Ai Futaki
Ai Futaki is the Guinness world record holder for the longest distance swam in just one breath, offering inspirational keynotes backed by her expertise.
Why you should book Ai Futaki for your next event
- Ai has an inspirational message of living in harmony with nature, her talks resonate with audiences and motivate them to make meaningful changes in their lives.
- Ai speaks about the need to follow her heart rather than her brain when holding her breath and defying that human instinct, emphasizing to audiences the importance of human connection with the water and allowing a greater understanding of water animals.
- She always manages to draw a crowd, assisting with the success of speaking events and leaving audiences feeling inspired after her engaging keynotes.
Non-binding request for Ai Futaki
Underwater explorer & expert offering inspirational keynotes
Ai Futaki is a double Guinness world record holder for the longest distance swam in a single breath without support from air equipment, and an apnea free-diving world record holder. She also holds the female record for the longest distance swam in a cave in a single breath with a monofin and a further title without a monofin. An inspirational keynote speaker and documentarian, Ai is dedicated to living with nature in harmony after spending much of her life in the water and she wishes to spread her message to others so they do the same.
After achieving numerous record titles and awards, Japanese free diver Ai Futaki is committed to delivering keynotes with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of being yourself and living in harmony with the natural world around us. It was around the age of 3 that Ai began living her life in and around water, taking up competitive swimming in Kanazawa, her hometown along the western coast of Japan. Ai later went on to study film and documentary filmmaking in Cuba and California, with scuba diving becoming the passion to primarily drive her before ultimately switching to free diving in 2007.
Since the early days of her education and the discovery of her love for water, Ai has gone on to dive in some of the most exotic corners of the world, documenting these adventures along the way on channels such as The Discovery Channel. Upon returning to Japan, one of Ai’s first projects was to film a documentary about the mythological Ama-san women, free diving experts living in secluded communities close to her hometown. Out of the water Ai continues to excel, being booked to give talks about our connection to the water with a personal aim to close the gap between marine life and humanity.
Since the early days of her education and the discovery of her love for water, Ai has gone on to dive in some of the most exotic corners of the world, documenting these adventures along the way on channels such as The Discovery Channel. Upon returning to Japan, one of Ai’s first projects was to film a documentary about the mythological Ama-san women, free diving experts living in secluded communities close to her hometown. Out of the water Ai continues to excel, being booked to give talks about our connection to the water with a personal aim to close the gap between marine life and humanity.
Keynotes
Keynote by Ai Futaki:
Breathing with the Ocean: Finding Freedom Through Connection & Flow
Ai Futaki is a world-record-holding apnea freediver, filmmaker, and inspirational speaker whose life embodies the power of harmony between humans and nature. Having spent her life beneath the surface, Ai invites audiences on a breathtaking journey into the deep where silence, stillness, and surrender unlock true human potential.
A two-time Guinness World Record holder, Ai holds the titles for the longest distance swam in one breath: 100 meters in a cave with a monofin and 90 meters without one. Her achievements defy physical limits and explore what happens when the body, mind, and spirit move in perfect flow.
In her keynote, Ai shares how she learned to trust her instincts, quiet her fears, and connect deeply with the energy of the ocean and its creatures. She reflects on how letting go, rather than pushing harder, allowed her to transcend the human instinct to breathe and reach extraordinary depths, both literally and metaphorically.
Ai can talk about the following topics:
- Positive thinking
- Co-existance
- Oneness
- Underwater world
- Inner work
- Freediving
- Environment
- Biodiversity
Blending her background as a competitive swimmer, scuba instructor, and documentarian, Ai Futaki’s talks are as immersive as the oceans she explores, a powerful reminder that true freedom comes when we learn to move with the flow of life, not against it.
The Water Connection - [English]: Ai Futaki at TEDxTokyo
Watch Ai Futaki in action
