Meet new Suunto ambassador, freediver Nicole Edensbo.
Nicole Edensbo is anything but new to freediving but with her fast progression to the forefront of pro freediving, you can't miss her name as it regularly features in the upper rankings of competition result tables. In addition, she now dominates the Swedish National Records and hits the press circuit with the aim of encouraging a new generation of divers.
“Freediving has led me to evolve both physically and mentally on a level that I couldn’t even imagine. It is mindblowing to see the links between mindset and physical performance. With mindset, I mean the attitude and approach to challenges. The reference for what is a challenge has been moved through my experiences within the sport and there are parallels between freediving and life itself. I want to inspire others to follow their inner voice and find their true capacity. You can accomplish so much more than you think if you are only willing to believe in it.”
Photo by Dean Chipolina © training in Spain with Nicole, 2021.
Elite in 18 months
Discovering her interest during her high school days, Nicole has pursued the discipline of freediving ever since. Then things got serious when she moved to Greece, where she explored spearfishing and diving as a part of her new daily life and this led to her entering her first competition in 2016. When reflecting on that time she summed it up by saying "When you realize you are good at something, you want to do it again."
Two weeks after her first competition she competed in another and realized she was hooked.
When asked what dive she was most proud of out of her long list of national records and achievements, she chose the final dive in the 2019 World Championships as the one that she holds dear. To be able to gain a PB and NR in the final dive of her first World Championships in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France is indeed an extraordinary achievement.
Photo by Guillaume Estève © 2019 World Championships
Connect to water
There is a sense when speaking with Nicole that despite the accolades it is the love and connection to water that is top of the agenda, viewing this relationship in therapeutic terms:
"The love for the water, being in the water, the embrace from water and this is the feeling I enjoy. It makes me want to be in the water more and more and have the freedom to move around in every dimension. If I feel sad, or unwell, being submerged in water is like a big love hug that will make me feel better."
Diving for Nicole is very much about deepening this connection to water and being present in the moment, bringing it back to the origins of freediving. In 2016, this was at odds with her professional life as a project planner in Gothenburg in infrastructure which was all about working intensely and living in the future and was exhausting. She openly reflects on the time when she made the move from the corporate world to full-time freediving for a period following a burnout:
"My heart and soul were looking for something different. Different from planning. I was craving to live in the moment, and freediving was different to work. It was a cure, as a medicine for me. I relied upon myself being good at it, physically, mentally (lots of mentality in this sport), and I need it."
Photo by Bastien Soleil ©
Dive/life balance
The ensuing quest for balance is something that is reflected in her training. She does what feels good. Planning is generally good but she feels like it is better to enjoy things. Nicole confesses she is by nature an intense person, almost stubborn in her determination, but as a result of her experiences she also now understands the need for breaks. Nicole listens to her body, never forces herself, and If she takes time away from the water, she trains in areas where she can get the most of her limited time mixing work and diving, consistently trying to reach an equilibrium. When asked about her strategy for training, she happily goes into detail about her overall strategy:
"My strategy is not chasing numbers. I am all about learning from my own experiences. I experience them, and then I learn to do things my own way. The first person I had beside me training with me, he never felt that he had to tell me anything, he just smiled and let me do what I wanted. I did have people around me who were telling me that I should do things one way or the other. I didn't love that so I moved away from them."
Next competition
Watch Nicole diving in all freediving disciplines at the upcoming International Association for the Development of Apnea (AIDA) announced that the 27th AIDA Depth World Championship 2021 in Limassol, Cyprus. The event is scheduled for the 20th to 30th September 2021, covid depending!
Good luck, Nic!
Follow her on IG now: @NicoleEdensbo
Check out her blog here!
Header Photo by Bastien Soleil ©