she moves to the Big Island of Hawaii. There, she meets a community of Water people, who initiate her to free-diving both as a sport and as a meditative practice. As she encounters dolphins and whales in the wild, she develops a deep fascination for inter-species communication and begins to research ways to build bridges of understanding between Man and Cetacea.

 

At the age of 21, she puts on hold her studies in Marine Science and creates a small- scale eco-tour company with Brett Lemaster (former free-dive world record holder) for visitors, artists and researchers to connect with marine animals in the wild. After four years of activity, Leina feels the necessity to return to her earthly roots, compelled by an inner voice to share the lessons of interbeingness  she integrated in the Ocean. Today, Leina holds conferences and workshops on her inner and outer experiences of the living Sea and teaches free diving as an AIDA instructor (International Association for the Development of Apnea). Her approach is focused on the therapeutic and initiatory aspect of free-diving and inter-species encounters.

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"Man has an aquatic nature; in the same way the primordial Ocean gave birth to life on our planet, our human incarnation also begins in the ocean of the maternal womb. Free-diving allows us to reconnect with this living matrix and a deep sense of communion with the world."

 

Jean-Marie and Leina have realized several projects together

L’enfant de l’Océan published by Les Arènes - authored by Leina and illustrated with Jean-Marie’s photographs. The book chronicles Leina’s pregnancy amidst wild dolphins and whales. A documentary film The Journey directed by Anne Paris and Jan Kounen was also realized on this adventure, depicting the couple’s desire to share their love of the Sea with their future child and explore the emergent field of inter-species communication (i.e. the capacity of odontocetes to communicate with a human fœtus by use of their sonar.)