Author: ALFC Team
When we launched the ALFC Internship Program, we wanted to offer something that went beyond simply spending a few weeks at a freediving center. The idea was to bring people into the everyday life of ALFC, giving them the opportunity to train, assist, observe, work alongside our team and experience what happens behind the scenes of a professional freediving operation.
Our first two interns completed their time with us, and then it was time for the next two to arrive.
Urszula from Poland and Johanna from Hungary have now spent almost two months living, training and working with us in Kalamata. They have shared boats with complete beginners and experienced athletes, helped with the daily life of the center, trained in the blue waters of the Messinian Gulf and experienced Kalamata not as visitors passing through, but as part of the ALFC team.
So instead of asking them for a conventional testimonial, we asked each of them to write something about their experience. We simply wanted to know what these weeks had looked and felt like from their side.
What came back were two very different pieces from two very different people. And we think they are better left exactly as they wrote them.
Urszula
Kalamata has some magic. Once it puts a spell on you, you’ll understand.
I started my internship at Alchemy Freediving Center almost two months ago. Since then, I’ve been both an observer and a participant in the Kalamata freediving scene.
Different motivations bring people to freediving. I’ve seen complete beginners and professional athletes. People who train for competitions, and people for whom freediving is a form of underwater meditation. Years of experience and first freediving steps, all together on the same boat.
Joy, novelty, excitement, but also disappointment, anger and frustration. I’ve seen it all. A mix of emotions. A mix of people from different parts of the world.
The common denominator? They are all here to submerge themselves in the deep, blue waters of Kalamata.
The city itself feels slow, calm and safe. Being here feels a little like being underwater. Like someone pressed pause and everything started happening in slow motion.
Relax. You’re in Kalamata. Welcome to the calm zone.
Time moves differently here.
I started freediving a long time ago, but no place has ever spoiled me quite like Kalamata.
Most days, the sea is completely calm. No wind, no waves. More than 120 metres of depth available within just a few minutes by boat. On most days, visibility is around 30 metres. Full sunshine. Just you, your safety, and the big blue.
During my stay here, I’ve noticed a recurring pattern: people keep coming back.
Some haven’t even left yet, and they’re already thinking about how to come back. Others return with their loved ones and friends, wanting to show them this place. They bring their children, their parents.
My favourite group is the people who come back here every year. Kalamata holds a special meaning for them.
For everyone, there is a different reason to return. Excellent freediving conditions, a long season, good infrastructure, authentic Greek cuisine.
But most importantly: people.
Connections built on trust.
In freediving, trust is everything. It helps you relax, go deeper, progress, and feel safe.
And because freediving brings together people from different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives, sometimes it gives you a new perspective on life — and on yourself.
And after a few weeks here, you might start to feel that your everyday life no longer has quite enough room for everything you’ve discovered here.
That’s why people keep coming back.
And that’s the Kalamata magic.
Johanna
When I was asked to write about my experience of Kalamata, I instantly thought: my article is going to be boring, because everything is so nice here: the place is beautiful, the diving conditions are perfect, the food is incredibly tasty and nutritious, and the people are so full of life. I love the light and fun aspect of spending time with people here, and I am moved by the openness and love I’ve experienced so far.
No plot twist. No drama. See? Boring.
When I first visited Kalamata, it instantly felt like home. I’ve been drawn to the sea my whole life. So starting every day by going out to sea, diving or assisting on the boat, it feels like a dream come true.
And not to mention that the bay is surrounded by mountains, the view is just the cherry on top, from land and sea alike.
There is this funny thing about the person I’m sharing this internship with: we are like yin and yang. For example, I like to take part in competitions, while she would be the last person to compete.
I wear white, light colours and pink; she prefers black, dark green and red. One time, the two of us did a diaphragm stretching session. I was wearing pink clothes on a pink yoga mat, while my internship partner wore completely black on a dark yoga mat. She turned to me and showed me a picture of the famous pink Barbie and black Batman houses in Santa Monica: “Look, this is us!”
We burst out laughing, so spot on.
I believe it’s precisely because we are not alike that we get on so well and work together in harmony. She is from Poland, I am from Hungary. In both cultures, we have the saying, “Pole and Hungarian, two good friends.” I think there is a slight difference in the Polish version, something like “Pole and Hungarian are like siblings.” Either way — true for me so far.
Good job, Alchemy, on the selection of the interns!
And the Big Blue, I have no words for the experience under the water here in Kalamata. It’s something otherworldly. Go and feel it for yourself.
On top of the Big Blue, the guidance and support I get both during training and from the management are priceless. And I think this is also why I feel so much at home here. And no, I don’t get a commission from the diving center. ;)
See? My story of Kalamata is so light and full of joy. In a way, boring for a full article.
Maybe there really is no drama or plot twist to my Kalamata story. Just the sea, the mountains, good food, great people, training, lots of laughter and the feeling that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. And if that makes for a boring story, I think I can live with that.
The Kalamata Magic, Through The Eyes Of Our Interns
Author: ALFC Team
When we launched the ALFC Internship Program, we wanted to offer something that went beyond simply spending a few weeks at a freediving center. The idea was to bring people into the everyday life of ALFC, giving them the opportunity to train, assist, observe, work alongside our team and experience what happens behind the scenes of a professional freediving operation.
Our first two interns completed their time with us, and then it was time for the next two to arrive.
Urszula from Poland and Johanna from Hungary have now spent almost two months living, training and working with us in Kalamata. They have shared boats with complete beginners and experienced athletes, helped with the daily life of the center, trained in the blue waters of the Messinian Gulf and experienced Kalamata not as visitors passing through, but as part of the ALFC team.
So instead of asking them for a conventional testimonial, we asked each of them to write something about their experience. We simply wanted to know what these weeks had looked and felt like from their side.
What came back were two very different pieces from two very different people. And we think they are better left exactly as they wrote them.
Urszula
Kalamata has some magic. Once it puts a spell on you, you’ll understand.
I started my internship at Alchemy Freediving Center almost two months ago. Since then, I’ve been both an observer and a participant in the Kalamata freediving scene.
Different motivations bring people to freediving. I’ve seen complete beginners and professional athletes. People who train for competitions, and people for whom freediving is a form of underwater meditation. Years of experience and first freediving steps, all together on the same boat.
Joy, novelty, excitement, but also disappointment, anger and frustration. I’ve seen it all. A mix of emotions. A mix of people from different parts of the world.
The common denominator? They are all here to submerge themselves in the deep, blue waters of Kalamata.
The city itself feels slow, calm and safe. Being here feels a little like being underwater. Like someone pressed pause and everything started happening in slow motion.
Relax. You’re in Kalamata. Welcome to the calm zone.
Time moves differently here.
I started freediving a long time ago, but no place has ever spoiled me quite like Kalamata.
Most days, the sea is completely calm. No wind, no waves. More than 120 metres of depth available within just a few minutes by boat. On most days, visibility is around 30 metres. Full sunshine. Just you, your safety, and the big blue.
During my stay here, I’ve noticed a recurring pattern: people keep coming back.
Some haven’t even left yet, and they’re already thinking about how to come back. Others return with their loved ones and friends, wanting to show them this place. They bring their children, their parents.
My favourite group is the people who come back here every year. Kalamata holds a special meaning for them.
For everyone, there is a different reason to return. Excellent freediving conditions, a long season, good infrastructure, authentic Greek cuisine.
But most importantly: people.
Connections built on trust.
In freediving, trust is everything. It helps you relax, go deeper, progress, and feel safe.
And because freediving brings together people from different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives, sometimes it gives you a new perspective on life — and on yourself.
And after a few weeks here, you might start to feel that your everyday life no longer has quite enough room for everything you’ve discovered here.
That’s why people keep coming back.
And that’s the Kalamata magic.
Johanna
When I was asked to write about my experience of Kalamata, I instantly thought: my article is going to be boring, because everything is so nice here: the place is beautiful, the diving conditions are perfect, the food is incredibly tasty and nutritious, and the people are so full of life. I love the light and fun aspect of spending time with people here, and I am moved by the openness and love I’ve experienced so far.
No plot twist. No drama. See? Boring.
When I first visited Kalamata, it instantly felt like home. I’ve been drawn to the sea my whole life. So starting every day by going out to sea, diving or assisting on the boat, it feels like a dream come true.
And not to mention that the bay is surrounded by mountains, the view is just the cherry on top, from land and sea alike.
There is this funny thing about the person I’m sharing this internship with: we are like yin and yang. For example, I like to take part in competitions, while she would be the last person to compete.
I wear white, light colours and pink; she prefers black, dark green and red. One time, the two of us did a diaphragm stretching session. I was wearing pink clothes on a pink yoga mat, while my internship partner wore completely black on a dark yoga mat. She turned to me and showed me a picture of the famous pink Barbie and black Batman houses in Santa Monica: “Look, this is us!”
We burst out laughing, so spot on.
I believe it’s precisely because we are not alike that we get on so well and work together in harmony. She is from Poland, I am from Hungary. In both cultures, we have the saying, “Pole and Hungarian, two good friends.” I think there is a slight difference in the Polish version, something like “Pole and Hungarian are like siblings.” Either way — true for me so far.
Good job, Alchemy, on the selection of the interns!
And the Big Blue, I have no words for the experience under the water here in Kalamata. It’s something otherworldly. Go and feel it for yourself.
On top of the Big Blue, the guidance and support I get both during training and from the management are priceless. And I think this is also why I feel so much at home here. And no, I don’t get a commission from the diving center. ;)
See? My story of Kalamata is so light and full of joy. In a way, boring for a full article.
Maybe there really is no drama or plot twist to my Kalamata story. Just the sea, the mountains, good food, great people, training, lots of laughter and the feeling that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. And if that makes for a boring story, I think I can live with that.