The team bringing
world-class freediving to New York
Freediving NYC was founded to give New Yorkers access to the same training standard used by the world's best freedivers — without leaving the city. Every instructor on the team holds the Molchanovs Lap/Wave 2 instructor certification.
The instructor bench
Danila Novikov
Danila oversees Freediving NYC's day-to-day operations and teaches directly. A lifelong competitive swimmer, he built his approach to water in the pool — and built this school to share what the water taught him.
Alex Seneco
Alex leads instruction and instructor staffing across all Freediving NYC locations — the coaching standard-bearer of the school.
Joanna Suwen Lee Brown
Joanna brings the Molchanovs standard to every session she teaches — from first breath-holds to certification courses.
Matt Hayner
Matt teaches across the school's programs, with a focus on building calm, capable divers from day one.
Oleg Papazov
Oleg founded Freediving NYC and oversees budget and business operations — and like the whole bench, he teaches.
Built on the Molchanovs system
Freediving NYC trains under the official Molchanovs education system — the teaching lineage of the sport's most decorated family, from Natalia Molchanova's pioneering methodology to the modern Wave and Lap certification ladder used worldwide. You're not learning from a weekend hobbyist; you're learning under a system built by the sport's leading athletes.
Our philosophy
Freediving is equal parts science and adventure. We teach the physiology — how equalization works, what your body actually does underwater — alongside the feeling of it: the calm, the depth, the reason people fall in love with this sport. You don't need to be a scientist or a thrill-seeker to belong here. Just curious.
Come meet us in the water
The easiest hello is a trial session or a free open-house masterclass. No commitment — just water, breath, and a coach.
Book a session