Austinn Lane, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Former Yorke Peninsula resident Tara Rawson has made history, becoming the deepest Australian female freediver and setting two national records at the AIDA Asian Freediving Cup in the Philippines last week.

Rawson achieved a dive of 82 metres in the Constant Weight event, setting a national record, and reached 79m in the Constant Weight Bi-fins event, establishing a new continental record.

“To set a national record and a continental record was amazing, I was so stoked,” Ms Rawson said.

“It was a great reminder that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.”

Her achievements are even more remarkable considering her recent injury struggles.

In January, Ms Rawson ruptured her Achilles tendon while playing social netball, severely limiting her preparation for the event.

“I actually ruptured my Achilles on the cutoff day, which meant I couldn’t cancel,” she said.

Following a 10-day wait for surgery and then two weeks bed-bound afterwards in a cast, Rawson began early rehabilitation.

“While I was bed-bound, I worked on breathwork and stretching, starting rehab to keep my body somewhat prepared for training,” she said.

Once cleared to resume training, Ms Rawson was back in the water — despite still wearing a moon boot.

“I would take my moon boot off at the car and was carried by my team to the water so I could train,” she said.

“I love being in the water so much, it really helped my rehab.”

Only five and a half months after the injury, and even less post-surgery, Rawson returned to competition.

“I wasn’t expecting too much — I wasn’t able to wear fins for most of my training and the rehab team told me there was no way I could dive deep with fins post-injury,” she said.

Alongside her freediving career, Ms Rawson also has a passion for nutrition, which she incorporates into her training and career.

“I have always loved food and the science around it,” she said.

“I use nutrition to optimise my performance and help others achieve their health and performance goals.”

Travelling for competitions sometimes makes maintaining her nutritional routine a challenge.

“I try to focus on foods that support my training, such as those that boost recovery, muscle growth and oxygenation,” she said.

“It has been really impactful on my career.”

Following her success in the Philippines, Rawson will head to Bali for a six-week training block before competing in Monado, Indonesia, in August.

Tara’s freediving journey can be followed on Instagram (@tarakaterawson).

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 17 June 2025.