Klaus Simonsen is a freediving instructor trainer and coach with extensive experience in equalization techniques and depth training. He specializes in helping freedivers understand how they dive — technically, mentally, and physically — through structured, individualized coaching.

For Klaus, freediving goes beyond sport and performance. It is a disciplined practice that cultivates focus, awareness, and presence in the water. With a background in architecture, he approaches training systematically: building strong foundations, progressing step by step, and allowing depth to become a natural consequence rather than a goal in itself.

Klaus’s journey led him to Dahab, where freediving gradually became both his profession and his way of life. His teaching philosophy is shaped by years of practical experience in the water and careful observation of how different freedivers learn, adapt, and respond under pressure.

One of his formative experiences was a night dive more than 12 years ago in Denmark, where the underwater world suddenly came alive in a new way. Rather than being about challenge or performance, the experience revealed how powerful the present moment can be in freediving. This dive shaped Klaus’s understanding of freediving as a practice rooted in patience, presence, and calm attention.

Klaus’s presence in the water is calm and unhurried, and this quality strongly influences the way his students experience training. Freedivers are approached as individuals, each with their own rhythm, limitations, and learning process. Sessions are structured and precise, while remaining patient, adaptive, and supportive.

A key element of Klaus’s teaching is the learning environment itself. He believes that freediving is learned most effectively in a professional, relaxed, and enjoyable atmosphere, where curiosity is encouraged and mistakes are treated as a natural part of the process. By reducing pressure and keeping training both focused and light, freedivers often find that complex skills become easier to understand and integrate.

A central focus of Klaus’s work is equalization. While most freedivers know that forcing does not work, this knowledge often disappears under pressure. Equalization fails not because people push intentionally, but because timing, tension, and awareness break down when expectations increase. Rather than giving rules such as “don’t force it,” Klaus focuses on creating the conditions in which forcing never arises.

His teaching style can be described as precise, adaptive, and technical.

Before introducing technique, Klaus places strong emphasis on relaxation and awareness, as these are inseparable from reliable equalization. Many freedivers believe they are relaxed during a dive, but are often unaware of subtle tension patterns that directly interfere with timing and coordination. A central part of Klaus’s equalization training is helping students recognize the difference between feeling relaxed and being relaxed. When this awareness is established, equalization often changes immediately, becoming more consistent and effortless. For many students, this moment of clarity becomes a turning point in their development as freedivers.

Safety is the foundation of Klaus’s teaching. Preparation, awareness, and responsibility are central to every dive, and progress is never rushed. If conditions — physical, mental, or environmental — are not right, the plan is adjusted.

In addition to coaching and teaching, Klaus has competed internationally and is a three-time Danish vice national depth record holder. He was part of the Danish national freediving team at the World Championships in Kaş in 2022, an experience that further shaped his understanding of structured preparation, mental regulation, and long-term progression at a high competitive level.

Students often leave his sessions feeling calmer, more focused, and more confident — not only underwater, but also in how they approach challenges overall.

For those hesitant to begin, Klaus emphasizes that freediving is accessible with patience, small steps, and the right guidance.