How Rachel Finally Broke Through Her 10-Meter Barrier
The Starting Point
Rachel had a dream. As a bow hunter who loved the self-sufficiency of harvesting her own food, spearfishing felt like the natural next step. There was just one massive problem: she couldn’t equalize past 10 meters.
“I kept failing my level ones,” Rachel admits. “I just could not equalize for the life of me.”
She’d completed multiple freediving retreats with reputable schools. She’d watched countless Adam Stern videos. She practiced at home religiously. She tried everything she could find online. And still, three times in a row, she walked away from courses watching everyone else pass while she failed.
“There’s nothing quite as embarrassing for me than walking away from a course where everybody else passes and you’ve failed three times already.”
The problem? Rachel had tight eustachian tubes, and every time she went upside down in the water, anxiety would lock her up. Her mind would freak out, her tubes would tighten, and equalization became impossible.
“All of my problems come from anxiety in the water,” she explains. “Anytime I just went upside down, I’d freak out.”
She was stuck. She’d hit a wall that traditional freediving courses couldn’t help her break through. That’s when she decided to try something different.
Rache on a Straddie Beginner Spearfishing Retreat
The Hesitation (and What Changed Her Mind)
When Rachel discovered Noob Spearo through friends in the bow hunting communityâparticularly recommendations from Matty at Becoming a Bow Hunter and James Doumistisâshe was intrigued but apprehensive.
As a woman entering a male-dominated sport, she had one major concern: “I was apprehensive because I know it’s gonna be male dominated, like bow hunting is. And the one thing that I can’t handle is going into a scenario full of men and then it’s just like intense ego.”
What made her finally commit? One simple catchphrase: “No Ego.”
“That was actually the thing that got me over the line,” Rachel says. “You really spin that narrative of like there is no ego here. And it was true. A hundred percent true.”
She convinced her friend Danny (also struggling with freediving) to join her, paid the deposit, and showed upâdespite every fiber of her being telling her she might fail again.
“I’m actually a very scared person generally,” Rachel admits. “The hardest thing is just saying, okay, I am gonna do it, and I’m paying the deposit and then actually rocking up on the day. That’s the hardest part. Everything from then on is just fun and enjoyable.”
Rache and the crew on a Straddie Beginner Spearfishing Retreat
The Breakthrough
The Straddie retreat exceeded Rachel’s expectations from the moment she arrived. The accommodation was nicer than expected. The location was epic. The diving was accessible for beginners. But most importantly, the vibe was exactly as promisedâsupportive, ego-free, and welcoming.
“It was all men besides me and Danny, and you guys were amazing. Made friends out of it. Everybody was just helping each other out.”
Then came the moment that changed everything: Rachel got to 10 meters. The depth that had eluded her through three failed courses, countless practice sessions, and mountains of anxietyâshe finally reached it.
“I had gotten to 10 meters on your course, which I’d never gotten to before. So that was unreal. I came away knowing that I could get now comfortably to 10 meters, and I felt like, okay, this is my starting point. Now I can progress.”
But the transformation went beyond depth. One evening, in the fading light of Saturday dusk, Rachel found herself lying under a tree in 7-8 meters of water with only 3-4 meters of visibility. The nervous girl from day one had vanished. In her place was someone who didn’t want to get out of the water.
“It was like watching someone with a volume dial just crank it up,” Shrek recalls, “and the volume was just never coming down.”
Rache and her husband Shaun with Lobster and Coral Trout @mygirlrache
What Made the Difference?
For Rachel, the retreat taught something unexpected: safety culture.
“The course really taught me a lot about safety in spearing. That’s drilled into you in freediving for sure, but in spearing it’s probably less talked about. That was a nice part of Noob Spearoâhammering in the importance of having a dive buddy, watching each other, helping each other once they’ve got the fish.”
The practical skills were transformative too. For the first time, Rachel learned:
- How to fillet a fish (she’d never done it before)
- How to brain and bleed a catch properly
- How to handle a float line
- How to get a fish off the shaft
- What to do with different species (including the “trash fish” nobody targets)
“What you guys taught really well is what to do once you’ve got it. Very practical things. It prepared me for situations I’d never experienced.”
The Transformation
Before the retreat:
- Failed three freediving courses
- Couldn’t equalize past 10 meters
- Severe anxiety when going upside down
- No spearfishing experience
- Had never even filleted a fish
After the retreat:
- Comfortably diving to 10 meters (and beyond)
- Managing anxiety through proper safety protocols
- Confident handling and processing catches
- Found her own community of dive buddies
- Discovered her passionâone that rivals even bow hunting
Life After the Retreat
Two years later, Rachel’s transformation is complete. She moved to Far North Queensland to be near the Great Barrier Reef. She’s up at 4 AM to dive with different crews. Her husband doesn’t even come alongâthis is her thing now.
“I feel like bow hunting was always Sean’s thing and I did it with Sean. But spearfishing is truly like my thing.”
Recent accomplishments include:
- Landing her first tuskie (and Japanese-printing it)
- Attempting a 30-meter dive in Bali (reaching 26 meters)
- Targeting “beginner species” like slatey bream and surgeonsâlearning to make the most of every fish
“I’m not super concerned about getting species. I’m actually taking a lot of pride in trying to get the fish that other people don’t want. I’m learning how to deal with them because they’re way easier for a noob to shoot.”
Rache @mygirlrache with her first Tuskie
Her friend Danny? She now works on one of Australia’s best spearfishing charter boats out of Cairns.
“I’m at Rach 2.0 Now”
Rachel describes her current self as “the best version” of who she isâsomeone who pushes through embarrassing moments, conquers anxiety, and pursues challenges that scare her.
“Embarrassment is the price you pay for entry,” she says. “I will push myself through super embarrassing moments.”
Her advice to anyone sitting on the fence?
“It’s been life-changing, literally a life-changing experience for me. It could be that for somebody else. If you’re nervous, it’s such a cool, fun trip. It’s friendly. Everybody’s supportive. There literally is no ego. Everybody’s on the same level. It’s warm and inviting.”
“Do something that’s scary and challenging and you’ll come away and you’ll just be so stoked that you did it.”
Rachel went from three failed freediving courses to confident reef spearo in one weekend. If you’re stuck, anxious, or just ready to break through your own barriers, the Noob Spearo retreat might be exactly what you need.
