Kate is a passionate adventurer, yogi and competitive Freediver, inspired by deeper experiences of life in the elements. She is a dedicated student and teacher of yoga and Freediving and believes that both are inclusive and universal pathways of connection, aliveness and love. With the intention of creating an environment to share, play, teach and thrive, Kate co-created Freedive Gili, Gili Yoga and The Yoga Garden on Gili Trawangan in 2009.
Over the past 3 years of Freediving competitively, Kate has set 14 National Records for New Zealand and won a Silver medal at the most recent World Championships. She holds the NZ National Records in Constant Weight at 85 meters and Free Immersion at 76 meters and continues to train driven by a playful curiosity and adoration for the ocean.
Kate is also a Level 3 SSI Instructor and a Yoga Teacher Trainer. Kate teaches yoga, meditation and Freediving, competes internationally and runs yoga and freediving retreats throughout the year.
Competition Freediving
Competition for me is about community, courage and authenticity. Initially, I resisted competition because I thought it was all about being defined as better or worse than other Freedivers depending on how I performed. This really went against everything I was working on in my yoga and meditation practices. I was learning that yoga was all about union, seeing oneself as the same as all others (Namaste!) and I was afraid of feeding my already inflated ego.
And that’s just when I realized that I was holding back out of fear. I was afraid of going against my preconceived idea of a spiritual path, but mostly, I was afraid of failing in public, of living up to a fear of being less-than. So I dug down a little deeper and thought, what if I can compete from a place beyond that? What if I can compete from the heart, from a place of compassion and connection?
Wow, wouldn’t that be amazing, to genuinely participate in competition as an experiment of how much fun, focus, clarity and connection I can allow myself to have? What can I achieve if it’s authentically from my heart rather than my fears? So my approach to competition is one of compassion and play, loving myself through the challenges and celebrating the achievements, however small or great. I freedive because I love to dive, not because I want to live up to a title of being a Freediver or a Champion or something “better” than just simple me.
I venture deeper and deeper because it is empowering and sensual and I am a badass mermaid who dreams of whispering with whales.
Also, Competitive Freediving has introduced me to a tribe who will always be in my life and in my heart. We come from all different backgrounds and countries and bond over the beauty of the ocean and the rapture of the deep and so I can genuinely say that I compete for the community and because it feels really good to be hugged by the ocean.
Personal Bests:
Constant Weight (depth with monofin): 85 meters
Free Immersion (depth pulling up and down the line): 80 meters
Constant Weight No Fins (depth without fins, swimming up and down): 50 meters
Static Apnea (stationary breath-hold): 6’30
14 X National Record holder for New Zealand in Constant Weight and Free Immersion
Vice World Champion, Free Immersion, Cyprus, September 2015
Silver and Bronze medalist @ Vertical Blue, Bahamas, 2014 and 2016
