about

Community

We believe that through an ever-growing, enthusiastic, and safe worldwide freediving community, the sport will reach more and more people who can reap the many benefits of a consistent practice.

We encourage students to keep freediving safely, regardless of location or access to instructors. When you have someone to trust with your safety, you can relax and enjoy your dives. Likewise, attending to another diver boosts your confidence and trains you to be more attuned to safety in general. As a bonus, diving with a buddy is more fun and allows you to keep learning from each other.

Feel free to add your location to this map anytime. You can also save it to your favorites, share it, and embed it to your site. It’s here so traveling freedivers can find one another and buddy up.

Featured customer reviews

The highlight of my trip was the freediving. I had no idea how much I would love this sport, and I certainly had no idea I would be capable of such long and deep dives in only a few days. Esteban is the best instructor I’ve had for this sort of thing (better than scuba, skydiving, etc.). He knows the class material, and can see the little things you can correct. He gives simple, easy to follow advice that he catered to each of the three in the class, all of whom developed differently. He combines seriousness about the sport with go-with-the-flow vibe, which are the two things you need when free-diving.

My partner and I took the Apnea Total Freediving course with Esteban, and it was amazing. He is extremely knowledgeable, teaches well, and is really down-to-earth and fun. The cenotes were stunning, I could have hung out all day just with the baby crocodile and purple crabs. I was able to do much more than I previously had thought possible after three days, and it was because of the great class. Thanks!

I did my Freediver course for three days this week and it was a really amazing experience. Esteban was so genteel and patient with me, so that I never felt anxious over and especially under the water. He also took care of my individual needs and found reasonable solutions. Thank you for this opportunity, hope to come back soon.

Esteban is a fantastic freediving instructor. I've been out on 6 dive days with him over two years, and they have always gone well. He adapts the level to the student. His instruction allowed me to reach 25 meters, which would not have been possible without him. Can't recommend him more

My story

Hi, I’m Esteban Pando, founder of Freedive Utopia. I’m an Apnea Total freediving instructor and a PADI divemaster who has been freediving in the Yucatan Peninsula since 2013. For the last nine years, I have worked as an instructor for several dive shops and freediving schools throughout the region. Besides teaching freediving full time, I’m also a safety diver during international freediving competitions and national and world record events. Originally from Argentina, I speak both Spanish and English fluently and love to connect with people from all over the world.

The peninsula is where I cut my teeth as a freediver, and because I’ve dived, learned, and taught in many other places, I can say with confidence that the cenotes alongside the Caribbean reef are a freediving Utopia. The tranquil beauty and translucence of these fragile environments help us tap into the inner peace and relaxation we need for exploring the underwater world.

Because freediving has changed my outlook on life and my relationship to my body, I’m passionate about sharing the experience with others. I still get a thrill every time I watch the positive transformations my students undergo after just a few hours in the water.