Blog
Stories from the water, and the trail
Freediving courses and lessons learned, plus Jake's hikes and travels. Everything here is from his own blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you can swim 200m nonstop and if your doctor says you have no medical contraindications, then you should definitely try freediving.
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Beginner Freediving Courses in Ottawa!
If you’ve found this page, it means that you’re likely looking for a simple, local way to get into freediving. It’s a tough sport to enter…
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Trapped Under Ice
For the entire evening before heading up to my first ever ice dive, I could not get this Metallica song out of my head! I was…
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Beginner to Instructor: A Shallow Start
Two years ago, I took my first freediving course in Wellington, New Zealand at Dive Wellington. When I signed up, I was operating on the idea…
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Whakatane Whanau
The drive to Whakatane was super windy and lovely, dodging around large hills and giving you heaps of both scenery and forest to watch as you…
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A Wee North Island Road Trip
I got a little more work done with Terry and Emily before deciding to leave Colville. I’m not great at goodbyes and always draw them out,…
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Colville Heights and Whitianga Nights
After Christmas, it was time to get back to work! This time, my hosts had me cutting some weatherboards to clad an exterior cabinet that houses…
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Christmas in Coromandel
On my way out of Auckland, I stopped at a park for a trail run! Over a week of having between 1 and many beers each…
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Now arriving at AKL
It was a really long night in Nadi, Fiji after saying goodbye to Alexa, as my hostel-mate and I were appalled to find several bed bugs…
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Fiji Gold: A cold beer or new besties?
Long flights suck, and I slept especially poorly on this one. However, I did get to watch Blackberry (hilarious, I highly recommend it) and I learned…
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(W)interlude
After one last dinner with my bestie and triple checking my bag (kidding, just barely managed to fit everything in!) and I am off! I hugged…
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In Preparation
Getting ready for the biggest change you’ve ever experienced is very hard. I thought that going to university, or moving cities for work would be tough,…
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GR.11 – Day 5
Day 5 already! I made breakfast while watching the sun struggle through the mists as it rose and before smacking us with its heat. THis had…
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GR.11 – Day 4
The start of Day 4 was a joyous one. There was a briskness to the air that felt invigorated me as we left the stuffy hostel…
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GR.11 – Day 3
This may have been my most challenging day of the whole hike. It started off so pleasant as I walked a pair of Germans I had…
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GR.11 – Day 2
If I thought Day 1 was a scorcher, I had no idea what was coming up next.
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GR.11 – Day 1
My write-up of Day 1 is very long because it felt like so much happened! If I can remember the details from the rest of the…
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GR.11 – Overview
850km of walking the Pyrenees in 46 days: the GR.11 trail, day by day.
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Indian Lookout Trail – Or, How I Learned to Love the Suck
This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The wide open expanse, untouched nature, pure isolation, and sheer magnificence of this land…
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The Devil’s Thumb of Lake Louise
This hike was a blast! We started just after lunch when our buddy dropped us off a short walk away from Lake Louise. After walking up…
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