Adara village sits on the western side of Atauro Island, about two hours by boat from the capital Dili, where life has long been shaped by the sea. Around the island, warm tropical waters, healthy reefs and deep drop-offs close to shore create ideal freediving conditions, with visibility often exceeding 35 metres.

A group of free divers explore the pristine waters off the coast of Atauro, Timor-Leste. Freediving Timor-Leste was officially launched 1-3 May.

And last week, Adara became home to Topu Ramutu — meaning “Dive Together” — a new Timorese community-led freediving gathering organised by the recently formed initiative Freediving Timor-Leste.

In all, thirty-nine divers gathered in Adara’s rich waters from May 1–3, including 26 Timorese participants and 13 international visitors from Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, New Zealand and Colombia.

The gathering combined line diving, equalisation workshops, breathwork, underwater photography and marine conservation discussions. Safety remained central throughout, with organisers emphasising buddy systems and rescue training in a sport where divers rely entirely on a single breath.

Still, organisers said the new event was never intended as a competition focused purely on pushing depth.

“Topu Ramutu was never just about freediving,” said co-organiser Birgit Hermann from Inspired by Nature.

“It was about bringing people together through the ocean, sharing knowledge, building confidence, celebrating local leadership, and creating a deeper connection with the sea and with each other.”

Freediving itself has roots in traditional fishing communities, including the Adara Wawata Topu spearfishing women, who have used breath-hold diving to hunt underwater for generations.

As a sport, freediving globally is now undergoing rapid growth, attracting people looking to connect with the ocean and better understand their body’s abilities.

Organisers believe Timor-Leste’s largely undeveloped marine environment could attract growing interest from the international freediving community.

But for many Timorese participants, the event represented an opportunity to build confidence and create new pathways connected to the ocean. Many participants were already closely connected to the sea through fishing, boating and coastal life.

“Freediving is not just about how deep you can go and how long you can hold your breath,” said Armenia Luma De Jesus Maria Fatima Gaio, currently the only Timorese woman holding both AIDA3 and Molchanovs Wave2 advanced freediving certifications.

“For me, freediving is how much you can feel calm under the sea by fully putting trust in yourself and in the ocean. I hope more Timorese women will discover it.”

More than half of participants received partial sponsorships through donations and community support, with many recipients young Timorese divers and first-time participants.

The event also highlighted Adara’s strong local ocean culture. Participants heard from village leader Joao da Costa about the community’s Tara Bandu marine conservation system, which protects local reefs and marine life, while Adara’s women spearfishers, Wawata Topu, shared stories about challenging traditional gender roles through fishing and ocean leadership.

A group of free divers explore the pristine waters off the coast of Atauro, Timor-Leste. Freediving Timor-Leste was officially launched 1-3 May. 

“There is something powerful about seeing people from different backgrounds come together through the ocean,” said co-organiser Denilson Monteiro from Underwater Cinema.

“For many of us, this was about much more than freediving. It helps promote tourism, marine biodiversity, local culture, and community connection, while creating opportunities to learn from each other, respect the ocean, and show what Timor-Leste can offer to the world.”

The gathering was organised collaboratively by Freediving Timor-Leste, Inspired by Nature, Rainbow Flow Yoga, Underwater Cinema, Lenuk Tasi and Mario’s Place Adara.

As the final boats left Adara’s shoreline, organisers said they hoped Topu Ramutu would become more than an annual gathering — helping build a new generation of Timorese divers while protecting the waters that have sustained coastal communities for generations.