Martino Valsangiacomo is one of the rising stars in the world of freediving. He even has an Italian podium finish under his belt — although it doesn’t count for much since he holds a Swiss passport. The Ticinese freediver is one of the few who stands out in both dynamic and depth disciplines — and to be precise, in depth diving both in lakes and in the sea.
Born in Mendrisio, he has recorded 229 meters in dynamic apnea, 95 meters in a lake, and 91 meters in CWT (constant weight) in the sea.

Martino, how did your love for freediving begin, all the way from Switzerland?
"It all started with my mother. When I was 10, I was fascinated by stories about Pelizzari, Mayol, and Pipin, and my mother was taking courses with Gaspare Battaglia. When she brought me to the lake or the sea, I’d wear my little plastic fins from Cressi and a wetsuit. I wasn’t really practicing yet, but I loved playing around with diaphragm control and trying breathing exercises — even if I didn’t know what they were for. I’ve always loved water sports like swimming and windsurfing, and when I turned 25, I began competing, probably because I always shared this passion with my mom.
When I heard that Fabio Benevelli, former coach of the Italian national team, was training just 30 minutes from my house, I rushed to meet him. He immediately understood my intentions, and we agreed to create a freediving movement in Switzerland — which continues to grow to this day."

What’s your relationship like with your coach?
"There’s a great friendship, both with Fabio and Jun Matsuno, who trains me in depth. Fabio always jokes that I’ve got my head in the clouds! But I’ve learned so much from him. He helped me bring out my competitive, all-in side — something I didn’t know I had.
I remember when we first met, my personal best was just over 100 meters, but I told him it was 150. He told me to get in the water and try, and that day I actually hit 150 meters for real. I couldn’t fail! Now we laugh about it with the whole team — Fabio had already stripped down, ready to jump in and rescue me!
I’ve learned a lot from him — not just about the sport, but also the discipline it requires. Even things that go beyond the pool. He taught me to stand and show respect during the national anthems of other countries on the podium. Those might seem like small things, but they have immense value in both sports and life."

Tell us what you do in life. Let’s start with the Cristoforo Council award, part of the Swiss Lifesaving Society (SSS)!
"A week before the World Championship in Belgrade, I was working as a gardener and lifeguard at a spa with a pool. Over the radio, I heard an emergency about a father and his 4-year-old daughter who were in serious trouble. Security footage showed the girl had been underwater for three minutes.
I rushed over, started CPR, asked for a defibrillator, and continued providing aid until she started coughing up water and crying. I’ll never forget that moment — I can only describe it as a miracle.
Today, I’ve quit that job to train in depth for 3 months in Dahab, Egypt. When I return to Switzerland, I’ll go back to my previous work while waiting for new opportunities. Before this, I graduated in bakery and pastry-making and worked night shifts."

What are your next goals?
"What used to be a dream is now a real goal: reaching 100 meters in CWT. This year I’ve trained really well, thanks also to Jun, who followed my progress, and to Gus and the TouchDown school, who supported me even in my deepest dives.
I recently hit a new personal best of 91 meters in the sea! Two years ago, I reached 88 meters in a competition and 95 in a lake.
I’m especially happy because I shared the line with Alexey Molchanov during that dive. He was doing CNF (constant no fins). Reaching the bottom of the Blue Hole was magical — even if I felt a bit of narcosis on the ascent."

That’s not a dive many could handle. Can you walk us through it?
"If I dive not long after waking up, I usually don’t eat. That day the dive was at 10 AM, so I just had water with maltodextrin, electrolytes, and omega-3s. I prefer having an empty stomach for better breathing. Once on site, I put on headphones and listen to relaxing music, visualize the descent step by step for about 30 minutes, going through all the technical movements I’ll perform.
Then I get dressed and do two warm-up dives: one to 20 meters to check my alarm timing for the mouthfill; the second — something I’ve recently added — goes to 40 meters to activate the dive reflex, which is slow in my case.
I come up, relax, and once on the line, I ask for 3 minutes.
I hypoventilate until 10 seconds before the start, using passive breathing. Then I take 3 strong breaths, similar to hyperventilation. This way, my heart rate stays low, but I feel more relaxed.
After my final inhale, I do a packing maneuver.
Up to 20 meters, I kick strongly, then do the mouthfill and pull my arms back for a relaxed position. First part of equalization is with my head arched up, then a final refill. I focus on equalization and relaxation, gently finning to 40 meters. I also move my jaw forward slightly to help open the tubes.
At 40 meters, I enter freefall, constantly scanning and relaxing my body.
I enjoy the ascent too. While the descent requires focus, on the way up — if everything’s gone well — I close my eyes, get streamlined, and kick as fluidly as possible. During that dive in Dahab, I felt a bit of narcosis, but it wasn’t unpleasant."

How long did the dive last? Did your physical and dynamic training help?
"About 2 minutes and 40 seconds. I think dynamic training helps a lot. Fin swimming sessions with Cristina Francone and Fabio Benevelli have definitely been useful. Pool training is essential.
Many top constant weight divers have never done dynamic. I think dynamic is more athletic, while depth is more mental and technical — and requires adaptation that only comes with time.
Good technique and strong pool conditioning are major advantages.
Looking back at the 91-meter dive, I’d say it wasn’t too exhausting. Physically, a 100-meter dynamic is probably tougher.
For me, the real challenge is fear and managing the anxiety of the dive — and I think that’s totally normal at those depths.
From 80 meters onward, some thoughts creep in.
The key is staying present, focused on the here and now. I’m also working on thoracic and diaphragmatic stretching.
The thing about depth is — you can be fit, but if your body isn’t adapted to pressure, you just can’t push 10 meters further. So far, I haven’t hit any other limits! Equalization and fitness are going great."

What are your two favorite workouts for dynamic and depth?
*"I’ll give you three!
For dynamic:

1. Fin swimming with short fins or powerfins and a front snorkel — trains muscles and technique.
2. 100-meter repeats with tight intervals, using monofin.
3. Slow hypoxic sets: 150m at slow pace or 3-minute dive time, then shift to race pace.
   Bonus: a go-and-stop set — stop for 40 sec, swim 50m, stop 30 sec, swim 100m, stop 15 sec, swim 150m, stop 5 sec, and finish the last meters (around 155-160m total).
   A tough hypercapnic set is 6 x 100m with short rest.

For depth:
During my 3 months in Dahab and Sharm:

• First month was adaptation. In the gym: mainly squats.
• Slow swimming: 3km/day with short fins.
• 40-50m no-weight dives to train descent, or extra weight dives to train ascent.
• Empty-lung statics at 20m.
  In the final month: warm-up plus one deep dive per session.
  Once you start diving at max depth, inflammation can appear, and you often need 1–2 days to recover.
  What scares me about competitions is doing many deep dives close together — your body doesn’t get time to recover."*

Which freedivers do you look up to or admire?
*"I’m a big fan of Alexey Molchanov — I admire his athleticism and competitiveness.
Davide Carrera is also incredibly skilled. I’ve never had the pleasure of really getting to know him, but I’d like to! I love what he conveys — very meditative and natural.
It’s

a more holistic and spiritual approach.
I know those are two very different names, but dynamic made me appreciate the athletic, competitive side of this sport, while outdoor freediving made me realize that the more we grow as people and get to know ourselves, the more we can take those qualities to depth.
Those are two aspects I’d love to combine.
With Fabio, I learned to unleash my competitive spirit, and now I’m trying to pair that with humility and detachment from just results.
Among many freedivers, Natalia Molchanova’s story is a constant inspiration, and it’s impossible not to mention Alessia Zecchini — a true icon of our sport.
I also really admire Chiara Obino!"*

So, you’re strong in both dynamic and depth. How’s it going with sponsors and trying to do this sport professionally?
"C4 helps me with gear, and Marco Ciceri always makes sure I have what I need to train and compete — and I’m really grateful for that!
At my current level, I can’t compare myself to the legends of freediving — but getting some support so I don’t have to spend all day gardening and diving in the lake after 10 hours of brush cutting wouldn’t hurt!
For now, it’s a dream. Who knows about tomorrow? Freediving is changing.
We’ve been saying it for years, but now more than ever, new young faces are appearing on the global stage, achieving results at an age that until recently was unimaginable."

Remember the name: Martino Valsangiacomo. We’ll keep following him closely!