I'm an Oceanoid.

Hi, I’m Roberta. Chances are, if you’ve found yourself here, you love the ocean. I do too. Born and raised in Vancouver and surrounded by water, I could never imagine a life away from it. I first explored our local waters as an avid scuba diver. Later, while working as a Dive Master, I discovered freediving and pursued it both competively and recreationally. Challenging myself, I swam longer and longer distances in the ocean, and eventually explored cold water swimming year round with no wetsuit.

Nowadays I switch from freediving to swimming, from suit to skin, and my focus has shifted to sharing my love of the ocean with others. With proper preparation and some basic knowledge, anyone can enjoy the ocean. Fear is only a result of a lack of information and experience, and both are available to you.

I’d like to encourage you to take the plunge. The key to comfort is to learn skills in a safe and controlled environment. Often what we feel are insurmountable obstacles are really only a lack of experience. By building skills slowly and layering them over time, you will accomplish great things. Whatever your swimming, freediving, or snorkeling goal, I’m committed to help you to reach it. Check out our workshops, training sessions, planned events, and the information on this site; send me questions and comments.

With Oceanoid, I hope to bring together people who share my outlook on learning, training, and helping one another reach goals. Our core value is “respect”. Respect for the ocean, respect for ourselves, and respect for the other people and animals that share the water with us.

I have been told I can be a wee bit evangelical about ocean and even cold water immersion but that’s because I’ve experienced the benefits first hand. The ocean has been the source of my greatest challenges – competitions and races and personal psychological training barriers I’ve had to face head on – but also the source of my greatest joys and successes. It can be yours too.

We are ocean people. We love what we do.

Come join us.