An Interview With Freediving Champion Tanya Streeter
by Sherry Flumerfelt
Tanya Streeter is a multiple World Record Freediver and a passionate environmental spokesperson. In her short career Tanya has surpassed women’s and even men’s world records on several occasions, making her one of the most accomplished and recognized athletes in her sport. She is also a spokesperson for the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).
What are your first memories of coral reefs and oceans?
I grew up in Grand Cayman, and I can remember being a kid playing in the rock pools. Different creatures would come in with the tides, and I would swim around and move rocks from one pool to the next. When I was a little bit older, around ten or so, I would snorkel above the scuba divers and if I saw them lying on the reef or touching the reef in any way at all, I would swim down to them and scold them. Or if I saw people in the distance walking on the reefs, I would holler at them like a fish wife.
I haven’t changed. Just the other week, my husband and I were on a boat and I saw a plastic bag floating on the water. So I leaned over the side to try to scoop it up and Paul said, “babe, you’re going to hurt yourself, let me do that.” so he leaned over to try to help and he fell and broke his leg and is still in a cast. I find the humor in this more than Paul does.When people ask me how he broke his leg, I tell them he did it “trying to save the world.”
Why are coral reefs and oceans so important to you?
I feel like in some respects if I hadn’t gone on to freediving I would have ended up helping oceans in some way or another. It’s in my blood. I was born and raised in the ocean environment. There isn’t an environment anywhere else in the world where I feel so at home. It’s a spiritual thing for me.
It’s pretty hard for me to imagine not helping protect the oceans, which are in a really sad state. In my 31 years of living, I have really seen a change happen that is devastating. You feel really saddened, like you’re losing a friend. I would like to imagine that our future children and grandchildren will be able to see the beauty that I have seen.
What are you thinking and feeling while you’re diving?
If I’m training to do a record, my focus is on training and what I have to do. I’m not really thinking about the natural environment. That’s the truth of the matter.
However, there’s just so much to experience and so much to see. I sometimes think of myself as blending into the sea. Actually, it’s more like I’m a drop of water that has dissolved into the sea.
My favorite thing to do before boarding school, on the last day of our vacation, was I would lie on the sand at the bottom and listen to the noises that the water made, watch the fish that swam past, and the light reflecting on the sand ripples. Just really absorbing and feeling this environment.
Any special moments underwater that really stick out in your mind?
One time when I was freediving for fun, I wasn’t really training, I could hear whales singing in the background during the entire freedive down to 200 feet and back, but I couldn’t see them. And I could hear this magical noise that they were making. It’s almost Hollywood like, but there is the comparison of whales and freediving.
My respect for the ocean borders on fear. I’m comfortable underwater, but never too comfortable. Often times I’m miles and miles offshore, with nothing but a rope and a few friends. You really gain a deep respect for what’s out there.
Where are your favorite coral reef diving spots?
The Caribbean is my favorite, since that’s where I grew up. There’s a romance with the Caribbean for me, because it’s in my roots. I also really love discovering a relatively untouched reef. It’s magical. That’s why I have really enjoyed the Turks & Caicos Islands in recent years. Setting important world records there have given me an obvious bond, but discovering relatively untouched dive sites has reminded me of my youth in a way.
Do you have any favorite reef creatures?
Anemones have always fascinated me. I love to see how close you can get before they retreat. I also really like peaking under coral heads and rocks and finding the creatures that hide out underneath, like squirrelfish. When I was a child I can remember looking for brittle stars with my mom. We did it recently too, and it was wonderful!
What motivated you to become an environmental spokeswoman?
Well, environmental organizations started coming to me. And that’s when it all started to make sense for me. I got into freediving and loved it and was beating world records, and a lot of it was more to do with my own personal fears, and my own personal goals and ambitions. But just as I was starting to wonder, “is this it?”, an environmental group approached me and asked me to help. And I really realized that now that I have a voice, and people can listen to me, it all makes sense. I really want to help the oceans.
Ever since then, I’ve helped a number of groups. Right now the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) are near and dear to my heart. Recently I have been helping to campaign against the establishment of a captive dolphin facility in Grand Cayman and it’s a fight I am passionate about for many reasons. Freedivers have an affinity with marine mammals of course, but most people seem to understand the cruelty and immorality of locking up such beautiful and intelligent creatures. I couldn’t bear to see my island-home endorse this kind of exploitation.
What can other people do to help?
The biggest thing other people can do to help is to really educate themselves. Go and watch the Coral Reef Adventure Film. The thing that stuck out the most in my mind in that film, was when they talked about the grandchildren who will never be able to see the reefs as they are.
I encourage everyone to go and see films and go and watch, and learn, but then go out and do something, whether it’s a reef survey, or supporting an environmental organization, or anything. I strongly encourage everyone to act, and not just sit and learn. You can do little things, or big things. Just do SOMEthing!
An Interview With Freediving Champion Tanya Streeter
by Sherry Flumerfelt
Tanya Streeter is a multiple World Record Freediver and a passionate environmental spokesperson. In her short career Tanya has surpassed women’s and even men’s world records on several occasions, making her one of the most accomplished and recognized athletes in her sport. She is also a spokesperson for the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).
What are your first memories of coral reefs and oceans?
I grew up in Grand Cayman, and I can remember being a kid playing in the rock pools. Different creatures would come in with the tides, and I would swim around and move rocks from one pool to the next. When I was a little bit older, around ten or so, I would snorkel above the scuba divers and if I saw them lying on the reef or touching the reef in any way at all, I would swim down to them and scold them. Or if I saw people in the distance walking on the reefs, I would holler at them like a fish wife.
I haven’t changed. Just the other week, my husband and I were on a boat and I saw a plastic bag floating on the water. So I leaned over the side to try to scoop it up and Paul said, “babe, you’re going to hurt yourself, let me do that.” so he leaned over to try to help and he fell and broke his leg and is still in a cast. I find the humor in this more than Paul does.When people ask me how he broke his leg, I tell them he did it “trying to save the world.”
Why are coral reefs and oceans so important to you?
I feel like in some respects if I hadn’t gone on to freediving I would have ended up helping oceans in some way or another. It’s in my blood. I was born and raised in the ocean environment. There isn’t an environment anywhere else in the world where I feel so at home. It’s a spiritual thing for me.
It’s pretty hard for me to imagine not helping protect the oceans, which are in a really sad state. In my 31 years of living, I have really seen a change happen that is devastating. You feel really saddened, like you’re losing a friend. I would like to imagine that our future children and grandchildren will be able to see the beauty that I have seen.
What are you thinking and feeling while you’re diving?
If I’m training to do a record, my focus is on training and what I have to do. I’m not really thinking about the natural environment. That’s the truth of the matter.
However, there’s just so much to experience and so much to see. I sometimes think of myself as blending into the sea. Actually, it’s more like I’m a drop of water that has dissolved into the sea.
My favorite thing to do before boarding school, on the last day of our vacation, was I would lie on the sand at the bottom and listen to the noises that the water made, watch the fish that swam past, and the light reflecting on the sand ripples. Just really absorbing and feeling this environment.
Any special moments underwater that really stick out in your mind?
One time when I was freediving for fun, I wasn’t really training, I could hear whales singing in the background during the entire freedive down to 200 feet and back, but I couldn’t see them. And I could hear this magical noise that they were making. It’s almost Hollywood like, but there is the comparison of whales and freediving.
My respect for the ocean borders on fear. I’m comfortable underwater, but never too comfortable. Often times I’m miles and miles offshore, with nothing but a rope and a few friends. You really gain a deep respect for what’s out there.
Where are your favorite coral reef diving spots?
The Caribbean is my favorite, since that’s where I grew up. There’s a romance with the Caribbean for me, because it’s in my roots. I also really love discovering a relatively untouched reef. It’s magical. That’s why I have really enjoyed the Turks & Caicos Islands in recent years. Setting important world records there have given me an obvious bond, but discovering relatively untouched dive sites has reminded me of my youth in a way.
Do you have any favorite reef creatures?
Anemones have always fascinated me. I love to see how close you can get before they retreat. I also really like peaking under coral heads and rocks and finding the creatures that hide out underneath, like squirrelfish. When I was a child I can remember looking for brittle stars with my mom. We did it recently too, and it was wonderful!
What motivated you to become an environmental spokeswoman?
Well, environmental organizations started coming to me. And that’s when it all started to make sense for me. I got into freediving and loved it and was beating world records, and a lot of it was more to do with my own personal fears, and my own personal goals and ambitions. But just as I was starting to wonder, “is this it?”, an environmental group approached me and asked me to help. And I really realized that now that I have a voice, and people can listen to me, it all makes sense. I really want to help the oceans.
Ever since then, I’ve helped a number of groups. Right now the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) are near and dear to my heart. Recently I have been helping to campaign against the establishment of a captive dolphin facility in Grand Cayman and it’s a fight I am passionate about for many reasons. Freedivers have an affinity with marine mammals of course, but most people seem to understand the cruelty and immorality of locking up such beautiful and intelligent creatures. I couldn’t bear to see my island-home endorse this kind of exploitation.
What can other people do to help?
The biggest thing other people can do to help is to really educate themselves. Go and watch the Coral Reef Adventure Film. The thing that stuck out the most in my mind in that film, was when they talked about the grandchildren who will never be able to see the reefs as they are.
I encourage everyone to go and see films and go and watch, and learn, but then go out and do something, whether it’s a reef survey, or supporting an environmental organization, or anything. I strongly encourage everyone to act, and not just sit and learn. You can do little things, or big things. Just do SOMEthing!
