From Zurich Pool Training to Roatán: My Freediving Journey with Kaluna Freediving
By Dimitri von Arx
November 2022. That was the month everything changed.
After years of freediving across Europe, Egypt, and Southeast Asia, I finally took the step I had been avoiding: I joined weekly pool training in Oerlikon, Zurich. At the time, I thought I was simply adding more structure to my freediving. Looking back, I can see it was the beginning of a complete transformation.
I had explored underwater worlds across continents, but I had never committed to regular, structured training. There was always an excuse too busy, too far, I would train on my next trip. But something shifted that November. I walked into the pool in Oerlikon and knew I was exactly where I needed to be.
Finding My Freediving Community in Zurich
By May, we had moved from pool training to lake diving. The transition felt natural and exciting. What I did not expect was how quickly I would become part of the Kaluna Freediving community in Zurich.
Within months, I became an assistant instructor with Kaluna Freediving. Me, an instructor? The thought had never crossed my mind before.
Then came the Swiss Championship. I decided to compete and push myself in ways I had not before. That was when Daniel Roettgermann stepped in. Equalization had always been my biggest limitation the invisible barrier that prevented me from going deeper. Daniel’s guidance, patience, and experience helped me unlock new depth, literally.
The Years That Changed Everything
The years that followed became a rhythm of growth. Weekly training in Zurich. Personal bests that kept improving. Adventures to Deepspot, training weeks in Tenerife, and time in the Philippines. Each experience building on the last.
I was improving not only as a freediver, but also as someone who was beginning to understand the sport on a deeper level.
Through it all, I held on to one conviction: I would never become a full instructor. In my mind, it made sense. I lived in Switzerland, not by the sea. Teaching freediving professionally felt like something for people who lived in tropical paradise, not in the Alps.
Becoming a Freediving Instructor
But Daniel saw something I did not. As an assistant at the club, he watched me work with students, saw my passion, and recognized potential I was blind to.
“Become a Molchanovs instructor,” he said. “You can do it right here in Zurich.”
I hesitated. Then I said yes.
For three months, I trained and prepared alongside Alex Hale. The process was intense and challenged everything I thought I knew. In summer 2024, I completed the Molchanovs Wave 2 Instructor course. I was officially an instructor. The same person who had once been sure that would never happen.
This part of the journey showed me that many of the limits we set for ourselves are not facts. Often, they are just fear disguised as logic.
Why I Had to Go
In 2025, something became impossible to ignore. I wanted to spend more time freediving in warm water. Actually, it was more than a want, it was a need. Living by the sea had always been my dream, the kind of dream you quietly postpone by telling yourself, “maybe someday.”
At some point, someday became now.
Leaving the Kaluna family was not easy. These were no longer just training partners. They had become close friends, people connected through discipline, depth, shared breath-holds, and the joy of watching each other grow.
Walking away from that community was bittersweet. But sometimes growth requires letting go.
The Move to Roatán
In January 2026, I moved to Roatán, Honduras, to work as a freediving instructor at Roatan Freediving School and Training Center.
This move was seismic for me. I had never lived abroad before. I had never packed up my life and relocated to a Caribbean island to follow a passion. The uncertainty was terrifying. The excitement was just as powerful.
Looking Back
When I think back to that November day in 2022, when I nervously walked into the pool in Oerlikon, I barely recognize that version of myself. I thought I was just joining a training group. In reality, I was stepping into a completely new life.
I learned that small decisions can lead to life-changing outcomes. I learned that communities shape us in ways we cannot predict. I learned that mentors can see possibilities in us long before we see them ourselves.
Most importantly, I learned that dreams do not have expiration dates. Living by the sea and building a life around freediving were never fantasies reserved for other people. They were possibilities waiting for me to be brave enough to choose them.
From pool training in Zurich to the warm Caribbean waters of Roatán, from recreational diver to certified instructor, from “someday” to “today”, this has been my journey.
And honestly, I think it is only just beginning.
Currently teaching and training in Roatán, Honduras. Still equalizing deeper, still learning, still grateful for that November day when I finally decided to show up.
A Thank You from Kaluna Freediving
We are incredibly grateful to have been part of this journey and proud to have shared the water, training, and community with him over the past years.
Even though his path now continues in Roatán, he will always be part of the wider Kaluna Freediving family and always welcome here - Thank you Dimi! Thank you for being always supportive, there with a smile and helpful when help was needed!
We wish him nothing but the best for this next chapter both in the water and beyond. See you in the blue, or green! And who knows, maybe our next Training week will be in Roatán?
Train with Kaluna Freediving in Zurich
If this story inspires you to begin your own freediving journey, improve your skills, or become part of a strong and supportive community, we would love to welcome you.