The Molchanova Effect
Today we remember Natalia Molchanova one of the world’s most recognizable and accomplished freedivers. She started diving at the age of 40. Over the span of her career, she broke 42 world records and won 23 world titles. She remains the world’s most titled freediver ever, achieving world records in all freediving disciplines.
Her real legacy transcends any record. A research pioneer in both the physiology and psychology of freediving, she developed a training style known for emphasizing mindset and deep relaxation. The Molchanovs Education System, intended to take a beginner, step by step, to the level of an elite freediver.
“Freediving is not only sport. It’s a way to understand who we are.” — Natalia Molchanova
The following interview provides a deeply personal account of the Molchanova effect.
What’s your name and where are you from?
My name is Olya Lapina. I was born in Russia near the Ural Mountains.
So not coastal?
No, my connection to the ocean is through surfing and kite surfing. I lived in Bali, Indonesia from July 2016 till just recently moving back to the Bay Area this year.
How did you first encounter Freediving?
In 2017 I was at a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat and I met someone who was going to Alexey Molchanov’s 5-day freediving training retreat. They suggested that since I was into meditation and mindfulness, I might enjoy freediving. At that point, I didn’t even know what freediving was. I trusted this guy because he was a fantastic meditator. So I paid 1000 euros and the next day I was in class with Alexey in Amed.
Amed is renowned for its clear turquoise water and abundant marine life, making it one of Bali’s best spots for snorkeling and diving!
I immediately regretted it because I was the only one that was a complete beginner. Who would come to train with a world record holder? National Record Holders! There were also longtime freedivers, freediving school owners, and then there was me.
I didn’t know anything and I didn’t understand what people were talking about. On day one, we go into open water and I have a horrible dive. I have no idea how to equalize my ears and everything is so strenuous. I was thinking, oh my gosh, what am I doing here? It was overwhelming, especially after the ten-day meditation retreat.
I went back to the shore and I was thinking there was something about it that I loved, I see what the guy who suggested the course was saying, but not right now.
I went to Alexey and said, “How about this? I’ll take the money back and I will do training with one of the local schools. And next time you’re here I’ll do the training with you.” He said, “No, no! How about you? Stay and I will help you.” And I said, “Whoa, you don’t know what you’re saying, because I’ll be asking a lot of questions.” And he said, “That’s fine,” and this response kind of gave me a green light. He encouraged me to give it another day, “If you completely don’t want to stay, I’ll give your money back.”
That night, in my room I started researching where I am because I came straight from the Vipassana Retreat. I Googled Alexey. I watched some videos. I remember that moment so clearly, I’m in my room doing some breathing exercises from the theory class.
Then I opened one of Natalia’s videos and she was talking about her philosophy of freediving. Her message was so beautiful, I was completely mesmerized!
I thought, oh my gosh. Where is her Retreat? I have to meet Natalia and immediately found out about her passing. I just discovered her and she’s so amazing but I‘d never have the opportunity to meet her. I binge-watched all her videos and the Russian was just beautiful. Even now, every time I get doubtful or scared, I’ll just think of her and feel so inspired.
The next day I was different. Starting with zero experience on day one, wanting to take the money back, by day 5, I had completed my first 40m dive. I was diving and my hand reached the ball, I actually didn’t believe it. I had to turn the ball around to see the number and there it was 40m. All thanks to Alexey’s coaching.
Alexi gave me a bunch of tips; number one never close your eyes in the water, Number two, don’t look at marks, examine your inner state. Three, it doesn’t matter what length the rope is at, why do you care? be guided by your state. Four, if equalization is fine and you’re relaxed keep going. It seems like small things, but at the buoy, he has this amazing effect on me, it was like I could feel Natalia. He was very gentle and relaxing.
It’s so magical how Alexey and freediving came into your life at the same moment. And then meeting Natalia through her videos right after that, it’s very powerful. Where are you at with your free diving now?
I did not progress much because I did that Retreat and then I was freediving some but all the people who did the retrieve left. There, weren’t any independent free divers in Bali, only freediving schools. I felt protective of the knowledge and inspiration I received from Alexey. I kind of wanted to keep it because the moment you go train with freediving schools, they’re going to give you their rules.
I come from a mountaineering background and choose my people very carefully. Alexey removes the blocks, he opens you up right? Nobody else would have dropped the line that deep for me as a beginner. He makes things possible. Suddenly you feel like you can do it, 0 to 40m in 5 days.
Yeah, no, that makes sense. It’s sophisticated thinking.
And now you’re an instructor?
Yes. In 2019 Alexey came back to Bali and he invited me to his instructor course. Just as I started freediving covid happens and we weren’t allowed to free dive for two years. I started coaching freediving again at the end of 2022.
So what’s next?
I want to go deeper and explore all the disciplines. I love free immersion, the connection with the rope. Actually, it’s hard to say because I like constant weight as well. And if you ask me this question last year I would say no finn.
But free immersion, it’s like kind of this meditative thing you know, right hand, left hand, right hand, pulling down the line, there’s a rhythm to it and it’s very meditative. For me, it’s the most relaxing discipline but I love constant weight as well, you know not being connected to the rope and just riding the free fall, positioning my body parallel to the rope.
Natalia is a massive inspiration. I’m so happy to be talking with you about your freediving journey on her birthday.
Yes, May 8th is such a cool date. She’s an icon in the world, we’re not talking just in Russia, right? In this photo of her static, she’s at 9 Minutes and 2 seconds, I love it. We should be doing something on Natalya’s birthday, maybe static competitions in her memory. And it doesn’t even matter who holds for how long, just participate in her honor.
Relax and stay present, just like she taught us.
So, you met Alexei in Bali and you talked about how inspiring it was to read and connect his mother’s records and methods. How have those two things come together for you in the last two weeks?
Well, I knew that Alexey was going to be in LA. So originally, we planned to go down to see him. Then he decided to go to San Diego and my friend and I changed plans to meet him there. All this shifting of plans and finally, I just said why don’t you come to the Bay Area? By then I had met John and Jason and I wanted him to meet these guys. I wanted to bring him to the Golden Gate Bridge. I put together a small welcome team with amazing people each with different strengths. I thought it would be cool to have a larger community for Alexei to meet. I didn’t have a clear plan but it worked out beautifully.
So you were in Bali and for some reason, I don’t know why probably because you’re crazy, you came back to the Bay Area and you wanted to connect with the freediving community here, how did that happen for you?
It was so shocking, from Bali in flip-flops and a bikini the entire time, and suddenly I’m freezing. I started getting so bored. I went to the gym. I did yoga, I did everything, and nothing worked.
It became clear, I‘ve got to start freediving again.
I started pool training with my monofin and everybody’s like, what is this? I started looking for others. I remember talking to my guys back in Bali, telling them I think I’m the only Molchavovs instructor in the Bay Area. Later I found Rebecca.
I finally found and joined the Bay Area Freedivers Facebook group. Somebody was moving and selling the buoy so I knew there had to be an independent scene here. I reached out to the admin and they connected me to John Prins.
I remember messaging John’s like, hey, what’s up like, you know, where do you guys dive? I want to come join you guys. He’s like yeah? How abut tomorrow!
Nice.
And I was like, done! I get to the spot and I see John and Jason and I’m just speechless. They were getting ready and I knew, these are my people. It’s all about people, right?
Wait, so your first dive in the Bay Area was at Horseshoe Bay?
Uh-huh.
Wow, that’s incredible.
Horseshoe Bay is a beautiful setting. Early in the morning, we watch Coast Guard raise the American flag as they stand there and salute. And of course, there is the stunning Golden Gate Bridge.
Then we get in the water and into lake-like condition but once you’re outside the cove, it’s super cold and you start fighting hard against the current. Jason usually gets there first with the SUP board. He’ll drop the rock to anchor himself and I bring the buoy. Then we set the whole thing up. It’s dangerous, not a beginner spot, but 40m is a very comfortable depth for me.
If I’m testing out a new place, I’m definitely not pushing myself too hard because I’m not out to prove anything. The currents are manageable and it’s free immersion anyway. You have to leash and you hold onto the line.
I’ve seen John’s videos and it gets dark quickly. So how does that change your strategy or your internal experience?
I get in the zone and it’s very meditative for me. It’s just my spirit there and the dark doesn't bother me at all.
In our conversation, you were saying that Alexi was coaching you and he told you always to dive with your eyes open, is that the same for you at Horseshoe Bay?
Yes, I dive just like Alexey taught me. He’s like, don’t worry about anything, just focus on relaxing, every step of the way. Relax equalize, relax, equalize. And that’s what I do.
I’ve been with you for the past two weekends. On Sunday, you dove at Monastery Beach for the first time. What was that like?
First of all, I didn’t know it was possible to kick out and be so deep, 60m -70m, that’s incredible. It’s warmer down in Monterey, and the visibility is much better. It was incredibly light and it was so easy to go down to 20m.
Yes, you can see why people love this spot. There are two different things happening and they’re both really powerful. One is, a kelp forest filled with fish, perfect for exploring. And, If you bring a buoy you can kick out towards the trench and focus on classical line diving in really deep water. Given both of those things almost being equally weighted in that spot, how would you plan a dive at Monastery Beach?
If it was me, if I was planning, first of all, depends, depends on who I’m taking. Right, level one level two? Whether or not I have assistant instructors. I would go out and drop the line to get the line training in and then I would go to the kelp forest and do fun dives. It is interesting because they’re so close together.
Most likely it wouldn’t be full-on training for PB because you do get exhausted. You know, you get hypoxic, and after a while, even 10 minutes of surface time is not enough to recover.
One thing tho, I’m not sure how to treat the kelp because I was grabbing onto it and then I felt bad. I was like, am I damaging it? Especially given that it’s threatened and we’re in a protected Marine area. Personally, I prefer being on the edge and looking in. I was very mindful so as not to damage the remaining forest.
Wow, so powerful! We covered Horseshoe Bay and Monastery Beach. Tell me what you did today.
I dove Lake Berryessa for the first time with Tetsuo Hara, a champion freediver from Toyko, and two locals Bizo and Kristin.
Lake Berryessa is one of Northern California’s largest man-made lakes, with 20,000 surface acres and 165 miles of shoreline.
Bizo and Kristin were waiting for us at the boat. The area is gorgeous and so nice to be in the freshwater for a change. It’s a beautiful spot but it’s not about the spot. It’s about people, you know, the shared experience. It’s very important who you free dive with because each one of us contributes to the collective consciousness on the buoy.
What’s special or unique about this spot?
Well, it’s fresh water, so you don’t have salt in your hair or in your eyes. I wear one contact, and sometimes it gets irritated with the salt. I don’t have to deal with that here. And there’s nothing, no fish, no obstacles. Just you and the line.
My consciousness with the lake’s consciousness. I couldn’t believe it, you know, it was such a high just, unbelievable dive.
On Sunday, April 30th you did an amazing dive with Alexey at Horseshoe Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge. Then on May 7th & 8th, you dove the kelp forests of Monastery and Lake Berryessa with the freediving national champion of Japan, Tetsuo Hara. What qualities do these two elite freedivers share?
Definitely a very similar psychology. Tetsuo is very aware, not only of himself but the environment, aware of every single person around him and the elements, the water, and the wind. He is very good at picking up on subtle information. Same as Alexey. They realized, “Yes, we’re champions, but it’s a new spot,” and that humbleness of being a beginner in a particular place. It’s so nice to see them asking questions and sharing knowledge. I remember Alexi saying his dive was scary. There is no ego involved and I think that’s why they’re Champions.
Is there anything that you wanted to talk about that we didn’t cover yet?
Yeah, I just want to share a vision. I’d like to create a bigger, more involved, more connected community here in the Bay Area. We know there are people in Los Angeles. If we have a network and if we have dives and meet-ups going on, I know other people would like to participate. Personal connection is so immediate when you are freediving with someone. Sharing experiences in nature is essential for people especially now in the disconnected digital age. Once people get to know each other and make the ocean their environment, they will be more concerned about conservation and restoration after sensing that interconnectedness.
That reminds me, the first rule of freediving is that you never dive alone. Of course, this is for safety but it’s also about community.
Yes, these experiences are deepened when they’re shared, for sure. The most beautiful spot with flawless conditions but the wrong partner sort of ruins it. But if it’s a group of connected individuals, driven by empathy and the joy of shared experience, we make a place like Horseshoe Bay unforgettable. We like laughing and solving problems together. You experience all these authentic moments of someone's character being revealed. We just accept and embrace everyone, with no judgment, and it’s so cool.
Okay, I have one final question. If Natalia was living and sitting there next to you, what would you want to say?
I’d say thank you and we miss you. I would ask her to bring her spirit to programs specifically for women and to guide us as much as possible. During her life, she trained a lot of women. She inspired so many more to get into the sport. Even tho there are females in freediving we also need to understand how rare we are.
You’ve had such positive experiences with Alexey, Tutsuo, John, and Jason. What about a feminine-centered space captivates you?
I want to get more women into freediving. I have a business partner, a freediver from Switzerland. We talk about it all the time, how to enroll more girls and get involved in discovering new dive spots like Horseshoe Bay. I’d like to see more women get together, with their equipment and just go exploring.
I think Natalia was really good at that, she started it. She‘d poor her wisdom into others and it was obvious you were better just being around her. Her world records are impressive, there’s no doubting that, but my spirit moves when I see her videos or read stories about her or even hear her name. She took something that was sort of masculine, hyper-competitive, and dangerous, and she made it beautiful in a totally different way, a kind of spiritual practice. That really originates with her, to trust the environment, cultivate unshakable trust in yourself, and allow your body to adjust accordingly.
If you relax into the experience, everything flows. And wherever you are at the fork, whether to go into fear and doubt or into love and trust, you practice that choice every time to turn the right way.
I’ve enjoyed hearing your story and remembering the legacy of Natalia Molchanova on her birthday. Let’s dive together again soon.
Yes, thank you.
