About

I discovered swimming with fins in 1991 during my university studies in Toulouse (France) and was immediately fascinated by the monofin and the fact of moving in the water like an aquatic being. I joined the local club where most of the French team of finswimming FFESSM-CMAS trains. We were a group of friends and we trained every days. Taking advantage of the advice of my coaches and those of my high-level athlete partners, I ended up joining them a few years later in the French team as a sprinter (50m apnea, 100m immersion, 4x100m and 4x200m). For the next ten years or so, I took part in several international competitions as a member of the French team. Being part of this community of top-level athletes enabled me to make friends with French and international legends of the sport, to the point where I wanted to develop a professional project related to this discipline.
As soon as I started practising, and especially in 2006, I became interested in the manufacture of monofins and my first tests, although equivalent to well-known brands on the market, didn’t meet my requirements. I decided to put this project on hold until I could find the technical solutions and funding I needed to one day design the monofins of my dreams…
During my sporting career, and still today, my university studies in Sciences and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities have enabled me to think about my sport in a more methodical way. The pleasure of sharing knowledge is a real source of fulfilment for me, and through intellectual play I memorise and perfect solutions to better master the teaching and practice of swimming with fins (monofin).
The end of my flipper swimming career in 2006 coincided with the start of my apnea practice in the pool. I was part of the French FFESSM-CMAS freediving team for a few years and took part in the World and European Championships. Then, living in Hong Kong and coming to the end of my competitive career, the Hong Kong Underwater Sports Federation (HKUA-CMAS) asked me to represent them for one last international showdown. It was on this occasion, in 2013, that I won the title of World Champion in the 100m speed apnea and set a World Record for the distance.
After teaching in secondary schools for a few years, I set up my own business, first in France and then in Hong Kong. I developed products for swimming through my ylon-aquatic® brand, which I distribute mainly in the USA and Europe. The contacts and experience I’ve built up in China over 13 years now enable me to source materials in Asia for various companies while developing my own projects. At the moment, I’m working again on the creation of bifins and monofins, which you can read more about in the ‘GEAR’ section of this blog. I still swim every day (34 years of practice after all) and I teach the technique of swimming with a monofin through my masterclasses and the training courses I have created for AIDA.

Summary:

• 2013 World Champion – 100m Speed Apnea – 2013 World Record. Monofin Coach/Trainer for freedivers. Author of the ‘AIDA MONOFIN SERIE’ manuals. Trainer of monofin instructors for AIDA, AIDA Freediving Instructor. Sport trainer certified. Graduate in Science and Technique of Physical and Sports Activities, I have taught in secondary schools.
  CEO in Hong Kong Checkpoint Charlie Limited (creator and developer of the ylon-aquatic® and BEWATER® brands)
• Member of the French Finswimming Team (1997-1998-1999-2004-2005-2006). Participated in 18 French Championships (French Individual Champion and French Team Champion/National Records), Friendship Games (1997), World Games (1997), Mediterranean Games (1997), European Championships (1999-2005), World Championships (1998-2004-2006).
• Member of the French Freediving Team FFESSM-CMAS (2006-2007-2008-2009). Participated in European and World Championships.
• Member of the Hong Kong HKUA-CMAS Team (2010-2013). Participation in World Championships, CMAS GAMES.

For those who have read this far, here’s a little present:
The BEWATER WALLPAPER : Desktop – Smartphone