intensive care unit nurse, with a love for technical innovation, teaching and diving, and a former business owner in composites resins 3D-shaping for the nautical and entertainment industry.

Jeroen is perhaps best known to us in the freediving community in his role as freediving medic in some of the biggest freediving competitions in the world. 
Today’s discussion is a wide-ranging and thorough exploration of freediving medical safety. 

In this episode we discuss:

Jeroen is a freediver, intensive care unit nurse and freediving medic.
He also organises safety in a water stage movie studio in Brussels, working with some famous actors.
Prospecting the dive location.
Dealing with therapeutic use exemptions of drugs that could be detected on a doping test.
Rescue protocols for certain incidents.
The use of the pulse oximeter to detect problems in the diver. 
Following up with athletes and incident reporting.
Doing scientific research, gathering information during competition periods.
Specific rescue protocols for black outs and squeezes / barotraumas, etc.
Most divers do not respond to the ‘Blow Tap Talk’ protocol after an underwater black out.
Training the other members of the freediving safety team.
The authority to stop the competition.
What is DCI (Decompression Illness)
Decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism (AGE). What is the difference?
How are these conditions treated?
The hot topic of in-water recompression as treatment.
There are no guaranteed safe decompression tables.
The use of breathing oxygen in-water after deep dives as a preventative measure to prevent DCI and as general recovery.
Shout out to the Patreon supporters and thanks for contributing your questions.
An example of the individual nature of symptoms DCI cases.
Some examples of difficult decisions being made: Hanako Hirose, Petar Klovar
What is oedema?
The responsibilities of the freediving governing bodies to do better for the safety of the athletes.
What is a PFO (patent foramen ovale)?
Questions from Patreon supporters Tom, and Racso and Sean.
Should you ever dive alone?
Why does he freedive?

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Tea Košnjek is a kinesiologist and a strength & conditioning coach working with Olympic-level swimmers and freedivers around the world.

From pool to depth disciplines, she helps athletes optimise their performance by focusing on strength, movement efficiency, and mastering technique.

Between 2018 and 2024, she was the technique and S&C coach for freediver Alenka Artnik, a multiple world champion and world record holder. 

Tea continues to support a wide range of freedivers globally—both pool and depth—in unlocking their full potential through strength and technique training.

In this episode we discuss:

Tea is from Slovenia, and has a background in competitive swimming.
She studied kinesiology and started coaching strength and conditioning.
Tea was inspired to look further into freediving when she saw the dives on Diveye.
Tea collaborated with Alenka Artnik (episodes #57 and #154) for many years.
What does ‘training’ mean, actually?
What are the most unique aspects of training for freediving, compared to other sports?
What is periodisation and how to do it.
What can we do during the base training phase?
How gender differences influence training decisions.
About how periods affect hormones and therefore training.
Showing up for training, perceived exertion, mental condition and how it affects motivation.
Deloading before the competition or event.
Specific attention to each freediving discipline:

(See the video version of the podcast on the True Depth Freediving YouTube channel for videos of exercises)

FIM (Free Immersion)
CWTB (Bifins)
CWT (Monofin)
CNF (No Fins)

Comparing the depth disciplines to the pool versions.
Tracking training and progress and what to track.
How to recover from training.
Supplementation (protein, creatine, omega 3, vitamin D)
Sauna, cold plunges, foam rollers, etc.
Advice for coaches on how to motivate and encourage our athletes/coachees.
Tea’s services and Instagram.
DESERT ISLAND QUESTIONS - Patreon Exclusive Section
Why does she freedive?

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Huang Hua Yang is a former farmer and the deepest freediving athlete from the beautiful country of Taiwan. One of the deepest men in the world, he shares his freediving story and philosophy with us.

In this episode we discuss:

Huayang  joined us from Panglao, Philippines at the time of recording, where he was training for the Asian Freediving Cup.
Comparing conditions in Panglao and Taiwan.
Donny lived in Taiwan for ten years and started a freediving school there.
Huayang was a farmer from the countryside close to Taoyuan, before he came to freediving in 2011.
Talking of the beauty of Taiwan’s Orchid Island.
Shout out to Wayne and Yen at Weirdos Freediving and Wu How at Deep Soul.
Huayang took his first freediving course in 2015, possibly one of the first PADI freediving courses.
Huayang did his instructor course with JP Francois at Freediving Planet in Moalboal, Philippines.
A question from Patreon supporter Tom Way about the freediving scene in Taiwan.
Taiwanese diver Haixiang beats Alexey in DNF in competition.
About the future of freediving competitions and their taking place in Asia.
Huayang’s journey to depth and competitions.
Shout out to Huayang’s coach Theo-Patrick Fourcade.
What are the fundamentals of training for freediving for Huayang? How has it changed over time?
Does he see any major differences in the training philosophies of Western and Asian freedivers?
Comparing different training approaches of different coaches.
Different athletes need different approaches.
What does it take to dive deeper than 100m?
Huayang’s experience with lung squeeze and how to avoid it?
His experiences with narcosis, how does it feel?
The benefits of RV diving for training compressibility.
How a week of training looks like for him at the moment.
On teaching equalisation to speakers of different languages.
DESERT ISLAND QUESTIONS - PATREON EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Why does he freedive?

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

David Mellor is an English freediver who started freediving at 49 years old and achieved the incredible goal of freediving to 100 metres, in competition, at the age of 60 years old.

In this episode we discuss:

David and Donny sat down at The Little Blue in Dahab, home of True Depth Freediving, for this interview.
David became a grandfather!
David moved to Poole in England when he was 12 years old.
He was a tool maker by trade and eventually opened his own factory.
After three kids and a divorce David wasn’t in the best of shape.
David was 49 years old when he did his first freediving course.
Shout out to Emma Farrell (Episodes #32 and #50) and Vobster Quay.
He did his first competition when he was 55 years old.
At the age of 55 David sold his business and moved into freediving full-time.
He dived 100m (FIM) for the first at the age of 59 and did 100m in competition at the age of 60.
Shout out to Harry Chamas (Episodes #49 and #73).
Shout out o Gus Kreivenas (Episodes #30, #31 and #105).
Shout out to Alice Modolo (Episode #117).
Shout out to Federico Mana (Episode #84).
David didn’t have and LMC or Blackout until he was diving 100m!
Shout out to Tom Peled (Episode #120).
What was blocking David’s equalisation at 85m?
How important is strength training for David?
Two exercises to improve your hypoxic tolerance (hypoxic runs and static).
Experiences with squeezing.
An over expansion injury.
Does he do flexibility/compressibility training?
Discussing David’s experience with DCI in Dominica?
Shout out to Jonathan Sunnex (Episodes #68 and Lost Episode #2).
What is David thinking when he’s coming up from a dive?
David’s mum is a total beast!
How important is nutrition to David?
Does he take any supplements?
DESERT ISLAND QUESTIONS - Patreon Exclusive Section!
David’s retreats with Echo Echo Projects with Lydia Gard and Martin Petrus, and teaching in the UK and other places.
Why does he freedive?

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Marco Nones is one of the most influential persons in the development of freediving on Egypt's Red Sea and a coach to some of the best freedivers in the world.

In this episode we discuss:

We met for this interview at Only One Apnea Centre located in Reef Oasis Blue Bay Resort in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Marco first came to Sharm in early 2000 as a scuba diving instructor.
The AIDA World Championship was organised by Marco in 2007 and 2008.
Marco is from Genoa, Italy.
He started in the scuba business but had to choose freediving in the end.
About Marco’s contribution to the PSS education materials.
Marco has been working closely with athletes in, and moving to, the elite level.
How Marco trains his athletes.
What positive and negative developments in competitive freediving has Marco seen over the years?
Where should the aspiring deep freediver put their attention?
Training all the rings in the system. What are the rings?
The confusion of performance and training.
Discussing the mouthfill factor, or ‘Delta’ and how to train mouthfill systematically.
Marco’s thoughts on using pure O2 to aid recovery or avoid DCS after deep dives.
On the topic of doping in freediving.
DESERT ISLAND QUESTIONS - Patreon Exclusive Content
What is the future of Only One Apnea? 
Why does Marco freedive?

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Enchante Gallardo is a Hawaii born freediving athlete who has recently surpassed the 100m depth.

In this episode we discuss:

Enchanted was born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii.
She went to school in California and lived for many years in Puerto Rico.
She did her first course with FII in Hawaii and immediately fell in love.
She spent a lot of time around the water as a kid in Hawaii.
About surfing and growing up surfing, and wild ocean conditions.
Questions from Patreon supporter Philip.
About training freediving in Hawaii, the set up and ocean life there.
Congratulations on strong performances in both the AIDA and CMAS World Championships in 2024.
A black out at the beginning of Vertical Blue last year and how Enchante recovered.
How Enchante balances being a mom with two young boys and training for elite level freediving.
How did she prepare for and periodise training leading up to the big competitions.
Shout out to Enchante’s coach Tom Peled.
Base training, running, strength training and flexibility strategies.
Her experience with squeezing.
DESERT ISLAND QUESTIONS - Patreon Exclusive Content
Plans for 2025?
Why does she freedive?

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Heike Schwerdtner is a trainer of nurses from Germany and also the first woman to beat Natalia Molchanova's static apnea world record. A record that has stood for eleven years.

In this episode we discuss:

Heike recently broke the 11 year old STA record held by Natalia Molchanova.
Shout out to her coach Rami Bladlav who appeared on episode #133
Heike lives in Bavaria in Germany.
Heike started swimming at 3 years and began training springboard diving from 7 to 12 years old, then was a professional swimmer until 18 years old.
Heike started her apnea journey at 40 years old.
Did apnea help release trauma?
Did her childhood in the water contribute to her abilities?
Rami Bladlav appeared on episode #133 of the podcast.
She doesn’t do much CO2 training.
Big shout out to Heike’s partner Klaus for his help in training.
Does Heike use hyperventilation in her statics and how much?
Heike’s nutrition strategy and how much does she fast?
Why does she choose a predominantly plant-based diet?
What kind of supplementation does she use?
Heike is a nurse trainer.
Shout out to the Patreon supporters!
A question from patron Tom about measuring blood glucose and its relation to hypoxia.
A question from a patron Adrien about memory loss from long statics.
A question from patron Marc about the day of the world record.
Mental strategy for long statics.
How dynamic training enhances static performance.
Does Heike have her sights on the depths?
What complementary apnea does she do?
DESERT ISLAND QUESTIONS  - Patreon exclusive section!
Another massive shout out to her partner Klaus! And to buddy Katerin!

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe

Lotta Ericson is co-founder, owner and manager of Freedive Dahab, the longest established freediving centre in Dahab, Egypt. She has a deep history in freediving as a competitive athlete and developer of the freediving education systems.

In this episode we discuss:

We are in Home Sweet Home, Dahab for this one!
Lotta is from Sweden and was a social worker before moving to Egypt.
Lotta’s early days in Dahab, starting in 1998.
Shout out to Tom Sietas, Episode #52 of the podcast.
How Dahab has changed over the last 25 years.
Disappearance of the Israelis.
The old trip to The Blue Hole, state of the road etc
Abandoned resorts, building projects along the coast.
The trash situation in Dahab, out of control? Or better than ever?
The state of Dahab’s waters, reefs and fish populations.
Did Jacques Cousteau blow up The Blue Hole?
The development of freediving in Dahab and The Blue Hole.
The birth of freediving competitions in The Blue Hole.
What happened to the decompression chamber in Dahab?
How freediving competitions have changed over the years.
How Freedive Dahab came to be and it’s many locations.
Desert Island Questions - Patreon Exclusive Section
Does Lotta still like Dahab?
Why does she freedive?

Donny is hosting the first ever Living Freediving Retreat in Dahab, Egypt from October 5 - 11.

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com

For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com

To support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/freedivecafe