At just 18, Victoria Amanda Deonarine has already gone deeper than most ever will—both in water and in ambition.
The St Stephen’s College student, of Garth Road, Williamsville, is preparing to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the Blue Element International Freediving Competition in Dominica this November.
It’s where she hopes to complete a 40-metre dive that would make her the first Caribbean woman to achieve the feat in an officially recognised event.
Speaking to Guardian Media, Deonarine said freediving began as a hobby.
“I started in 2023 when I was 16. Swimming and snorkeling started to feel repetitive. I wanted something more challenging and peaceful,” she recalled.
Her first dive instructor quickly noticed her potential. After just one class, Victoria was referred to Saif Mohammed, a performance freediving international–certified instructor with “Go Out and Under.” Under his guidance, she trained in advanced techniques and completed her intermediate freediver certification, along with first responder training.
Deonarine said with the support of her father Anand, mother Vidia and brother Jaydon, she has since become the deepest and youngest female freediver in T&T, with a static breath-hold of five minutes and a local dive reaching 40 metres—an achievement she now seeks to make official at Blue Element.
“I already did the 40-metre dive here,” she said.
“But it has to be done in a recognised competition for it to count. In Dominica, I will be the only female from the Caribbean competing.”
Deonarine said her days are built around school, training, and breathwork. Mornings begin with stretches and lung exercises. After school, she lifts weights to build endurance.
“Twice a week I train in a pool in Gasparillo to improve my distance underwater. On Sundays, I go “Down the Islands” for open-water sessions with my instructor,” Deonarine said.
Balancing her academics and diving is tough.
“I try to train five days a week,” she said.
“Sunday is my favourite day. That’s when I get to be in the ocean, working on technique and depth,” she added.
Between training sessions and classes, Deonarine still maintains top academic performance. She has secured nine Grade Ones at CSEC, five Grade Ones at CAPE Unit 1, and awards for Excellence in Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Citizenship. She placed fourth nationally in the 2025 UWI Math Fair Advanced Quiz and serves as president of her school’s Mathematics Club, where she also tutors other students.
“I’ve always loved math,” she said.
“My goal is to study actuarial science. But I also want to link that to sustainability — to use data to protect the ocean and make people understand what’s happening under the surface.”
Her vision is to combine her skills in mathematics and physics with environmental science to create models that measure coral reef health and predict long-term changes in marine ecosystems. She also wants to be an advocate for safer diving.
A year before she started diving, four commercial divers, Kazim Ali Jnr, Yusuf Henry, Rishi Nagassar, Fyzal Kurban, and Christopher Boodram, were sucked into a 36-inch pipeline at the Paria Fuel Trading facility in Pointe-a-Pierre on February 25, 2022, with only Boodram making it out alive. For many, the tragedy served as a warning. For Victoria, it became a call to learn about the sea the right way — through discipline, respect, and safety.
“It wasn’t really a deterrent for me. I realised that there was so much more that could be done to make diving safer. I wanted to be part of that,” she explained.
She added, “Freediving is done in a controlled environment. That incident reminded all of us how seriously we have to take safety.”
She also wants other divers to remember the need for safety.
“You never dive alone. You have to know your body, and you have to respect the ocean,” she said.
Deonarine also wants to be part of combating water pollution.
“From the surface, you might see garbage floating, but when you dive down, you see how much damage there really is — dead coral, fewer fish, plastic tangled everywhere. It’s a different world down there. I want to help save it,” she added.
The teenager said she also hopes to become a certified instructor to teach children about freediving and marine conservation.
“I want to teach children from young — not just to dive, but to understand the ocean and take care of it,” she said.
As she prepares to leave for Dominica on November 17, Deonarine’s focus remains steady: complete the 40-metre dive, set the national record, and open a new path — not just for herself, but for every young diver who dreams of going deeper.
To assist Deonarine with her dream of attending the Blue Element competition, Deonarine and her family have been trying to raise TT$35,000.
Anyone wanting to assist can contact her directly at victoryvad@gmail.com or by phone at (868) 706-1527 or 307-5006. Donations can also be made to Victoria Deonarine, First Citizens Bank Ltd High Street, Princes Town to Savings account #3075675.
