OUR TEAM
OUR TEAM
I AM WATER Ocean travel
Born from a desire to share the ocean with others, I AM WATER Ocean Travel is a social mission business that upholds the highest standards of responsible marine encounters while supporting local conservation organisation, I AM WATER Ocean Conservation Foundation.
HANLI & Peter
Partners in life, adventures and family, Hanli & Peter started I AM WATER Ocean Travel in 2016. They have worked together to grow the I AM WATER Ocean Conservation Foundation, which shares ocean experiences with thousands of children from underserved communities each year. In 2021 Hanli & Peter launched AGULHAS, the first ever sustainable freediving brand. Hanli & Peter live in Cape Town with their rescue dog, 4 chickens and two children.
HANLI
Growing up on a horse farm in rural South Africa Hanli’s love of nature and the human need for wilderness were instilled at an early age. Hanli discovered freediving when she was 19, setting 11 national records and teaching over 2000 individuals to dive on one breath. Since retiring from competitive freediving she is active as a sought-after high performance coach and keynote speaker.
She is passionate about (re)connecting people with the ocean; through the innovative programmes of the I AM WATER Foundation she founded, the trips offered by Ocean Travel and the equipment AGULHAS designs. Her personal quest of freediving with marine megafauna has resulted in numerous exhibitions, films and articles about the human/animal connection.
Hanli has been named one of Conde Nast Travellers Top 50 Travellers of our Time and is a Young Global Leader under the World Economic Forum and an Ashoka Fellow.
PETER
Born in Atlanta, USA, Peter graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Economics before he pursued his dream of becoming a professional swimmer. During his career as a swimmer, Peter claimed two world titles, eight world records and enjoyed eleven consecutive years on the US National Team. Throughout his professional swimming career, he had the privilege to travel extensively on the World Cup Circuit and other events. Peter is a qualified freediving instructor, Los Angeles County ocean lifeguard and acclaimed underwater photographer. Using his extensive in-water skills, Peter is best known for capturing human/ animal interactions underwater on one breath, with no artificial light.
Passionate about seeing sustainability in both business and sports, Peter is the driving force behind the social entrepreneurship model of I AM WATER Ocean Travel as well as sustainable freediving brand AGULHAS.