Profile
Born and raised on a small island in the Pacific, Chelsea Yamase grew up with a strong sense that water is home and believes we are privileged to explore and care for it as such. Her mission is to live simply, explore often and consume mindfully.
Chelsea is a recreational freediver, scuba diver, surfer and all-around outdoor enthusiast who has parlayed her many passions into a job shooting outdoor videos and photos. She strives to make diving feel like an inclusive community where good habits, playfulness, freedom and ocean advocacy all coexist.
She believes art is a universal language and hopes the imagery she is a part of inspires a love and mindfulness of our underwater world. She magnifies her message on @chelseakauai, where she shares her life and thoughts with an audience of three quarters of a million people.
Her recent projects have brought her face to face with whale sharks, diving in a lake full of jellyfish in Indonesia, and riding waves beside turtles in Hawaii.
Why she started to free dive?
And What is the best thing about freediving?
After scuba diving for a few months I began freediving as well mostly because I had some awesome friends who got me into it. At first, I would get so tired, but after diving my first caves I was so hooked. It is so unimaginably beautiful underwater. I think the best part is feeling like I'm in a different world and all I need is a mask. It's so peaceful for all my senses – a slowed down, quieter, weightless version of earth.
What is her dream spot
and why?
I have so many places I want to dive! Right now, one of my dream spots is Tonga to swim with the humpback whale migration.
What is her favorite point of BABY-G?
I love that the BABY-G is waterproof to 100M. The bonus is that I can instantly see what the tide. is doing which is so helpful for me when I'm going diving or surfing.