A diver in a wetsuit swims underwater, reaching out toward a seabird gliding just above the surface, surrounded by deep blue water.

Into the depths:

Hanli Prinsloo

Interview

Conservationist and ultimate freediver Hanli Prinsloo on experiencing the world hundreds of feet underwater


Photography by Ryan Murray

Not many people can hold their breath for 10 minutes. Fewer still are able to dive into the endless depths of the oceans with serene ease. With claustrophobic-induced attacks and blackouts being inherent dangers of freediving, few are brave enough to even try. But with the right training and experience, it opens a new perspective to an underwater world that we still know so little about. Hanli Prinsloo knows this better than anyone. Speaker, writer, conservationist, and ultimate free-diver, she has formed an incredible relationship with the sea, the blue lifeblood of our planet, and the creatures that live within it.

A swimmer glides alongside a large whale shark in clear blue waters, showcasing the size and grace of both the diver and the majestic marine creature.

Where it all started

To state the obvious, free-diving is no easy feat; plunging hundreds of feet into the depths of the ocean, beyond the equivalent of a 40-story skyscraper, all while holding your breath is near superhuman. So how does someone carve a life from this, travelling the globe, swimming with humpback whales and turtles?

“Ever since I was a little girl I was fascinated with being underwater,” Hanli explains. “I love the sense of silence and weightlessness.” Born and raised in South Africa, it was actually in Sweden where Hanli discovered free-diving after a chance meeting with an instructor, which subsequently led to one-on-one mentoring. Hanli quickly fell in love with the sport and started competing.

“Freediving is much more of a mental sport than a physical sport,” Hanli explains. “Of course you have to be physically in shape and do the right kind of training like any other sport, but in free-diving, it’s very, very clear that if you’re not mentally in the right place, you won’t be able to dive.” Much of her preparation can be done on her yoga mat and through meditation. “There’s so much around finding stillness and being able to be quiet in your mind, having that singularity of focus and thought. A lot of it is actually just stretching to increase the lung volume, to create a kind of muscle that isn’t oxygen hungry, like yoga or swimming.”

A diver gracefully navigates through a kelp forest, surrounded by tall strands of kelp and shafts of sunlight filtering down from the surface of the water.
A diver in a wetsuit floats underwater, reaching upwards amidst a swirling school of fish surrounding them. Clear blue water forms the backdrop.
Three scuba divers explore an underwater cave, surrounded by crystal-clear blue water and dramatic rock formations. Rays of sunlight penetrate the surface, creating a serene and mystical atmosphere.

Hanli is quick to add that the greatest aspect to freediving while being an art in itself, is the opportunities it presents. “Through my free-diving, I get to travel and experience amazing oceans throughout the world. But what leaves the greatest impression is not always the places I’ve been but the animals I’ve seen. I think people assume that there would be some kind of animosity from animals towards us, but in my experience, it’s not been that. From swimming with sperm whales in Sri Lanka and whale sharks in Mexico, to playful dolphins in Mozambique and all the turtles we got to meet in Petit St. Vincent, for me it really is about the animal interactions.”

Utterly weightless, drifting with the currents, few experiences compare to encountering all manner of marine life in their natural environment. “Swimming with big animals underwater is remarkable,” Hanli says. “It’s like being on safari, but you get to walk with the animal and have eye contact and really become part of the picture. Which is not often recommended on land! Swimming with these big animals is extremely humbling – it reminds me of the connection we have with the planet and the natural world around us.”

"It’s like being on safari, but you get to walk with the animal and have eye contact and really become part of the picture."

Ocean conservation

It’s estimated that less than five per cent of the ocean has actually been explored and that we know more about space than we do about the sea. Even so, detrimental change is evident. “As people are travelling and seeing more of the planet,” says Hanli, “we are also seeing more and more degradation of some of the incredible places people visit in mass to experience. There’s a real need for proper regulation and management of this exploration.”

To help tackle this issue, Hanli founded I AM WATER, a charity focused on connecting people with the seas. She explains it as a way of “changing attitudes to help raise awareness of the state of our oceans; sharing the beauty, the fragility and the facts of our ocean with people in a very personal and connecting way, to really remind us of our role”. Working specifically with underprivileged children in coastal regions, the foundation takes them snorkelling, on beach clean-ups, into rock pools, and gives them the chance to connect with our precious oceans.

A freediver in a wetsuit swims underwater, gliding above sandy ocean floor, while a large hammerhead shark approaches. Sunlight filters through the water, creating a tranquil blue atmosphere.

The interest in ocean health is growing on an international scale. Blue Planet II attracted over 14 million viewers per episode and was 2017’s most-watched British TV show; an invaluable contribution in raising awareness towards the Earth’s fragile state. But this is only the start. Marine plastic pollution is a devastating issue, and not enough is being done about it – at a corporate, public and government level.

"What leaves the greatest impression is not always the places I’ve been but the animals I’ve seen"

A mesmerizing school of fish swimming in a swirling formation, creating intricate patterns in the clear blue ocean water.

“It’s heartening to see the shift happening,” Hanli says, “especially in the UK where the effect from Blue Planet II and other campaigns have really shown an impact. The big challenge right now is to broaden the conversation to not only be around marine plastic pollution, but the other issues facing our oceans, too.” Marine plastic pollution is only one of these challenges – overfishing and species depletion are also massive factors; issues, Hanli explains, that are “not being discussed to the same extent at all”.

With her I AM WATER Ocean Travel campaign getting ever busier, Hanli still tries to spend most of her time in the water. But, as with all explorers, she has an ever-growing list of ambitions. “I definitely have a very strong draw to explore some of our frozen oceans and I’m actively searching for possibilities to get down to Antarctica and into the Arctic,” she says. “My dream right now is to swim with all the cold water animals – orcas, belugas and narwhals.” Surely, given the positive impact she is having on the seas, and the places her talent has already taken her, she won’t have to hold her breath too long for the chance.

A diver swims near a vibrant coral reef populated by schools of orange fish, with clear blue water above.
A diver swimming downwards in deep blue water, surrounded by coral formations and small fish. Sunlight filters through the water, creating a serene underwater scene.
A diver swims near a large, ethereal jellyfish with purple hues, underwater in a clear blue ocean. The diver is wearing a black wetsuit and is reaching out towards the jellyfish.

Hanli Prinsloo is an ambassador for Petit St. Vincent, a private island and Mission Blue Hope Spot located in the southern Caribbean’s Grenadine island chain, which has partnered with I AM WATER as part of their continued commitment to ocean conservation. Petit St. Vincent holds regular diving excursions with the island’s Jean-Michael Cousteau Caribbean Diving Centre to enable keen environmentalists to observe the reefs and meet a variety of aquatic inhabitants, allowing for a new-found awareness of our increasingly endangered oceans. For more information on the island, visit www.petitstvincent.com

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