Ambassadors 2025

Şahika Ercümen

Şahika Ercümen is a professional freediver, free diving instructor, as well as a nutrition expert, TV presenter and author. She became interested in sports because of the asthma she suffered from as a child, and has achieved worldwide success in many water sports.
Since 1998, she has won more than 100 national and international medals, numerous special awards and cups in swimming competitions and underwater sports. She has also set several national records and ten official CMAS world records. She is the deepest diver and the first Turkish freediver to surpass the 100-meter mark in a fixed balloon among both men and women.
She is also an official ambassador of the United Nations for water conservation.

Manolis Giankos

Over the past 20 years, Manolis Giankos has trained and certified thousands of athletes, recreational freedivers and underwater hunters (spearos), as well as freediving and underwater hunting instructors at many dive sites around the world. A multiple Greek champion in both depth and pool freediving, he has also repeatedly stood on the podium of the World Championships:
-118m CWT (2nd place) – 2024 CMAS 8th World Championships, Kalamata
-100m CWT (2nd place and national record) – 2008 World Championships, Egypt
-229m DYN BF (2nd place and national record) – 2024 CMAS Indoor World Cup, Alimos
-175m DYN BF (1st place) – 2024 Indoor One-Breath Pool Games
-6min 58 sec STA (2nd place) – 2009 AIDA National Championships
…and many others.
In addition to his remarkable achievements in freediving, he has often won podium places in underwater hunting competitions. He is the founder and chief instructor of Spearfishing Instructors (SI), the first organization of its kind dedicated to training underwater hunters and providing quality education worldwide. In addition, he founded Freediving Spearfishing Worldwide, based in Athens, Greece.

Media Ambassadors

Amanda Birkedal

I’m Amanda Birkedal, 25 years old and the ocean is at the heart of almost everything I do.
From my first job as a swim coach to becoming a lifeguard and a freediving instructor at 19, my path has always led me back to the water.
They say that once the sea touches your soul, life on land is never the same – and I’ve found that to be true.
As a freediving instructor, safety diver in the film industry, scuba diver, sailor, workshop facilitator, underwater model, expedition traveler and marketing economist, I am passionate about connecting people with nature. Above all, I strive to inspire others to explore, respect and protect our oceans.

Dariusz Pachut

Originator and leader of the Crown of Waterfalls project, whose goal is to climb the 10 highest waterfalls in the world and descend them on ropes. To date, he has already conquered 6 of the 10. Passionate about mountaineering, mountain kayaking, scuba diver, shooting and skiing instructor. And in addition – a traveler, lover of extreme sports and everything related to the element of water.

Ambassadors 2024

Kateryna Sadurska

– 4 world records, including 78m CNF
– 4 x World Champion (2022, 2023)
– № 1 in overall AIDA women’s ranking and № 2 combining results from CMAS and AIDA
– More than 30 Ukrainian national records
– Former artistic swimmer: 2016 Olympic Games finalist, multiple World Championships medalist and European Champion
– Freediving instructor
– Founder of SAO – a sustainable swimwear brand

Linda Paganelli

Linda Paganelli has been a passionate free diver for more than 20 years and currently represents Italy. In 2023, she won a silver medal at the World Championships. Her impressive results include 99 meters in the FIM (Free Immersion) and CWTB (Constant Weight with Bi-fins) disciplines. Records: Over the years, Linda has set numerous depth records in Italy, starting as early as 2005. Despite a five-year hiatus from training since 2016, she returned in 2021 with renewed strength and determination. Owner of diving schools: Outside the world of competition, Linda Paganelli is also an entrepreneurial woman, the proud owner of Freedive Dahab in Egypt and Atlantis Freediving School in Tenerife. Her commitment to the development of free diving includes not only sporting competition, but also supporting enthusiasts of the sport in developing their skills.

David Mellor

He set 4 CMAS Masters world records in all depth disciplines and was the first 60-year-old man to dive to a depth of 100 meters in competition. In addition, he set the CMAS national record for free diving (FIM) in the UK. He is also an instructor for the SHARE Pressure Equalization School and has coached many athletes who have achieved national records.

Yulia Maryevich

Apnea Academy Freediving Instructor since 2010. She completed the “Personal Trainer” program at the Sports Education Agency in 2012. Mental Training Instructor at Apnea Academy.

Latvian record holder in the pool and depth disciplines, coach of the Latvian Freediving Team. She set her first national record in 2010 and began to develop the freediving community in Latvia, co-founding and leading the “Free-Diving.LV” club.

Co-organizer of the popular international freediving competition “Riga AIDA Freediving Cup” from 2010 to 2020. AIDA level C pool judge, judge of two AIDA World Championships (Burgas 2022, Jeju 2023). Vice President of AIDA International. Underwater photographer.