Freefalling

Words and photography by Nara Martins Ishikawa. - record-holding free diver, underwater photographer and tattoo artist, based in Cornwall / www.naramartinsishikawa6.myportfolio.com/uw-photos

I’ve always felt drawn by bodies of water especially the sea. My parents always tell me a story of when I was 6 and we were on a boat trip. As soon as the captain said we could jump in, I jumped in on my own without hesitation - my parents watched from the boat as they aren’t as keen as I am. I’ve always felt comfortable in water.

I started diving after spending 6 months doing the Wim Hof method. It made sense to me to put the breath hold and love for water together. I had no idea I would start diving competitively at the time.

I’ve always been a nose breather, which is good and a soft breather which is also good…but learning how to slow down my breathing and use breathing patterns to calm my nervous system has been absolutely incredible. The breath is connected to our nervous system and a tool for us to find space amongst chaos.

There was one dive in particular that released something in me very deeply. It was a routine dive with my school Apnea Balear in Mallorca, but somehow it was a special one. I had to contain a flood of emotions that surfaced as I did, after reaching the bottom. I did not want to show all to my friends so I waited until I reached my car and just sat in it crying like a baby. I sobbed, I screamed, I let it all go. It felt like a longing, like I had finally embraced someone I loved dearly after not seeing them for far too long.  But that longing was for a part of me that had been long lost that I had finally found.

I feel that freediving is a sport that removes your masks. At least for yourself (which I believe is the most important) so that you can more easily see your own truth - it makes it hard to lie to yourself.  It’s such a pure experience of your body and mind. Through freediving a lot of inner work may be opened up and then the outer changes are inevitable…all you have to do is let life flow.

Fear of the unknown is an interesting one for me, in relation to the sea. Every so often I feel an instinctive fear of being in an element I am not my most capable in terms of physicality or senses. Getting past this sensation is helped by exposure - the more you do it, the more comfortable you feel. It feels very grounding when you can better use your senses in your surroundings. You have to to surrender and trust!  I believe these are skills that are transferrable to most fears of the unknown that we may have.

Being in the sea you do notice the impact we have on it firsthand, when you find debris or boats anchored in posidonia in Mallorca for example. You become more aware of life around you, or lack of life. I love taking photos underwater, so I am exploring that!!  I am always dreaming of places to go and all the animals I could see.

I am also competing. I am going to the world championships this summer in Korea but I am still pretending it is not real (apart from training for it) because it makes me feel anxious and gives me an impostor syndrome! All things I have to work on myself.  

Finding something I love to do and have it bring me challenges within myself makes so much sense.  Its part of growth and definitely not always easy but I am grateful to be on a journey that feels true to me.