Lilly Ryzebol: Overcoming Fear through Freediving

Deepblu: For those in the Deepblu dive community who might not be familiar with your work and career, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Lilly Ryzebol: I began my underwater journey as a scuba diver and then fell in love with freediving. After becoming a certified freediver, I decided to start competitive freediving for fun. Little did I know, attending regular training sessions and competitions, I ended up becoming Canada’s National Record Holder for Women DYNB (dynamic bifins). Also, I am the AIDA Canada Provincial representative for Ontario which means I help promote the development of freediving in Ontario. I enjoy freediving because it helps me keep calm and releases the stress in my life.

When I am not in the water I enjoy many other hobbies which include: singing on my church worship team, learning different languages, rock climbing, longboarding, painting in watercolour and geeking out over new technology.

DB: What made you decide to attempt the Canadian National Record for Freediving Dynamic with Bifins?

LR: I always enjoyed DYNB as a freediving discipline. I train regularly with my coach, Andrew Ryzebol, who started out as my instructor and now is my husband! My first DYNB competition I experience a minor black out and due to that event, I was embarrassed and discouraged to continue freediving. However through perseverance and consistent training, the set back turned into success of obtaining not only my personal best but also the Canadian National Record. I really didn’t plan on trying to break any record, I always go to competitions with the goal of competing with myself and to learn my limits as an athlete.

DB: What was the most difficult part about training? Can you explain the challenges of diving dynamic as opposed to constant weight?

LR: Returning to training after my blackout incident was difficult because of the fear that it would happen again. The key thing was being in the water often and to build up my confidence by doing a max attempt days after the competition which helped me conquer that fear!

In constant weight I have the breathhold capacity to go deeper but my barrier is equalization. The challenge in DYN is not equalization but in fact, physical conditioning of my leg muscles and calculating my mental and physical limits before the onset of a blackout.

DB: You had an incident where you almost drowned as a child during a family trip to Indonesia. How did you overcome your fear of the water after such a traumatic event?

LR: Growing up I was ashamed that I didn’t know how to swim and avoided pool party invites from school friends because of my fear of the water. After my mother passed away my faith and community helped me make a brave decision to conquer my fear which paralyzed me all my life. The journey led me into discovering my passion for the underwater world and I found the love of my life, my husband Andrew Ryzebol, who is now my coach and training buddy.

DB: Many people say that freediving is therapeutic in many ways. Has freediving helped you conquer any difficult moments in your life?

LR: My mother was my best friend and she passed away after battling cancer. My faith and decision to start freediving helped me while I was grieving the loss of her life. The water helps me focus and be calm. After a freediving session at the pool, in a lake or in the ocean it makes me feel alive and grateful of being part of this magnificent creation.

DB: Besides freediving competitively, what other forms of diving and underwater activity do you like to participate in?

Underwater activities I enjoy doing are: spearfishing, scuba diving, surfing, sailing, swimming and snowboarding on frozen water aka snow 😉