At Freedive Aotearoa in Paihia, Bay of Islands, we bring together recovery, learning, and adventure. From the Bay of Islands to the Poor Knights Islands — and onwards to Niue, the Pacific, and beyond — our community blends wellbeing, ocean skills, and unforgettable journeys.
We keep it simple: Recover. Dive. Adventure.
- Recover – Reset with sauna, cold plunge, breathwork, and movement. Sauna & Cold Plunge sessions are your daily way to feel better and reconnect.
- Dive – Learn to slow your breathing, build calm, and explore the ocean safely. Our courses include freediving and mermaid training, for beginners through to advanced.
- Adventure – Turn skills into stories. From local training camps and ocean resilience days to luxury escapes in Niue and beyond, this is where memories last a lifetime.
This rhythm isn’t just a program — it’s a lifestyle. Start with recovery, grow your skills, and step into adventures that open your world.
What We Offer
Freedive Aotearoa is the first school in New Zealand to offer freediving-specific training and experiences in this way. For more than 10 years we’ve been helping people breathe deeper, dive further, and recover stronger, in New Zealand.
- A purpose-built studio in Paihia with sauna, cold plunge, breathwork, and movement classes.
- Freediving and mermaid courses with internationally recognised SSI certifications, from beginner to career paths.
- Local dive adventures in our world-class sites, including the Bay of Islands and Poor Knights Islands.
- Luxury trips and ocean escapes across the Pacific.
Whether you are here for a single sauna session, your first freedive course, or an overseas adventure, you’ll find a place to belong.
Meet Sacha – Founder & Instructor Trainer
Sacha is the founder of Freedive Aotearoa. She has spent most of her life in and under the ocean. At just 18, she became one of the youngest and only female commercial divers in New Zealand, starting her career as an intern with Undersea Construction in Wellington. During this time, she was fortunate to contribute to projects across the Pacific, including work with AusAID and the United Nations on aid initiatives.
From those early years, Sacha’s path has always been ocean-centered. She went home to the Coromandel to become a scuba instructor, before expanding into contracts nationally and internationally with DOC, NIWA, Te Papa, and Victoria University, assisting on marine research expeditions and scientific diving projects. Her work as a Marine Technical Officer also saw her supporting postgraduate research, supervising sample collections, and mentoring marine biology students in the field.
She also worked as a cook, dive guide and instructor on liveaboard boats, leading both scuba and freediving trips globally reaching out 50 countries by Boat.
Her journey then took her to Indonesia, where she lived with her two young children. There, she taught with Fusion Freedive and Yoga, training freedivers from around the world.
More than a decade ago, Sacha returned home to Northland and established the first dedicated freediving school in New Zealand. Since then, she has introduced thousands of people to freediving, mermaiding, and the blend of recovery and ocean adventure that makes Freedive Aotearoa unique.
Today, with over 25 years of global diving experience and as a mother of three daughters, Sacha continues to pioneer the freediving community in New Zealand. Her vision for Freedive Aotearoa is simple: to create a space where recovery, training, and adventure come together — helping people breathe deeper, feel stronger, and create memories that last for life.
Why Choose Freedive Aotearoa?
Personal Approach
We keep groups small, student-led, and focused on your experience. That means time, patience, and personal attention at every step.
Global Experience
Our instructors are some of the most highly trained in New Zealand, with backgrounds in yoga, breathwork, first aid, and performance training. We bring knowledge from years of professional diving around the world, blended with local expertise.
Locally Owned & Family Run
Freedive Aotearoa is proudly Northland-based — a small family-owned business rooted in community. When you train or recover with us, you’re not just a customer — you’re part of the story.
Join Us
Whether you’re here to reset in the sauna, take your first freedive course, or join an ocean adventure, you’ll find a place at Freedive Aotearoa in Paihia Bay of Islands.
Start with Recover. Build skills in Dive. Step into Adventure.
Your story starts here.