Q&A Interview with Adam Stern (Free Diver)

Congratulations on your new PB dive of 94.2m, how did it feel and how long has it in the making?

My dive to 94.2 metres today felt great! It was really comfortable and nice. I've been constantly training for the past 6 years so any Personal Best always feels great. Hopefully there will be more PB's coming in the next few weeks and during the competition.
How long have you been free diving for and what got you into the sport?

What does your training look like leading up to events?

I've been freediving for 6 years. I was backpacking around Thailand and I saw a freediving school and thought that it looked pretty cool. So I took a beginner course and just loved it! Since then I kept training and progressing and it's become my whole life. I was never a very athletic person growing up and never would have imagined myself doing what I'm doing now.

Does your training differ on/off season?

Basically my training operated in 6 month cycles. I spend 4 months training in the gym, building strength and muscle and also in the pool. In the pool I basically swim lengths of a 50m pool underwater with short intervals of recovery to train my breath hold. The last two months I spend diving. Simply diving deeper and deeper acclimatising myself to greater depth, pressure and progressing down deeper.

Basically I'm always training. When I'm not diving I'll always be training in the pool and in the gym. I just don't feel good anymore without my daily endorphin hit!

What is your nutrition like on/off season?

In terms on nutrition I basically eat what my body needs to exercise and dive as much as I do. An average lunch or dinner for me would consist of some good complex carbohydrates like baked sweet potato and beetroot. Some steamed vegetables and then some form of animal protein like fish, beef or eggs. 3 hours before each dive I eat a bowl of oats. It's always best to dive on an empty stomach and oats digest quickly while giving you lasting energy. The only difference with my diet is that when I'm diving I tend to eat more meat because long breath holds can deplete iron in your body.

Where are you mentally before and during a deep dive, what do you concentrate on?

Before A dive I keep myself calm and positive, focusing on the nice and pleasant sensations of the dive to come. During the dive itself I keep my mind very present, focused on exactly what I need to be doing at that moment. In the beginning of the dive I need to kick strongly to get past all the positive buoyancy near the surface of the water but once I've passed 20 metres the air in my lungs has compressed to the point where I become negatively buoyant and I sink for the rest of my dive. This stage is called the freefall and during the freefall I focus on keeping myself as relaxed as possible and equalising my ears. once I reach the bottom and start my ascent I simply keep myself calm and relaxed and enjoy the water rushing past my face as I get closer and closer to the surface.

What is your favorite watch from the Spinnaker collection and why?

I have two favourite Spinnaker watches. the Overboard because it's water resistant to 1000 metres and just that idea appeals to me! It's also a very practical and heavy duty watch that you could wear anywhere. My other favourite is the Vessel. It's an absolute classic and I love the around the face and strap.