Carlo Navarro
Carlo Navarro has already been promoting skindiving as early as his college days through the Marine Biological Society. In 2013, he left his 10-year stint from an aircraft engineer to pursue freediving and be the first and currently only Filipino AIDA International Master Instructor. As the Philippines' most senior competitive athlete, he has held over 10+ records in 5 out of 6 competition disciplines. He has already joined various competitions locally, and even topped the 2014 Andaman Freediving Challenge in Koh Lanta. He is also an AIDA competition judge and president and founder of AIDA Philippines SISID Philippine Freedivers Association.
Today, he is the founder and head of Manumano Freedive Training Center based in Anilao, Batangas. With this, Carlo hopes share his knowledge and experience to those interested to interested to safely practice the sport. The hopes of ManuMano Freedive is to mold the Philiippine Freediving community to be at par with the International Freediving, and the Philippines to be known as a freedive hotspot internationally.
Mark Cruz
Mark was born and grew up in sunny southern California. A few years after graduating from university, he moved to the Philippines to enjoy the beaches, relaxed lifestyle, and experience another way of living. In 2012, he became a member of ISDA, which introduced him to swimming deeper underwater. Joining Manumano in 2016, Mark soon realized that he had a knack for competitive freediving; in only a little over a year fomally freediving, he has just finished his AIDA Instructor Course October 2017. Coming from the work-from-home BPO industry, he is now adding freediving to his profession.
Tara Abrina
Tara Abrina is an AIDA instructor candidate and is one of Carlo's first apprentices under Manumano Freedive. Born and raised in Manila, she lives and works in the city as a research officer for the University of the Philippines' Marine Science Institute. As the founder of marine conservation network called Kapit Sisid, Tara helps coordinate projects between her two main networks: freediving professionals and marine conservation groups. As an athlete, Tara has held the Philippine freediving record in the free immersion discipline since 2015 and sits on the executive board of SISID Philippine Freedivers Association.
Oka Espenilla
Oka's first experience with the water was in his hometown of Masbate, where his life revolved around the ocean. When he moved to Manila, he stayed connected by joining several diving organizations like UP MBS (where he would meet Carlo Navarro), ISDA (where he met Tara and Mark) and SISID Philippine Freedivers Association. This was where he was introduced to freediving as a sport, representing the Philippines during the second Freedive Panglao Depth Challenge in 2014. Currently an AIDA4* Diver, he continues to train with Manumano Freedive as one of its first assistant instructors. During the week, he works as a senior data analyst for a financial company in Manila.