#146 | Gary McGrath | Ascents & Descents

The Freedive Cafe Podcast

Gary McGrath is the deepest ever self-propelled freediver from the UK, claiming a national record of 112m in CWT at 2022's Vertical Blue competition.
In this episode we catch up with Gary since last years amazing Vertical Blue performance and examine the dark places in our mental environments, open up about depression, anxiety and seeking help, and sincerely hope you benefit from this discussion ❤️
Also watch on YouTube at Freedive and Thrive.
In this episode we discuss:
Second time lucky!
Catching up with Gary since his 2022 Vertical Blue experience.
The difficult and expensive process of getting to Vertical Blue.
How does one get into VB anyway?
Gary lost all his gear on the way to Vertical Blue!
What turning up at the Blue Hole feels like.
The journey from disqualification and COVID in 2021 to the UK national record in 2022.
The Vertical Blue 2022 experience.
Crowdfunding for Gary's next VB appearance:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gary-get-to-vertical-blue
What changed in training for Gary between 2021 and 2022?
Gary's experience with mental health problems.
Depression, anxiety and how we deal with them, overcome them.
Imposter syndrome in the freediving elite.
Please feel free to reach out to Gary or myself if you are suffering similar issues.
What advice would Gary give to his ten years younger self?
Thank you for listening x

For all episodes of the Freedive Cafe Podcast, visit www.freedivecafe.com
For freediving courses and training in Dahab, Egypt, visit www.freediveandthrive.com
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