Heart-Felt vs. Ego-Driven Goals: What Does a Successful Dive Feel Like to You?

In freediving, and in life, it’s easy to fall into the trap of chasing numbers—time, distance, depth. These goals are clear, measurable, and sometimes necessary, especially when we’re working toward a competition or personal milestone. But if we become too attached to them, we risk losing something far more valuable: The experience of a truly beautiful dive.

What does a successful dive FEEL like to you?

Not what it looks like on paper. Not what others expect. But what it genuinely feels like in your body, your heart, your mind.

Are you chasing a record, distance, or depth, no matter what? Or are you choosing goals that align with your value, goals that honour your body, and your journey. This is different from giving up.

To me, a truly fulfilling dive is built on:

• Thoughtful preparation – Not just knowing your limits and your plan, but knowing how you want the dive to feel.

• A clear mental strategy – Not just hoping to feel calm, but actively cultivating it through tools you’ve practiced.

• Smart decisions in the moment – The freedom to adapt and listen to your body, rather than push blindly forward.

• Effortless, refined technique – Movement that’s smooth, efficient, and alive with presence.

• A clean, confident recovery – Surfacing with clarity and control.

• Joy, softness, and acceptance throughout – Realising that it’s a privilege to dive, to explore, to expand your comfort zone. Even the moments of discomfort are part of the experience. Instead of resisting them, welcome them.

Heart-Felt Goals Feel Different

They’re not driven by comparison, or the need to prove anything to anyone. They started with a clean intention to growth. Individual growth. 

They come from within—your own desire to grow, to see the best version of you, to connect deeply with yourself and the water.

And yes, even in competition, it’s possible to dive from the heart but you have to be ready for it - mentally and physically. If your body is stiff and your dives feel like a lot of work, you will not experience the beautiful feeling of flow. This is when the coach comes in.

The Most Beautiful Competition Dive

In a recent pool competition I set out to do the most perfect, most enjoyable 100m DNF—and allow myself to turn at 100m only if I managed to do:

Two strokes per 25m.
Clean technique. Long glide.
A calm, focused mind.

I surfaced at 133m, smiling from ear to ear. Could I have gone further? Yes. And I will next time, when I'm better prepared for it, and not in the middle of my period!

So Ask Yourself - What's the most important thing for me in this dive? In this training session? In this performance?

When you’re clear on that, your training becomes more purposeful. Your dives become more fulfilling. And the numbers? They often take care of themselves.

If you’ve experienced a dive like that—beautiful, smooth, effortless, unforgettable—I’d love to hear about it.

And if you haven’t (yet), maybe I can help.

Let’s connect.