I am a film director from Devon, now living in Australia after almost a decade in central London. Over the past two years I have been fortunate enough to spend a few months each year in Indonesia. These trips have been a blend of surfing, exploring, and freediving, and they have profoundly shaped how I see the ocean, creativity, and my own headspace. Growing up on the South Devon coast, I always felt connected to the sea, but travelling through Indonesia and spending time in remote communities has opened my eyes to a deeper understanding of what the ocean can teach you.
Life in London was rewarding but relentless. The fast pace, the pressure to chase the next job, and the constant comparisons that come with working in a creative industry often pushed me into cycles of doubt. I would find myself wondering if my work was good enough or if I was falling behind. Even when I knew those worries were unnecessary, they were hard to switch off. It stopped me from sharing work at times, because I felt it never matched some imagined industry standard.
Indonesia became my reset button. Time there taught me to live in the present in a way I had never managed before. The things I used to stress about, from social media to career milestones, started to feel small and temporary. I realised how much more fulfilling it is to invest in experiences, in real connections, and in hobbies that bring genuine clarity.
Freediving has been the biggest shift. It is more than a sport; it is a lifestyle built around a simple idea: one breath. That single breath forces you into the moment. There is no space for distraction or ego at twenty metres. I never connected with meditation or yoga, but freediving gave me an understanding of both. It trains your mind as much as your body, and that balance has become the place where I can escape the noise of everyday life and sit with myself.
My recent trip to Raja Ampat, organised through Free Dive Nusa and led by Kirill, was where all of this came together. Raja Ampat is one of the most remote, biodiverse places on the planet, and reaching it is a journey in itself. But the reward is unmatched. I spent days diving over some of the richest reefs on Earth, sharing the experience with a group of people who all arrived as strangers and left as friends. We lived simply in beach huts, ate fish, rice, and sambal, showered with buckets, and spent our days exploring coral gardens and watching sharks glide through the blue. The simplicity stripped everything back. It reminded me that clarity often comes from removing, not adding.
Raja Ampat was not just a freediving trip. It was a chance to slow down, reconnect with myself, and be reminded of how powerful the ocean can be when you let it. The journey showed me that life carries on regardless of fear or doubt, so there is no point holding on to either. Freediving teaches you to trust yourself, to let go, and to dive into whatever comes next.
