Apneista Freediving And Yoga School

Amazing experience, New way to explore mind-body connection. I deepened my experience and skill everytime I went in the water. This course transformed the way I think about open water, gave me the confidence and ability to really enjoy diving. I’m very grateful to my teachers for their support and knowledge. Loved every minute of it!

As a scuba diver since 96′ I’ve logged well over 7000 hours underwater, though the feeling I had free diving with Apneista will always be one of my most memorable underwater experiences. One of my favourite films is Luc Bessons The Big Blue and while free diving with Matthew Smyth I really got the Big Blue Feeling. Yes the one where Jaques Mayol is on the bottom of the descent line looking around with a look of shear joy and ecstasy on his face. I highly recommend Apneista to anyone who is interested in the ocean, yoga or meditation as the 3 are all interlinked and come together so well with the Apneista free diving course. I’ve been back numerous times since. Thanks for the Big Blue Feeling!

Fantastic course, great training helped me achieve more than I had hoped to and has given me lots to go away with. Great venue & great people as well will definitely be back for more freedive training as I feel I have lots more to get out of this. Absolutely stoked with what I achieved Thank you.

Since I was a little child, I was not able to put my face under water. I even could not swim in a lake because of being afraid of the depth. I remember myself sitting on the shore and not being able to put the mask on my face. I was terrified of even the thought of going out in the water and that was the first day. On the third day I found myself in 17m depth holding on to the rope and … surprise: I loved it!!! I would not call myself a “freediver” but I am able to do snorkelling on my own and even doing duck dives to go further down to explore the world down there holding my breath with a smile on my face. This course has been life changing for me and it opened up a whole new world!

The feeling when immersed under so much blue leaves you speechless. The beat of your heart slowing down, bringing in the relaxed feeling. The secluded aquatic environment seeming infinitely mysterious, providing space for inward and outward observation. Being at the bottom, and looking up to see the rays of light trying to break through the water. Becoming as fluid as the surrounding itself and realizing that the creatures living there are not even aware of your presence. Letting yourself having full control over your body and being amazed of what your body can do. That, is what happens to me during freediving. That probably explains why I love it so much. And I can’t thank you enough for giving me the experience.

I’m really satisfied with the course. It was easy to follow and was explained in a way that was clear and easy to understand. Not only did we learn what to do and not to do in a free-diving situation, but we also learned the purpose and reasoning that underlies the different rules. That’s one of the reasons the lessons were easy to remember. Free diving looks little bit scary at first, but it’s addictive! It was an unforgettable experience. Thanks Matt!.

So where to begin? I came to Amed, where Matthew and apneista family is teaching freediving. I did’t know anything about it. And always been afraid of water and the thought of even swimming with head over the surface gave me a heart attack especially in the blue water! For Mathew to teach me free diving was quite hard since I was so scared. But he always saw me as an individual and gave me the teaching I needed. From not even being able to be on my own snorkelling where I can’t see what is beneath me. I can now duck dive in to the blue water on my own. I even went out night diving in complete darkness cause I felt so secure with my instructor. Before we went out for the night dive I felt like throwing up and crying, that’s how scared I was. And one hour later I was duck diving on my own with no light in deep black water, and at the same time I enjoyed it! So he has not just taught me how to free dive, but also how to overcome my big fear of water!

Awesome weekend freediving with you! Cheers for the instruction, guidance and support! Totally recommended to anyone who has even the slightest interest in the ocean, freediving or living life in general!

What a team! Thank you for introducing us to the joy of freediving.the sea will never be the same again!

Just spent an amazing few days with these guys. I’d thoroughly recommend them to anyone interested in yoga, freediving, meditation and good vibes!

Awesome 10 days in the sea with Matt in Amed. Freediving, yoga and just hangin out.
In only the first 3 days, I went from a max of 20 meters to 30. Learned to relax at depth and pretty much drowned my old subconscious death urge as I realized I do not want to die down there.
Was pretty much the highlite of my Bali trip.
Thanks to a real friend and mentor.

Fantastic course that gave me all the results I was looking for. A great blend of theory, dry practice, followed by in-water training. A relaxed teaching style meant that the pace of the course was perfect. Matthew was extremely patient and allowed ample time for the freediving skills to be improved and mastered. Many thanks!

Hi everybody. One week ago I did the freediving course in Amed with Matthew. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
 Something I’ve learnt: my mind can control my body, so i can go further than I expect if I prepare myself to go. I can enjoy more my snorkeling time than before just following the teachings I’ve received, and it also works out of the water by breathing in the right way. Thanks a lot Matthew.

As I was rinsing the high quality gear upon completion of my basic course, I thought to myself, “this is the coolest & most rewarding underwater experience I’ve ever done.” After just 2 days of highly informative classroom discussion on the physiology of freediving and applying those skills on the line, I was performing both constant weight & free immersion dives to 25m! I was waiting for the chance to immerse myself into the world of apnea, and to learn from a free dive guru like Matthew. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Be like water.

Very informative and interesting with a relaxed atmosphere and friendly people. The course helped me achieve much more than I expected and provided me with the correct techniques to take away and use in the future. Thanks Apneista.

Essential instruction in the practice of freediving. Confidence building, supportive and challenging in equal measures. Friendly and relaxed. Great blend of science and meditative practice. Clear and safe instruction. This was of great benefit Thank you.

Excellent experience Thank you! 
Good explanations of theory and a lot of practice thrown in for good measure. Will definitely pass on recommendation for the freediving course to potential visitors. Thanks.

Great Course! The time where I could forget about how out of breath I was and stay present in the moment made the whole course worth it. Great training and great preparation for life.

Thank you very much for the useful lessons passing on new skills. It was absolutely great to build up slowly the comfort and a new relationship with the water.

Really good, learnt a lot. Great to have the basics and to get the chance to try a deep freedive within a great structure. Thank you!

Excellent experience, great teacher. Thank you very much. I’ll tell to my family all about these wonderful 2 days and hopefully we will all be back. See you Again