Six Reasons to Go Freediving Before You Die, According to Chris Hemsworth's Docuseries Limitless

Life is short. That’s the gist of Chris Hemsworth’s new Disney+ show Limitless, where the Thor actor takes on impossible challenges to push himself to the limit. Limitless is all about testing the human body and finding ways to live a longer life. The docuseries on Disney+, which recently launched in the Philippines, begins as a fun adventure series that follows the Marvel star as he does everything from crane-walking to freediving, but as the series progresses, Hemsworth, and the viewers, will realize the weight of mortality.

Hemsworth meets many experts on his journey, including freediving champion Tanya Streeter who holds the women’s record in “no limits” freediving. A 10-time freediving world champion who can hold her breath for six minutes, Streeter guided Hemsworth in the “Fasting” episode of Limitless when the star tested his ability to go without food—and air. 

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On working with Hemsworth, Streeter only had praise: “He's a natural athlete. He's spent his life in and on the water. He's fit. He's keen. He's smart. He's very affable. He was an excellent and easy student.”

Freediving is considered an extreme sport for good reason. It tests your limits physically, mentally, and emotionally, but it’ll also give you countless life lessons along the way. Here are six reasons why you should go freediving before you die, according to Limitless guest star and freediving champion Tanya Streeter.

1| Bask in the Freedom

Streeter has been diving all her life. Growing up on Grand Cayman island, the ocean was her playground. Freediving became an avenue for her to protect the environment she loved, and to discover more of herself. Limitless portrays freediving as an almost spiritual event, and they’re not wrong. Streeter shared how she loves the challenges of freediving, as well as the freedom it provides:

“It's the place where I feel like I'm the best version of myself. But it's also the place where I feel the safest to sort of explore myself and face my fears and accept myself.”

2| Observe the Underwater World

Thalassophobia might make for trendy videos on TikTok, but the reality is that the ocean is the most majestic entity on the planet. While Black Panther’s Talokan might not exist in real life, the planet’s vast marine biodiversity is a mythical world in itself. Streeter recounted all the creatures and the sheer beauty of life underwater. Instead of thinking of freediving as not breathing, Streeter shared that freediving is really just taking one breath and holding it to give you the opportunity to observe more of the ocean.

“It's about observing your underwater world, and there's so much out there that is just mind-blowing and fascinating. That would be the first reason to ever put a mask on and take a look around you underwater,” said Streeter.

3| Learn Meditation

Freediving starts above water. Before you start holding your breath underwater, you must first learn how to get into the headspace of freediving, which you can do through meditation. There are countless studies that describe the benefits of meditation to your mind and body, and how it can rewire your thoughts and emotions to make more measured and calculated decisions—which you most certainly need when freediving.

“When you're facing something that is fearful, to be able to breathe and focus and to slow your brain—it’s absolutely imperative to look at what it is that you're doing in a realistic manner. And to calm yourself and essentially prepare your body, mind, and spirit for whatever your endeavor is,” shared Streeter.

4| Master Breathing

All extreme sports test our limits, but freediving also tests our survival instincts. In contrast, extreme sports like snowboarding and mountain biking rely on survival instincts to succeed. Through a regimen of breathing exercises, freedivers can expand their breath-holding skills from thirty seconds to minutes.

“With free diving, you're pushing against survival instincts, and I can't express that strongly enough. The only fuel you can consistently put in your body at all times is oxygen, and so to deny your body oxygen is huge,” shared Streeter.

When denied of air, the human body’s last-ditch attempt to preserve life is to make you lose consciousness. But freedivers circumvent this by mastering the art of breathing, and this is no small thing.

5| Overcome Your Mind

Any athlete will tell you that sports is mostly mind over matter, and freediving is no exception. Honing your body is just part of the journey—to get to the finish line, you’ll need to hone your mind as well.

“It is more mental than it is physical—100 percent. Your brain is going to stop you every time, and that's part of our survival instinct. If we didn't have a survival instinct and these measures to stop us from just jumping off a cliff, then then we wouldn't have survived as a species. So that exists to slow us down to keep us safe,” explained Streeter.

When you push beyond that limit, that’s when you access what Streeter refers to as the missing 30 percent of our potential or ability. Extreme sports require just as much mental focus and mental strength as physicality.

6| Redefine Your Limits

The idea of being able to hold your breath for over a minute seems impossible to most, but for people like Streeter, “impossible” is just a word.

“The only thing that can stop you freediving is something physical. Everything else is just mental. Then, [you make] a decision whether you're going to let your mind be your weapon or your weakness,” said Streeter.

“Redefine your limits. That was ironically my motto or catchphrase while I was competing. We all have limits, but you just don't know where they are until you try and the biggest obstacle that you have in trying is yourself—and that tends to be your mind.”

If Limitless will teach you anything, it’s that limits were meant to be tested. Catch Limitless now on Disney+.