The Club Making Freediving a Bad Experience

Imagine finding something that changes your life.

For some people, freediving is that thing. The silence beneath the surface. The feeling of weightlessness. A break from the noise of everyday life. You descend into blue water, and for a moment, everything else disappears.

For others, it's exploration — kelp forests, weedy seadragons, shipwrecks, underwater worlds most people will never see. For many, it's the community. Finding your people. Training partners who keep you safe. Friends who understand why you wake up at 5am to drive to a freezing pier.

For some, it's healing. A way to manage anxiety. To reconnect with the body. To find peace.

Now imagine joining a club to pursue this passion — and discovering it's nothing like what you were promised.

The Promise

Melbourne Freedivers Club presents itself as exactly what newcomers are looking for. Their website makes bold claims:

“Melbourne Freedivers Club (MFC) exists to encourage a community of safe and supportive freedivers.”

“Thanks to the establishment of the club members have access to good training facilities and a community of safe divers to train with.”

Safe. Supportive. Community.

These are the words that draw people in. New freedivers searching for guidance. Experienced divers looking for training partners. People seeking connection.

What they find is often something different.

The Reality

Ask any experienced freediver in Melbourne who isn't a member of this club. They'll tell you the same thing: senior members control Melbourne Freedivers Club for their own self-interests.

It's an open secret in the local diving community. The people who've been around long enough have learned to stay away.

But newcomers don't know this. They see the website. They see the Facebook posts. They join, hoping to find what was promised.

This is for them.

Following the Money

Melbourne Freedivers Club is registered as a not-for-profit organisation. On paper, that means membership fees go toward shared resources, pool hire, equipment, community events.

Look closer.

Senior members have used the club's email list and member database to promote their own private paid events — using official club email addresses. When a member receives an email from the club, they assume it's club business. It's not always.

Admin posts on the club's Facebook page promote personal commercial events. To someone scrolling their feed, these look like official announcements. Club resources have been used for private instruction.

Here's where it gets interesting.

The founding president was removed from his position. His offence? Wanting to advertise his own services through the club.

The same people who led his removal now hold leadership positions. They do exactly what they accused him of — arguably worse. Other freediving service providers are blocked or disadvantaged, ensuring members don't have access to the best options available.

The non-profit structure appears to be a front. A cover for commercial activities benefiting a select few.

Behind Closed Doors

How are leaders elected at Melbourne Freedivers Club?

There is no fair or transparent election process. Members who raise legitimate concerns find themselves silenced. The club has become a vehicle for the private agendas of those at the top.

Internal politics is rife.

When complaints are lodged, they're handled by people with direct conflicts of interest. The outcomes appear predetermined. If you dispute a decision, good luck finding a documented reinvestigation process.

Members who call out bullying, harassment, discrimination, or conflicts of interest have been victimised for speaking up.

The system protects itself.

The Training Officer Question

Melbourne Freedivers Club is, first and foremost, a sports club. That's its purpose. You'd expect a Training Officer to be central to member development — technique, performance, competition preparation.

Instead, this Training Officer recuses himself from all competition-related activities. He hasn't continued his own freediving education. In a sports club, a training role completely disconnected from competition is a fundamental contradiction.

It gets worse.

The Training Officer promotes surface-only safety protocols. The global freediving community moved past this years ago. Tried-and-tested, science-based in-water buddy systems are now the standard worldwide.

When asked about club governance, his philosophy isn't based on documented processes. He refers to vague notions of “tradition and integrity.”

Tradition of what — bullying?

And what integrity — given everything described here?

A more accurate title would be “Pool Training Coordinator.”

When Safety Stops Mattering

In freediving, safety isn't optional. People can die. Shallow water blackout is real. The buddy system exists because it saves lives.

At Melbourne Freedivers Club, personal safety concerns raised by members have not been taken seriously. The Safety Officer has ignored legitimate safety concerns — seemingly due to personal relationships with the perpetrators.

And at least one competition lacked adequate safety provisions for volunteers. The people meant to keep divers safe were themselves put at risk.

These aren't minor issues but foundation of the sport.

A Pattern of Harm

Multiple accounts describe a pattern of bullying and harassment by senior members. Racial comments have been encouraged or ignored by those in leadership. Vulnerable members have been subjected to inappropriate behaviour.

Empty Words

At one point, the club discussed creating merchandise featuring Aboriginal art to honour First Nations peoples. It was a nice talking point. Nothing ever happened.

Grand statements. Zero follow-through. This pattern reflects the broader culture of the organisation. Why would anyone take interest in initiatives that don't promote their own self-interests?

What's Being Lost

When senior members use a club to serve their own commercial and personal interests, they don't just damage an organisation.

They damage the experience for everyone who came looking for something meaningful.

New freedivers deserve better than being caught in someone else's politics. They deserve safety. They deserve support. They deserve a real community.

The freediving community in Melbourne is small. Word travels. The experienced divers already know to stay away.

This article exists so newcomers know too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Melbourne Freedivers Club safe?

Based on our experience and community feedback, there are concerns about the club's safety culture. Safety concerns raised by members have not been taken seriously and the Safety Officer has ignored legitimate concerns.

Should I join Melbourne Freedivers Club?

We recommend exercising caution. Before joining, ask the club for documented processes covering governance, elections, complaints handling, safety protocols, and insurance. Ask who handles complaints and whether they have conflicts of interest. If the answers are vague, that tells you something.

Is Melbourne Freedivers Club good for beginners?

Beginners deserve a supportive, safe environment to learn freediving. Based on the concerns documented in this article — including bullying, harassment, discrimination, and safety issues — beginners may want to consider other options in Melbourne. See our guide to freediving clubs in Melbourne for alternatives.

What are the best freediving clubs in Melbourne?

Southern Freedivers is Melbourne's most established spearfishing club with an active community. For a full comparison, see our guide to freediving clubs in Melbourne.

What is Melbourne Freedivers Club?

Melbourne Freedivers Club (MFC) is a not-for-profit sports club based in Melbourne, Victoria. It offers pool training sessions. This article documents concerns about its governance, safety culture, and member welfare based on firsthand experience and community knowledge.