Freediving's Explosive Growth Potential - Avatar 2 Launch

Freediving's Explosive Growth Potential

QUICK NOTE - I now offer freediving courses in Taiwan, please check out Freedive Nomad Taiwan for more information.

"It feels like the sport is one breath-hold-obsessed billionaire away from a fully funded tour of Grands Prix, one luxury-car title sponsor away from a 10-event season in the Mediterranean, one viral Netflix documentary away from becoming the world's fastest-growing sport." - GQ Magazine

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER FREEDIVING?

Was it an obscure documentary? Maybe you stumbled upon freediving while scrolling the internet. For me, I happened upon an Instagram post by a freediver. How lucky I was!

For those of us who are deep into the freediving scene, we know that the beauty and thrill of freediving is an amazing marketing tool all by itself. Instructors and companies offering courses and gear have stunning visuals and life-changing stories to share on social media.

Despite its history as one of the oldest forms of diving, we have seen the popularity of the sport increase thanks to a growing social media presence. Now, with the much-anticipated release of Avatar 2 on the horizon, I believe the exposure and practice of freediving are poised to go absolutely NUCLEAR.

THE BIG BLUE - THE ORIGINAL?

Many freediving enthusiasts can recall their first exposure by way of Luc Besson’s film Big Blue. Released in 1988 and loosely based on a true story, it was the first introduction many had to freediving and remains a significant part of the freediver culture.

The film, originally released under the French title Le Grande Bleu, is the reason many freedivers became freedivers! Many share that they were unaware that freediving was something you could learn through courses and instructors. Now, thanks to social media, the internet, and films like Avatar 2, I expect the practice to grow exponentially.

Alenka Artnik ascends from her record-setting dive with her support team. (Nanna Kreutzmann)

ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP - A COMPARISON

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an example of how an unconventional sport could go unnoticed, despite the backing of billionaires, and then take off following a catalyst. 

At the brand’s inception in 1993, “ultimate fighting” was a super niche sport. You might’ve only heard about it if you were involved in martial arts at the time. If you were not involved in martial arts, you’ may have heard it in passing as politicians denounced it as a “blood sport”. 

In 2001 it was purchased by Zuffa, LLC which was backed by billionaire casino tycoons Fertita brothers. Even with their backing and charismatic high school friend Dana White leading the charge, they were still bleeding money for four full years. 

The reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) began in 2005 as their last-ditch effort to save the organization. Up-and-coming fighters were locked in a house and gym for 3 months to compete in a single-elimination tournament while viewers followed along. The season culminated in The Ultimate Fighter Finale for a grand prize of a six-figure contract for the winner. 

UFC.com

Before this, all UFC events were Pay-Per-View. This was the first opportunity for an audience to watch matches for free. Due to the popularity of the show and the spectacular fight between finalist Stephan Bonnar and Forest Griffin (pictured above), interest in the UFC skyrocketed in 2005 and never looked back. Now, names like Ronda Rousey and Connor McGregor are not only familiar but wildly popular.

 So what does this have to do with freediving? Well, they have a few things in common. 

• Both sports fulfill primal desires. 
• Both have/had a strong niche following but have gone unnoticed by mainstream media for a long time. 
• Both sometimes have poor optics. Freediving often involves blackouts and squeezes. UFC obviously involves violence and blood.
• Both just need/needed a strong catalyst for explosive growth. 

UFC found it with The Ultimate Fighter and I believe freediving will erupt with Avatar 2.

THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT

The Netflix show Queen’s Gambit premiered on October 23, 2020. The main character, Beth, is a chess prodigy. Why is that special? Because she’s a female, it’s the 1960s, and chess is (still) a male-dominated field.

Seemingly overnight, the show sparked huge interest in the game. 

• eBay reports a 273% increase in searches for chess sets in the 10 days after the show’s release. 
• Google search queries for “how to play chess” are near all-time highs.
• Searches for the keyword “chess” is at a 9-year high, worldwide. 
• The number of players on chess.com has gone up fivefold. 
• 62 million households have watched the show.

Those are some big numbers.