Freediver Azua Shafii On Taking The Plunge And Finding Freedom
Augustman Logo
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
E-Magazine
Most Trending
Freediver Azua Shafii On Taking The Plunge And Finding Freedom
Most Recent
Freediver Azua Shafii On Taking The Plunge And Finding Freedom
Most Trending
Artist Peter Doig Collaborates With Kim Jones For Dior Men’s Fall/Winter 2021-22 Collection
Most Recent
Catch The Hermès Autumn/Winter 2021 Show Live From Paris
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Most Trending
Some Of The RM15 Billion PERMAI Assistance Package Benefits
Most Recent
Will Music Streaming Spell The End Of Radio As We Know It?
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Most Trending
Tech For Change: Companies Using Technology To Deliver New Value
Most Recent
6 Reasons Why We Are Really Excited About The 2021 Formula 1 Season
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Most Trending
These Are The World’s Most Famous Chefs And Their Signature Dishes to Try
Most Recent
Drink To This: James Suckling’s Top 10 Wines Of 2020
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Most Trending
Detourism: Can The Past Year Teach Us To Become Better Tourists?
Most Recent
Stuck In Singapore? Indulge In A Feast Of The Senses At Marina Bay Sands
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Most Trending
Study Shows Men Are More Adversely Affected By Covid-19
Most Recent
Free Workout Apps That Will Help You Smash Your 2021 Weight-Loss Goals
  • Fitness
  • Health
Most Trending
Men Of The Year 2020: The #MadeInMY Awards
Most Recent
What The A-Listers Got Up To At The Westin Desaru Coast
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
  • my
    • MY
    • SG
  • Search
Freediver Azua Shafii On Taking The Plunge And Finding Freedom
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
malaysia
All Countries
AM Select
What The A-Listers Got Up To At The Westin Desaru Coast
AM Select
Men Of The Year 2020: The #MadeInMY Awards
AM Select
Syed Saddiq On MUDA And Being An Agent Of Change
Augustman Logo
my
Freediver Azua Shafii On Taking The Plunge And Finding Freedom
Back
All  Style
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Back
All  Culture
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Back
All  Gear
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Back
All  Food & Drink
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Back
All  Travel
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Back
All  Wellness
  • Fitness
  • Health
Back
All  AM Select
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
E-Magazine
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
malaysia
All Countries
AM Select

Freediver Azua Shafii On Taking The Plunge And Finding Freedom

Nadiah Rosli
29 Aug 2019
Article Hero Image
Dress by COS; Necklace by Swarovski
Trending Now
6 Reasons Why We Are Really Excited About The 2021 Formula 1 Season
GearRead More
Catch The Hermès Autumn/Winter 2021 Show Live From Paris
StyleRead More
Artist Peter Doig Collaborates With Kim Jones For Dior Men’s Fall/Winter 2021-22 Collec...
StyleRead More
Discover The Louis Vuitton Fall Winter 2021 Men’s Collection
StyleRead More
Want exclusive travel tips, destination ideas and reviews? We have it all. Sign up to receive it.

How long can you hold your breath underwater? 1 minute? 2 minutes? 2.5 minutes? Now try doing that as you dive to depths up to 100 metres. Malaysian freediver, Azua Shafii lives and breathes (well, slowly) for this. Unassuming and affable, this petite woman is definitely someone you want in the Atlantis squad. Azua is a freediving champion who holds multiple records in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. She is also an instructor trainer (she can train certify from beginner until freediving instructor level) and founded Apnea Odyssey, a freedive centre in Petaling Jaya that provides courses and trainings solely for this extreme competitive sport.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Join our team as freediver or professional freediver. Check our website on bio for courses and trips #teamapneaodyssey #malaysiafreedivingteam #freediverMalaysia #freedivingmalaysia #iamssi #wearessi #professionalfreediver

A post shared by apneaodyssey (@apneaodyssey) on Mar 10, 2019 at 10:30pm PDT

A self-proclaimed “mermaid”, Azua loves being in the water and naturally learnt how to scuba dive before she discovered freediving in 2012. Freediving doesn’t use a breathing apparatus; instead, you travel underwater as far as your lungs can take you. This extreme activity isn’t new. It is traditionally practised by the Bajau people (freediving sea gypsies in Southeast Asia) who can hold their breaths underwater for up to eight minutes and the legendary Ama freediving fisherwomen in Japan still dive till the age of 80. It started as a competitive sport in the West during the 1980s, and the International Association for the Development of Freediving (AIDA International) was established in 1992. AIDA International organises championships and athletes compete in eight disciplines. Competitive freedivers are constantly pushing their minds and bodies to the limit, which makes this sport immensely dangerous.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Congratulations to our Instructor Trainer @azuashafii for setting new record in constant weight Bi fins for Malaysia. She set it to 47m. #malaysiaboleh

A post shared by apneaodyssey (@apneaodyssey) on Aug 9, 2019 at 5:08pm PDT

This element of danger keeps Azua focused during every dive and more importantly, to pay attention to what her body tells her. “You can attune your body and mind underwater because we have to calm ourselves and like yoga, we control our heartrate before we start. This stage is akin to meditating and is called ‘bradycardia’ where the heart can slow down up to 20%.” Azua explains that freedivers can maintain their heartrate at 20 beats per minute; her senses are magnified as she clears her mind and tries to achieve her longest or deepest breath-hold dive. “In freediving, your body is your equipment. To excel in this sport, you need to understand the science and practice because we are constantly pushing the limits of human breathing. We don’t do this for ‘fun’ – there are a lot of risks involved and we try to reduce the risks for every athlete. The more information and experience we have about what we can and cannot do, the safer we make this sport.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Happy Thaipusam to those celebrate today..

A post shared by apneaodyssey (@apneaodyssey) on Jan 20, 2019 at 7:34pm PST

The risks are mainly paralysis from hypoxia (a deficiency of oxygen in the tissues) and hypercapnia (a high concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood) due to a long time spent underwater and the depth in which athletes dive. The brain and heart are supported by the spleen and adrenal glands hormonal reactions for survival. But not all things can be controlled by freedivers. Bad weather and choppy waters pose a serious threat and an athlete’s response will determine the outcome of such events. “As an athlete, I believe in systematic training and consistency. I practise visualisation, so regardless of the conditions of the ocean or weather when I perform, I focus on my dive and breathing. I also always trust on my training.” Azua’s records are a testament to this dedication. For example, for Static Apnea (a pure breath-hold discipline where athletes lie face-down in the water for as long as possible) her record is 5 minutes and 2 seconds.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Never freedive alone! Thank you Eemon for your photo. We will have pool training next Thursday.

A post shared by apneaodyssey (@apneaodyssey) on Jun 20, 2019 at 2:49pm PDT

Azua hopes to expand this training to more Malaysians as freediving is becoming more popular in the country. Men are more drawn to this sport because of its competitive nature, she says, and the challenge is to rope in more women to freedive professionally and to join international competitions. “I don’t think Malaysians differ that greatly with competitors from other countries because physically, I think we can achieve the same records as them. But we have lost an advantage because we are late getting into this sport and we don’t have enough coaches or the proper pools to train in.” She adds that her hope is to get more certified instructors in order to increase participation and interest in freediving amongst Malaysians.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Safety is utmost importance in free diving. Come learn how to do a proper rescue from depth from us. Don’t missed our SSI level 1 course at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah this 24,25th Aug.

A post shared by apneaodyssey (@apneaodyssey) on Aug 14, 2019 at 1:18am PDT

There has been increasing acceptance of freediving as a sport with formidable athletes. More investment has been made to make it a spectators’ sport where the public can see athletes’ beautiful movements and skills. Azua’s role as an instructor trainer has enabled her to actively promote the sport. She has been traveling to Sabah and Sarawak more frequently to build a new market. She also travels to compete in various championships, which are expensive to participate in – another setback for local freedivers. “I am encouraged though when I see my students and protégés are now competing together with me. One day, maybe one of them will break my records,” she enthuses.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Last year we encounter whales hark during our training in Dayang island and stay around us during our training.

A post shared by apneaodyssey (@apneaodyssey) on Apr 8, 2019 at 8:11pm PDT

Personally, Azua doesn’t find herself too competitive and considers any improvement to her records, however small, as an achievement. “While it is considered as ‘extreme’, freediving has been a constant source of tranquillity in my life. It is also more enjoyable to dive as a freediver because you can connect with the marine wildlife. Some of my best experiences underwater was when I swam with whale sharks in Pulau Dayang and sailfish in Weh, Aceh.” It is no surprise then, that Azua is an ocean advocate. She has witnessed how her “playground” is full of rubbish and plastic, and follows in the fins of her idol, Frederick Buyle, a freediver, conservationist and underwater photographer. In fact, many freedivers have started their own NGOs to protect and conserve the ocean.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Experiencing Bajau life.

A post shared by apneaodyssey (@apneaodyssey) on Jun 29, 2019 at 3:48pm PDT

Azua will keep drowning her thoughts with each dive. “Freediving is so liberating. I can release everything in my mind, enjoy the deep blue and achieve a sense of peace I can’t get elsewhere.”

divers
Extreme Sports
freediving
Nadiah Rosli
Talk to Me About:
Extreme Sports

Up Next For You

5 Of The A-List 2020 Men Get A Fashion Makeover From Shahrin Bahar
Amber Goh
AM Select
The A-List 2020 Campaign Intimate Launch Dinner
Amber Goh
AM Select
MVMT 2020: How The Watch Industry Is Dealing With Covid-19
KC Yap
AM Select
MVMT 2020: Tag Heuer Celebrates 160 Years Of Watchmaking
KC Yap
AM Select
Want exclusive travel tips, destination ideas and reviews? We have it all. Sign up to receive it.
×
Where are you?
Tell us so we can display what you want to see.
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
Malaysia Singapore
Advertise About Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
© 2021 Copyright Augustman