Who to Watch in 2025: The 23 Best Freedivers in the World
April 4, 2025Competitive freedivers continue to impress us with deeper and longer results at every competition that goes by. With a brighter spotlight on the sport in the past few years, we have seen more up-and-coming athletes appearing on the scene, as well as watching seasoned freedivers add to their ever-growing records. So, who are the freedivers to watch this year? We have delved into what competitive freediving will look like in 2025 and spoken to 23 of the best freedivers in the world. Read on to find out all about their plans and training schedules.
Freediving Abbreviation Key:
CNF: Constant Weight No fins
CWTB: Constant Weight Bi-fins
CWT: Constant Weight (Bi-fins or Monofin)
FIM: Free Immersion
DNF: Dynamic No Fins
DYNB: Dynamic Constant Weight (Bi-Fins)
DYN: Dynamic Constant Weight
VWT: Variable Weight
STA: Static apnea
PB: Personal Best
Introducing The 23 Best Freedivers in the World
1.Michele Usai (Italy)
Michele Usai has been involved in freediving pool competitions for two years, and this year will be his first year competing in depth disciplines. He does not hold any National Records…yet! He plans to work on achieving new Personal Bests (PBs) and says he is close to hitting three digits in both Constant Weight (Bi-fins or Monofin) (CWT) and Constant Weight Bi-fins (CWTB).
Michele told us that he plans to compete in four depth competitions this year, and his training for these competitions has already started. He is training three times a week in Dahab, Egypt.
2.Gary McGarth (UK)
Gary McGarth is a depth diver from the UK who has been involved in competitions since 2006. In 2012 he took part in his first World Championships, and he went to the prestigious Vertical Blue competition in 2021.
As one of the best freedivers in the world, Gary tells us that he will be focusing mostly on CWT (Monofin) this year and hopes to reach 120m! His national records currently stand at 112m CWT, 100m (CWTB), and 103m Free Immersion (FIM). His dry base training has already started in preparation for this year’s competitions, and he plans to start the in-water work in the next four months.
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3.Kateryna Sadurska (Ukraine)
Training and competing in both pool and depth competitions for nine years already, Kateryna Sadurska not only currently holds national records for all pool disciplines and all but one for depth. She also holds a world record of 84m Constant Weight No Fins (CNF).
Kateryna told us that her pool training is in full swing already and she plans to add some depth when it is possible. She explained that due to the war happening in her country, she is forced to travel abroad to train, so she is still planning out what her year will look like for competing.
4.Laura Lindström (Sweden)
Laura Lindström is an SSI Freediving Instructor who has been competing in depth competitions for two years. She likes to focus on FIM, CNF, and CWT. Laura is hoping to make new PBs in competition this year, as well as potentially a national record! Laura says that she has finally mastered equalization and feels ready to go big this year. We might even see her at the Freediving World Championships.
5.Elias Mamdouh (Egypt)
Elias Mamdouh is only 16 years old and already freediving to incredible depths; with PBs of 87m (CWT), 83m (CWTB), 55m (CNF), and 75m (FIM). As one of the most promising young talents among the best freedivers in the world, he has competed in two competitions so far and achieved national records in both Junior and Senior categories.
Elias trains both pool and depth disciplines and told us he hopes to break all of the three (Dynamic Constant Weight) DYN national records for juniors and seniors in the upcoming World Championships.
6.David Mellor (UK)
David Mellor is an impressive 60+ year-old who already holds three Masters world records. Proving that age is no barrier among the best freedivers in the world, David tells us that this year he hopes to break all four records, including the FIM record, which will also be a national record for Great Britain. His training has already begun in Dominica, where he is focusing on gym training and base training for depth and he has big plans for competing this year!
Want to learn more about David’s journey? Read this: Breaking Records at 60: Meet Freediving Legend, David Mellor
7.Jung A Kim (Korea)
Jung A Kim is a competitive depth freediver who practices all disciplines. Her first competition was in 2017, and she currently holds national records in Static Apnea (STA), CWT, and FIM. This year, Jung A Kim told us that she hopes to break her monofin PB and will start depth training around three months before a competition. She loves to train in Panglao, Philippines due to the warm waters and easy freediving setup.
8.Shereen Ramadan (Egypt)
Shereen Ramadan is a scuba diver turned freediver who progressed quickly into competition diving just last year. Now making her mark among the best freedivers in the world, she trains for both pool and depth diving and already holds two national records: 97m Dynamic No Fins Freediving (DNF) and 120m Dynamic Constant Weight (Bi-Fins) (DYNB).
Shereen tells us that she hopes to achieve more national records this year and that her training will start properly in the summer. Her training consists of gym and mobility, alongside regular pool and depth sessions.
9.Ruth Osborn (UK)
Ruth Osborn is a depth freediver who has been competing for four years. A strong contender among the best freedivers in the world, she has national records in both FIM: deepest 82m, and CNF: 55m, and says she hopes to break her own national records again this year.
Ruth plans to compete in Dominica as well as the World Championships, and her training never stops; with three to four depth sessions per week, dry training, gym, yoga for freediving, and meditation, as well as keeping up with rest and good freediving nutrition.
10.Rolando Salgado (Cuba)
Rolando Salgado is a pool-only freediver who has been competing for ten years, with a preference for DNF, DYNB, and DYN. He holds all of the continental records and says he hopes to achieve new records this year, with plans to attend both world championship competitions. Training has begun already for Ronaldo, in Miami, USA.
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11.Fabio Tunno (Germany)
Fabio Tunno is a depth freediver who already holds two national records: 109m (CWT), and 90m (FIM). He has been involved in competitive freediving since October 2022 and says that he hopes to make more national records this year.
In preparation to compete in Cyprus and Dominica, Fabio’s base training has already begun, and he says specialized training for depth will begin very soon as the competitions get closer.
12.Carlos Diezel (Brazil)
Carlos Diezel is a mostly-depth diver who occasionally dabbles in STA competitions. He has been diving competitively since 2019. Continuing to establish himself among the best freedivers in the world, he plans to dedicate several months this year to depth training in his home base of Dahab, Egypt, where he also works as an instructor and business owner. Carlos will focus on CNF and FIM to start with and then switch to CWT and CWTB in the second half of the year.
13.Georgina Miller (UK)
Cornwall-based Georgina Miller loves to train in both pool and depth and tells us that she plans to compete in every discipline this year! Georgina has achieved six national records since starting competitions back in 2007.
She already has some competitions lined up for 2025 and tries to do at least two static and one dynamic session per week, alongside dry EQ training and stretching and strength training.
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14.Giacomo Sergi (Italy)
Giacomo Sergi mainly focuses on depth diving and his favorite disciplines are FIM and CWT (monofin). He has been diving competitively for three years and currently holds the Italian Variable Weight (VWT) (FIM up) record of 105m deep.
Rising among the best freedivers in the world, Giacomo told us that he hopes to achieve 100m in CWT this year, and that he is already close with a current PB of 91m! He plans to compete in Sharm El Sheikh in May, the Italian Championships in July, and in Sardinia in September. He is already one month into his base training.
15.Jin Wang "Sendoh" (China)
Jin Wang has been competing in depth competitions for ten years, and his favorite discipline to focus on is CWTB. He holds four national records: 123m (CWT), 118m (CWTB), 111m (FIM), and 76m (CNF). Sendoh plans to compete this year and tells us that his training will start properly at the end of February in Panglao, Philippines in preparation for the first competition in June.
16.Gus Kreivenas (Lithuania)
Dahab-based Gus Kreivenas competes in all depth disciplines but says he plans to focus mostly on CWTB and CNF this year. He has been competing since 2012 and holds national records in all of the depth disciplines.
A standout among the best freedivers in the world, Gus aims to achieve 71m (CNF) and 100m (CWTB) in competitions this year, and his base training has begun with a focus on dry exercises (meditation, fitness, etc.) and plans to start building on depth from April.
RELATED: More than Just a Blue Hole: A Guide to Freediving Dahab
17.Alexey Molchanov (Russia)
Alexey Molchanov is arguably the most well-known freediver in the world, with a whopping twenty years of competitive freediving already under his belt. Alexey has achieved many world records over the years, but his current records stand at 136m (CWT-monofin), 125m (CWTB), and 156m (VWT).
Alexey told us that he hopes to break more records this year, saying: "I always reset my limits further in depth disciplines." His training has already begun with a combination of depth sessions, pool training, workouts, and lots of breathwork.
18.Paula Johnsson (Sweden)
Paula Johnsson is a pool freediver who mainly focuses on DNF, DYNB, and sometimes STA. She has been competing since 2019 and holds two national records: 157m (DNF), and 208m (DYNB). Paula told us that she is currently doing low-volume base training and dynamic pool sessions once a week, alongside workouts, but tends to up her training in the two to three months before a competition.
19.Matthew Hill (UK)
Matthew Hill is a depth freediver who will be focusing on the FIM and CWTB disciplines in competitions this year. He currently holds national records for FIM (104m), as well as for CWT and CWTB.
Continuing to prove himself among the best freedivers in the world, Matthew hopes to break his own Free Immersion record this year, and attempt more records! He is currently living in Bali, training and teaching full time, and so uses this time to maintain a baseline of fitness for competitions.
Want to become a record-breaking freediver, too? Read this: Freediving Training Tips: Overcoming 4 Common Challenges
20.Ricardo Sobral Santos (Portugal)
Ricardo Sobral Santos has been competing in depth competitions for four years and currently holds national records for FIM, CWT, and CWTB. He says that he plans to compete in the CMAS World Championships 2025 and is aiming for a new national record in CNF as well as furthering his current records! Ricardo is mostly focusing on pool training in London at the moment, with the occasional depth week in Kalamata, Greece.
21.Cristian Castaño Villa (Colombia)
Cristian Castaño Villa is in his tenth year of freediving competitively in depth disciplines and holds national records in FIM, CWT, and CWTB. He told us that he hopes to achieve a PB of 102m in official competition this year, which would also be a new national record.
A seasoned athlete among the best freedivers in the world, Cristian trains when he can with his busy schedule working as an instructor. A month or so before a competition, he starts training more frequently and diving deeper, alongside maintaining a healthy lifestyle and doing dry exercises.
22.Ranalina Alim (Egypt)
A competitive depth freediver of three years already, Ranalina Alim likes to focus on FIM, CWTB, and CNF. She holds three national records: 45m (CNF), 61m (CWTB), and 55m (FIM), and tells us that she hopes to make new national records this year, as well as new PBs.
Making her mark among the best freedivers in the world, Ranalina plans to compete in both the pool and depth World Championships this year, as well as entering into smaller competitions in Egypt. Her base training began last month, with a focus on technique and workouts.
23.Harry McCahill (UK)
Harry McCahill loves to focus on CNF and currently holds the national record for just that. Harry says that he is always working towards new PBs, and national records are a bonus. With competitions already lined up for 2025, his training is balanced around his full-time job as an instructor. He tries to maintain volume diving with equalization and technical goals three to four times a week. He also finds time for regular weight training, yoga, and meditation.
Inspired by these world-class freedivers?