Nusa Penida is a short, 45-minute boat ride from Sanur, and the island is packed with stunning landscapes, making it a popular stopover for anyone visiting Bali.

Before jumping into my freediving training, I wanted to do the tourist thing and visit some of the famous parts of Nusa Penida’s west side. I hired a local driver and hit the road. The roads in Nusa Penida are not easy to navigate. They are small, windy, and packed with people. If you are not confident on a scooter, I don’t recommend you venture out this way on your own.

First up was the iconic Kelingking Beach. You might recognize it from countless Instagram photos and as such, the place is crawling with people. The crowds thin out a little as you start the sketchy hike down to the beach, but because of the nature of the trail, you are surrounded by people the whole way down. This hike is not for the faint of heart. I saw many people doing it in sandals with handbags, making me very aware that one wrong move from any of us would take a train of people down the mountain. I only filmed the beginning of the descent because I was legit worried about safety. My mind was on high alert, paying attention to each and every step of everyone around me.

Luckily, the beach was a fun refuge from the crowd.

The next stop was Broken Beach which included Angel’s Billabong, a natural infinity pool right on the edge of the ocean. When the tide is low, you can take a dip and enjoy the show of the waves crashing against the rocks.

The day ended with a beautiful sunset at Crystal Bay, after which I retreated to my hotel for a solid rest before my first day of freediving.

Freedive Nusa is a busy freediving shop with a reputation for strong training, fun dive trips, and a chill vibe. I’ve been around many shops in my career and this place really impressed me with its clockwork level of organization and the most peaceful environment where you can truly practice the relaxation skills needed for freediving. The beginner course components include dry, land-based skill practice and theory, static and dynamic practice in the pool, and open-water dives, including safety techniques.

I have done a handful of different beginner freediving courses over the years, and have struggled with the skills. If you want to see my last experience with training, check out the video I made about it in Baja California.

I keep coming back to this sport because freediving is incredibly liberating. It allows you to explore the ocean in a peaceful, unencumbered way. I’ve practiced yoga for more than 15 years (and I teach classes in my Patreon community), so I’m drawn to the breathwork and meditation aspect of the sport. Proper training is crucial because it teaches you how to dive safely and understand your body and mind while mitigating potential risks.

Freediving is all about connection. Connection with yourself, with the ocean and its creatures, and with your dive team. The camaraderie in freediving is truly special because it’s not an easy sport. Each diver goes through a journey encountering different blocks along the way and we all hype each other up as we gain experience.

One of the cool things about taking courses here is exploring the shallow dive sites after training dives. During line dive training, you are drifting with buoys and the boat in the blue, deep water. The environment is very much focused on technique, which can be its own mind game because there are no distractions and each dive is on display for your whole team to watch and learn from.

Fun diving on the house reef is all about play. This area is a haven for new coral growth thanks to local conservation efforts and is vibrant with marine life.

Static training is where I am most comfortable. Breathwork has been a part of my yoga practice over the years, and I love the mental dance of finding calm when my body is pleading for a breath. The requirement for the beginner’s course is 1:30, and even if you think that is a long time, most people can easily achieve that with a few techniques taught in the course. The biggest hurdle is in the mind game. As you hold your breath, carbon dioxide increases and provides you with the urge to breathe. The longer you hold your breath, the stronger this urge to breathe becomes. At some point in the breath hold you will feel contractions from your diaphragm and this is where relaxation and mind work really come into play.

One thing to note with this kind of training: always do it with a buddy. If you want to practice breath-holding on your own, do it lying down, on dry land. The biggest danger in freediving is blacking out, so you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you can drown or fall over while on your own.

As you can see in the video, another struggle I have with freediving is the finning technique. My instructors called my issue “scuba legs” where the finning movement begins lower, around the knees and the legs move primarily through the front plane of the body. The goal is to move from the hips and kick the legs evenly through the front and back planes of the body. Another issue that may be unique to me: I tend to automatically go into a frog-kick resting position anytime I stop or slow down. I can’t hide the fact that I am primarily a scuba diver.

Before leaving the island, I knew I had to see my manta ray friends. June is not the season for manta rays in Komodo, so this was my shot. I tried booking the trip with Freedive Nusa to get away from the crowds, but due to last-minute cancelations, had to go with one of the general operators in town and it was… interesting.

I always love diving with manta rays, but these experiences remind me why it’s better to book early, and with responsible dive operators. The waves were big, the crowds were huge, and the skill level of people in the water was lacking. Whenever I am in situations like this, I end up playing the role of a dive guide, helping people in the water, because there’s just too much chaos for the hired guides to manage. Luckily, not many people could dive down, so I was able to steal some moments of peace by staying below the surface with these gorgeous creatures.

See what trips are coming up. I always give my community first dibs on spots, so you can sign up for Patreon (and get trip discounts) or my email list to be the first to know about new expeditions in the future.