Nataliia Zharkova

August 26, final day of the CMAS World Championship 2026. We’re competing in the bi-fins discipline! 🐬

This time I missed the announcement by one meter. Just to shush the rumors that Alessia Zecchini and I coordinate our announcements 🤪😁

Start list and the link to CMAS TV are in my stories!

Good luck to all competitors! 🤞🏼

Independence Day through the years. 🇺🇦

Scrolling through my camera roll brought back so many memories: competitions, reunions, different corners of the world, even a performance by all the way in Dubai 😅 despite both of us being from Kharkiv.

This day has become especially important to us, Ukrainians, through the years of war.

I sincerely hope that next year we’ll all be celebrating together in a free and peaceful country.

In Crimea. 🤞🏼

That everyone who is away from home right now will finally be able to return. That those who will never return will be avenged. And that everyone responsible for what has been done to our country and our people will get what they deserve.

May victory be ours. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦



Kyiv 2020

Dubai 2022

Dubai 2022

Dubai 2023

Dubai 2024

Mitikas 2025

Без слів. З твоїм днем, Харкове. Сумую.

R for redemption 🥳 World Record in Free Immersion: 107 m. 🌊

I gathered all the mental strength I had, put the overconfidence aside, and focused on delivering a clean performance, both technically and mentally.

It paid off.
Weirdly enough, there is less to say about a successful dive than about a failed one. But, of course, I still found a few words 😁

Swipe left to hear my report 🫡
📸 Maxime Souverain

Here could be a caption about how grateful I am for the dive, for the experience, for the lesson, and about how beautiful freediving is no matter the result. And, of course, all of that is true.

But that’s not my primary emotion right now. It’s more of a consolation for the bittersweet taste of a failed dive.

Bitter because I did fail. A little sweet because it was my first attempt below 120 m in competition.

And guys, I’m grateful for all your support, but it honestly feels like some of you are more upset about this dive than I am 😁 So I’m calling you out: cheer up. It’s one dive. I’m not making a drama out of it, and neither should you.

Remember: “just keep swimming” 😁.

For now, I’m treating it as a one-off. If it happens again, then I’ll start drawing conclusions.

Swipe to the next video and I’ll talk a little more about this dive. And then one more to see the surfacing.

Group Coaching with Nataliia Zharkova & Goran Čolak.

❗️New format❗️For freedivers who are looking for structured training, but do not require full personalization.

👉 Training hard is one thing. Training with a clear direction is another.

We’re launching a coaching program for experienced freedivers who are serious about improving their performance.

You’ll get a structured training plan and a systematic approach designed by coaches who know from personal experience what it takes to reach record-breaking depths.

🔵 How it works.

Our 4-month coaching program includes everything you need for a training process:

▪️A training program updated every two weeks
▪️Biweekly group calls with your coaches
▪️A group chat for ongoing support and communication

You’ll receive structured programming, and the methods that have helped athletes push their personal bests to new levels.

We’re opening two groups: pool and depth oriented.

Comment “POOL” or “DEPTH”, and I’ll send you the application form.

There’s still time to join the group starting in August!
Or you can secure your spot in the next group.

#фрідайвінг

Girls only ❤️❤️
And maybe the guys coaching girls.

Half year check-in post 📋

Make God laugh by telling them your plans…😁 let’s see who’s laughing so far.

✅Setting a world record
And somehow it happened that actually two of them 🫪
Achieving it early in the season made me hungry for more 😆 I just hope to keep a good balance and maintain steady pace till the end of 2026 🤞🏼

✅New country.
Japan was awesome with lots of snow and cold weather which I miss a lot being bonded to the Ocean (not complaining 😁)

✅Learning Arabic.
You won’t confuse me for a native speaker yet, but there is some progress indeed 🤣 ايوا

✅Growing coaching community.
We are launching two new programs on August 1st! Pool and depth oriented training plans for those who wants to have structured training with feedback and support 🙌🏽. Send DM to stay updated.

Work in progress:

🔄Surfing. I had few attempts in Bali, but not enough to chillax in the barrels 🏄‍♀️🤣
Btw any personal recommendations for beginner friendly surf spots in Central America anyone?…

🔄Sponsorship & PR. I haven’t secured any partnerships yet, but I have learned a lot. I don’t know how did I manage to be in sports for 30 years and learn some basic things only now.
Honestly, I believe an education on how to grow and maximize your sports career must come as a package together with training as soon as you step on that path.

🔄Spending more time in Ukraine. My June trip was a good one. Yet feels like not enough… at the same time the amount of shelling in the past months has been insane. So for now I am donating, raising donations and working on making Ukraine visible internationally.

I’d say so far so good! 🙌🏽

Next up: camps and competitions.

Camps:
👉Tenerife — Oct 15–25 (btw there are surf spots too 😁)
👉 Egypt — May 2027 (dates to be announced)
If you’d like to train of to learn - join one of those.

Comps:
🏆 CMAS World Championship - Honduras | Aug 15–26
🏆 AIDA World Championship - Sep 27 – Oct 10
🏆 Dominica Blue Element - Nov 7–15
🏆Deep Dominica - Nov 21-29th
If you are intermediate or advanced freediver, join me on these trips - we can train together as I am preparing for my dives 🤗.

Wish me luck!

Writing this from Kalamata, where I’ve recently arrived to continue the 2026 depth season, which started in May in Egypt with a Deep Division camp 🐟🐟🐟

Starting a new chapter with a freediving camp was exactly what I needed. I’ve said it before: people are my strongest motivation.

The connection, shared passion, your excitement, your personal bests, and watching you discover something new in yourself underwater. All of this gives purpose to what I do.

Sometimes students tell me: “But you dive so deep.” And yes, I do.
But the difference between us is mostly time. Years of practice, mistakes, and coming back to the water again and again.

It means a lot to be there for your first steps, to celebrate when it works, and to sit with you when it doesn’t, maybe not always gracefully, I have my baggage too 😁

Thank you to everyone who joined our Dahab camp in May. Thank you for trusting Deep Division, learning with us, and being part of this journey!

For those who missed it, join the next camps:

👉 Tenerife, October 15–25
👉 Egypt, May 2027, dates to be announced.