Bottom Dwellers Freediving

*To see instructor profiles scroll down the page!*

Based out of Victoria, British Columbia, Bottom Dwellers offers freediving instruction and charter services around the world to clients with varying desires and intersest. Operating full time on Vancouver Island throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons since 2017 when Bottom Dwellers was founded by Chris Adair. Bottom Dwellers is the longest running freediving focused operation on Vancouver Island where over the years Bottom Dwellers has been an integral part of the core growth of the freediving community on Vancouver Island with having taught over 650 students in PFI Freediver Courses alone.

Having been featured in BC Outdoor Magazine, Diver Mag, Outside Magazine, Globe and Mail and Eat Magazine in articles which share the values and core fundamentals of Freedive-Harvesting and Spearfishing in BC’s cold waters, Bottom Dwellers is seen as an ambassador and resource when it comes to Sustainable and Ethical Harvesting practices in our waters and beyond.

Having worked with such television shows as Amazing Race Canada, Little Big Community and other online video publications such as Monga Bay, Bottom Dwellers is looked to when it comes to facilitating the safest experiences possible when breath-holding in liquid environments.

From swimming with humpback whales in French Polynesia to spearfishing remote locations of Mexico to our day in and day out freediving and spearfishing instructional programs offered on Vancouver Island, Bottom Dwellers has something for everyone of any level to enjoy. With a bolstered professional team of instructors that support various different programs around island you can be assured that your instruction and your experiences are in the right hands with Bottom Dwellers.

To read more about where Bottom Dwellers came from and what it encompasses click here.

Instructors:

Chris Adair

Years Freediving: 12 years formally but in and on the water his whole life
Years Instructing: 8 years
Professional Rating: PFI Freediving Instructor Trainer, Intermediate Freediver Instructor, Bottom Dwellers Spearfishing/Harvesting Instructor
Role at Bottom Dwellers: Owner/Operator and Head of Instruction
Favourite way to spend a day freediving: Spearfishing remote places with friends and sharing food over a fire or explore deep river canyons in clear waters off the back roads of Vancouver Island.
Perfect Dive Day: Diving and experiencing connections with marine life. Swimming with striped marlin hunting thick bait balls in Baja or observing the gentle nature of cow and calf humpback interactions in French Polynesia are at the top of the list. Not far behind those experiences is the raw connection one feels with nature through the hunt and harvest in a natural liquid environment on ones own breath to put a meal on the table to share with friends and family.
Favourite PNW Ocean Critter: Kelp Poachers… Miniature little sea dragons! …of course the Bottom Dweller Boss Lingcod can’t be left out either. Love watching these top predators work the reef and challenge you for placement at depth when they get big enough.
Favourite thing about cold water freediving: It molds you into a stronger and more resilient freediver in the long run
Bio: Hi! I’m Chris! I’m the founder of Bottom Dwellers Freediving! I was born and raised playing in and on the waters surrounding Vancouver Island where my love for the outdoors and the underwater world was founded. It's through these roots that my life guided me to where I am at now with my passion and love for freediving and spearfishing. Carpenter turned full time freediving sensei and guru for what’s coming up to close to a decade. I’m here to share my passion of all things underwater with all those that are interested to join me on that journey. Read more on Chris and Bottom Dweller’s history here.

Neha Acharya-Patel

Years Freediving: 6 years
Years Instructing: 4.5 years
Professional Rating: PFI Freediver Instructor
Role at Bottom Dwellers: Instructor and Professional Marine Nerd Database
Perfect dive day: Good vis and good friends
Favourite PNW Ocean Critter: Sticking to BC waters I love our local grunt sculpins, these cute little freaks have evolved to mimic barnacles, and are a challenge to find!
Favourite thing about cold water freediving: The colour and biodiversity in the PNW is unrivalled amongst temperate ecosystems. Being able to confidently and safely explore these places on breathhold is immensely rewarding.
Bio: Neha is a scientist, a professional diver and a passionate ocean advocate. She has participated in field-based science and SCUBA diving expeditions all over the world with the goal of increasing Ocean understanding and literacy. Being from, and living in Canada she is OBSESSED with cold water and the crazy underrated biodiversity that is found in the Pacific Northwest! She just completed her PhD focused on environmental DNA (eDNA) and its multitude of applications in the marine environment. She loves genetics, cool marine creatures, and spending time in the water.

Neha did her initial freediving training in Kona in 2019, and has since worked as a freediving instructor in BC with Bottom Dwellers!

Cassandra Cooper

Years Instructing: 4.5 years
Professional Rating: PFI Freediver Instructor*, Wave 2 Molchanov Instructor
Role at Bottom Dwellers: Freedive Instructor and Warm Water Vibes
Perfect dive day: A perfect dive day means following a solid training plan, pushing my limits, and learning something new.
Favourite Ocean Critter: Sea angels! Basically aliens on earth
Favourite thing about cold water freediving: What I love most about cold water freediving is the unique beauty and the personal reward of doing something that challenges me in a way not everyone seeks out.
Bio: Hi, I’m Cassandra. I’m from Kelowna, BC. I’ve been diving, coaching and hosting workshops in the Philippines for 2.5 years. I was the head of safety/safety chief at the 2025 freediving World Cup. I have a non profit organization that offers animal welfare services (spay, neuter, education) to communities with roaming companion animal overpopulation by partnering with tourism since 2022. I have been balancing training and teaching since I started and have learnt so much about this career on so many levels since then! I am really looking forward to seeing how cold water diving feels after years of warm water.

Adam Tory

Years Freediving: 5
Professional Rating: PFI Freediver Instructor
Role at Bottom Dwellers: Freedive Instructor, Stoke Monster and Canadian East Coast Representative
Perfect dive day: My favourite way to spend a day freediving is to explore cool zones with friends, check out marine life, and dive through exciting features, then cap it off with an epic post dive meal!
Favourite Ocean Critter: Seals and Lobsters
Favourite thing about cold water freediving: It’s remote and challenging nature, which means that we often explore rarely visited sites. There is a peace and solitude to cold-water diving that is hard to find anywhere else.
Bio: Born in the UK to Canadian parents, I always felt at home in Canadian waters and moved to BC after finishing high school. A career in surfing led me to explore freediving as a way to train and deal with the fear of apnea. I ended up loving freediving as a pursuit in its own right, especially line diving and exploration.

Harrison hyde

Years Freediving: 10 years
Professional Rating: PFI Freediver Instructor
Role at Bottom Dwellers: Freedive Instructor West Coast, Charter Guide and Spirited Harvester at heart.
Perfect dive day: Accessing remote areas to go poking around drop offs and boulder piles for Lingcod and Octopus, preferably finishing the day around a fire.
Favourite PNW Ocean Critter: Giant Pacific Octopus
Bio: Hi! I’m Harrison! I’m a lover of life, nature, and friendship. Whether it's freediving, surfing, skiing, hunting, foraging, or fishing. Most days are spent outdoors and with friends focusing on the important things in life. Always a smiling (and maybe a bit eccentric) face to see on the boat, chairlift, or in your favorite chanterelle patch

Joshua Marek

Years Freediving:
Professional Rating: Freediving Supervisor
Role at Bottom Dwellers: Freediver Supervisor, Charter Guide, Youth Mentor and Community Builder
Perfect dive day:
Favourite PNW Ocean Critter: Octopus
Favourite thing about cold water freediving:
Bio: