Sinking Gracefully (Until My Ear Said No)

Pulau Bidong, May 2025

Over the weekend, my husband and I headed to Pulau Yu for our advanced freediving license. The mission? Dive deeper, stay calmer, and try not to float back up confused. We trained under a fantastic coach, @flywithzack who knew exactly when to push us and when to just let us breathe (literally). The water was clear, the sun was in and sometimes out, and our fins were ready for action. The goal was to hit 20 meters.

My husband was doing great, and I gave it my all. I reached 15 meters – which doesn’t sound like much until you remember that’s five stories down, on one breath, in the middle of the sea, while trying to equalize and not freak out about ear pressure or mysterious bubbles in my mask.

My left ear decided it was not invited to the 20-meter party. No matter how many times I tried to pop my ears after 10m, it just didn't play along. So I made the call to stop, and honestly, I’m proud of myself for getting it to 15m. Because real strength isn’t just going deeper, it’s knowing when to pause. After training, we stopped at Pulau Bidong for lunch. Think: salty hair, full stomachs, and a bunch of half-dried freedivers trying to look cute for content. We filmed a bit, laughed a lot, and soaked up the calm after the intensity of the dives.

Every dive taught me something; about breathing, patience, and how oddly dramatic one ear can be.

We’re going again. Of course we are. Because the ocean keeps calling, and I’ve got a date with 20 meters. Next time, my ear better pack its bags.