Interview with Tim Kavermann
Have you ever been stuck, frozen for a few seconds (which felt like hours), paralyzed and unable to take action? This is one example of heightened anxiety that I can relate to and maybe it’s you too. The good news is that Tim Kavermann joins me in this episode to share techniques and strategies to deal with anxiety. This interview is candid, eye-opening and my personal fav, highly actionable. Listen and subscribe!
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Things mentioned on the show
- Spearfishing Club Connections
- NZ Spearo Forum
- Spearfishing FUNdamentals
- How To Spearfish Video Series on Vimeo (Use Code NOOBSPEARO)
- How to deal with Seasickness Podcast and 10 Tips to Prevent Seasickness Blog
- The Obstacle is the Way book by Ryan Holiday
- Deep Week in Indonesia
- Hunters Club | Spearfishing and Hunting TV Series
Time Stamps
5:45 Tim introduction and background. Early dive experiences
11:50 Early lessons and takeaways
18:00 Early equipment | buying a beginner kit and upgrading
23:30 Mentors, Dive buddies and Facebook group chats
29:45 Early Obstacles | seasickness and boat diving
33:00 Best experience spearfishing
42:30 Favourite species to hunt spearfishing and how to hunt them effectively | Snapper
47:00 Veterans Vault | How Spearfishing Can Help You Overcome Anxiety
Spearfishing can be a huge trigger for fear and anxiety.
However, Tim believes that the situations he has encountered while spearfishing have been the key to learning and understanding anxiety triggers and then developing and employing strategies and techniques to overcome it. His idea is not to avoid discomfort but to embrace it and try to use the situations as opportunities to heal, grow and overcome anxiety. Here are a few of the key ideas and points;
GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE UNCOMFORTABLE
- Accept anxiety, learn from it and if needed get help to take its power away
- Don’t fight it, sit with it and learn to move forward anyway
- Learn breathing techniques to relax on the surface and reduce fear and anxiety
- Being in stressful situations can help you overcome long standing beliefs
- Relaxing in situations that most people (even those who don’t have anxiety) would panic in
- Turn fear into curiosity – sharks/current/rough seas. Ground yourself in the moment by paying attention to the details.
- Fight or flight – there is no flight out at sea.
- Prepare to not be prepared
- Relax and enjoy – surface intervals- find what works for you.
- Speak up about that things that deeply affect you – but it falls on you to make change
- Get help when you need it from a professional
If it helps control depression and anxiety even a small amount, it’s worth sharing! This article has information about research on the relationship between Turmeric and Depression.
70:50 Dive Watch Conversation
74:25 Spearo Q&A
Could you describe what the spearfishing experience means to you in one sentence?
- It has given me deep confidence within myself and shown me what I am truly capable of mentally and physically.
What is the single best piece of advice you have ever been given for spearfishing?
- Slow down and take your time, dive within your limits
Who has been the most influential person or people in your spearfishing?
- My friends, these are guys who’ve been diving a very long time, and took the time to share their passion with me.
If you could go back in time to when you were just starting spearfishing and give yourself some advice, what would you say?
- Stop overthinking it – stop trying to control everything and every situation, roll with it.
During your 1 years spearfishing what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
- To be comfortable in situations that are well outside my comfort zone
What current challenges do you face in your spearfishing and how are you approaching them?
- The biggest one is still the anxious tendancy to overthink, overplan, get panicked. Rather than let it take hold of the day I now learned tools to deal with it.
– Breathing techniques - Mindfulness
- Take a break and reset
- Move spots
- Meds for seasickness
- Don’t spend a week planning
- SLOW DOWN
Who is the best person to go spearfishing with and why?
- My good mates! I feel calmer with them, I know they have my back, the take the time to teach me new things, then know the good places to get in the water 😉 most of all we all share the same passion and a common goal – could possible touch here on the business we are setting up.
What would be your fish of a lifetime?
6 monts ago I jsut wanted a huge snapper of kingi, I had set my comfort zone at what I was doing here in NZ – After cuvier and being in the big open sea in a more exposed environtment I really want to go further a field – ultimate fish for me would be a big doggy, they just look like they would put up one hell of a fight (i say this now but in the moment I would be peaking out!) haha id also really like a mahi mahi I think they look awesome and I ate one in raro once, it was amazing.
What is the spearfishing destination that you would most like to go to?
Next I would like to go to Raro I think this would be a good step into some difference species and diving. Id also really like to go to Bali to do the deep week free diving course. Id also like to go to the Three Kings.
Find @timkavermann on Instagram here
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- Adreno Spearfishing – Buy your spearfishing equipment here. Use the code NOOBSPEARO save $20 on every purchase over $200 at checkout.
- Audible.com Get a free audiobook along with a 30 day trialhere. Listen to 99 Tips to Get Better at Spearfishing or James Nestors ‘Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and what the ocean tells us about ourselves’ free
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- Spearo Log available on Amazon here
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