“Once you’ve tasted that feeling of unity with the water, with yourself, freed from the ‘how many’, you are in presence.”
Spoken with calm clarity, these words encapsulate an entire philosophy. Far from the race for numbers, we met David, freediver and AIDA Belgium instructor, to whom the discipline is above all an inner journey — a reconnection to self through the “freediving bubbles” of childhood.

Background & Journey: From Finance to Inner Depths

Who could have guessed that behind this freediver lies a man who’s been working in finance for 27 years? David, based in Tournai, leads this double life with surprising coherence. But his story with water began much earlier. Son of a swimming instructor, he spent his early years by the pool. “From two and a half, three years old: pool,” he recalls. Trained in competition by his father, he amassed swimming titles, becoming Belgian champion 16 times.

Yet in those same pools, a different, more intimate practice emerged. “I did a lot of freediving as a child because it… well, it was unconscious. I didn’t know why I was doing it.” It wasn’t until his thirties, during an introspective seminar, that something clicked. He reconnected with those “freediving bubbles” that stirred something deep. That moment marked the beginning of a new path — one that led to Hawaii, to meeting Lena Sato, and to what he calls “mystical” experiences with dolphins and whales.

Philosophy & Practice: An Introspective Voice in Freediving

David’s approach is clear and intentional: it’s “anti-competition.” “I forbid myself to compete”, he says bluntly. His teaching, he explains, “completely deconstructs performance.” With his swimming background, technical progress comes naturally, but his method follows a different path. After formal training — AIDA 2 in Hawaii, then AIDA 3 — he created his own approach: Apnaya, a name designed to embody a vision of freediving centered on well-being.

A loyal member of AIDA since the beginning, he uses the federation’s academic framework to share his philosophy. At Nemo 33, he offers AIDA 2 courses and “meditative freediving” workshops. For higher levels like AIDA 3, he prefers natural environments: Egypt, Corsica, the Azores. His commitment is to guide the first steps, then “let go.” For AIDA 4, he recommends the school that trained him: Abyss Garden, founded by clinical psychologist Benoît Canell in La Ciotat. This human-centered lineage defines his role. Freediving, for David, is more than a discipline—it’s a life philosophy, a mantra he lives and teaches: “Dive into your shadows to reach your light.” It becomes a powerful metaphor, an invitation to dive within and reconnect with clarity and potential. In this approach, performance is never the goal, but a possible outcome of deeper alignment.

What Freediving Brings: A Path to Presence

What does freediving bring him? His answer is crystal clear: it’s part of “blue health.” For him, it’s above all “a path of self-discovery, a path of introspection. A path to presence.” He emphasizes the feeling of unity with the aquatic element, once freed from the pressure of results and the question of “how many?”.

He sees a major virtue in freediving: its accessibility. It offers “everyone access to a form of self-confidence through rapid progression.” But this progress inevitably leads to self-confrontation. “50 meters, okay, 60, fine, 70… and that’s where you have to ask: what nourishes me? What am I seeking?”

A Defining Anecdote: When Philosophy Disrupts

This singular vision isn’t always understood. David recounts, with a touch of amusement, being met with incomprehension. He recalls being excluded from certain purist groups. The reason? His approach was perceived as too commercial.

This experience left a mark. “It really affected me,” he confides. Far from discouraging him, it strengthened his stance, encouraging him to fully embrace this different path — respectful of all practices, but firmly rooted in inner exploration.

Dreams & Projects: Opening Space, His Way

His dream is simple: “to share, to open.” He senses that freediving is experiencing “a major rise,” comparable to the yoga boom of the 2000’s. His ambition is to offer a teaching space aligned with his philosophy, while remaining a key player in the development of freediving in Belgium — bringing in new members trained with AIDA’s rigor.

Asked about his ideal vision, he poses a sensitive question: “Should we really compete in freediving?” He worries about the image the discipline can sometimes project, with “tables that aren’t very friendly.” In his view, “freediving doesn’t need that,” as competition represents only a tiny fraction of practitioners. What matters is that “everyone finds meaning in it — a meaning that’s personal, deep, and unique.”

Quick Portrait

• His mantra or favorite quote: “Dive into your shadows to reach your light.”
• A person who inspires him in freediving: Julie Gautier
• Favorite dive spot: Egypt and Hawaii
• A song he listens to before diving: One Breath Around The World by Guillaume Ferran (used in Guillaume Néry’s video)
• One word to define his relationship with water: Aquacity

Links

David’s school: https://www.apnaya.be
Partner AIDA school – Abyss Garden: https://www.abyss-garden.com
David’s latest ebook: https://www.apnaya.be/e-book