The Drake Sweet Foundation

Freedivers Instruction in Spearfishing Safety and Hazards (FISSH)

Motto: Free divers invested in safer hunting

Drake Sweet passed away on March 13th, 2025. To honor his memory and help protect others who share that same love for the ocean, his family established The Drake Sweet Foundation, Inc.

The foundation is dedicated to advancing safety in freediving and spearfishing through education, training, certifications, scholarships, and access to critical safety equipment.

By raising awareness and empowering the community with knowledge and resources, the foundation carries forward Drake’s adventurous spirit and unwavering respect for the sea.

*The Drake Sweet Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Please retain your donation receipt and consult your tax advisor regarding the deductibility of your contribution.

Upcoming Classes

Spearfishing and Freediving Safety Class with Brittany

We're excited to share that the Drake Sweet Foundation's first sponsored safety instructor, Brittany Brockway, will be teaching a Spearfishing and Freediving Safety Class (FII Level 1 Freediver) later this year. If you're interested in joining , sign up here and we'll send you more information.

Join the Waitlist

Free Safety Seminar w/ Bill Van Deman

If you or someone you love freedives or spearfishes, this is a must-attend event.

Bring your dive buddy and learn life-saving skills that ensure you always return safely to the dock.

Our instructor, Bill Van Deman is an experienced Gulf spear-fisherman and certified PFI Freediver instructor since 2013. Bill has provided training to several hundred freedivers, including providing training for professional sports teams, US special forces, first responders and corporate leaders. Bill has provided in-water safety for film and television and has been featured on the Outdoor Channel, Destination America and the Sportsman Channel. Mark your calendar and make the choice to invest in your safety!

RSVP Here

CPR & First Aid Class

Join Bobby Sullivan Suncoast Seals member, commercial spearfisherman, and Pasco County local with over 20 years of experience as a firefighter and flight paramedic for a hands-on CPR and First Aid class.

The Drake Sweet Foundation and Bobby emphasize the importance of CPR and First Aid training. Having these skills gives you the tools to protect those around you and honors your responsibility as a buddy diver, giving everyone the best possible chance of survival in an emergency.

Find out more

THE DRAKE SWEET FOUNDATIOIN

Sponsor of the 60th Annual St. Pete Open

The Drake Sweet Foundation was a proud to be a sponsor of this year’s St. Pete Open, a tournament that Drake loved and competed in. He enjoyed sharing the ocean with his fellow spearfishermen and celebrating the joy of the sport.

Hoodies & T-shirts

Salinity Gear screen prints all of our shirts and hoodies. They have been a huge help and a key contributor to the Drake Sweet Foundation. Sean Mathews, the owner of Salinity Gear, was Drake’s friend and fellow spearfisherman. We are so grateful for Sean and his company’s continued support. www.salinitygear.com

THE DSF SAND T-SHIRT

THE DSF SAND T-SHIRT

Regular price $35.00 USD

Regular price Sale price $35.00 USD
Unit price per
THE DSF SAND HOODIE

THE DSF SAND HOODIE

Regular price $70.00 USD

Regular price Sale price $70.00 USD
Unit price per
THE DSF PALE BLUE T-SHIRT

THE DSF PALE BLUE T-SHIRT

Regular price $35.00 USD

Regular price Sale price $35.00 USD
Unit price per
THE DSF EUCALYPTUS T-SHIRT

THE DSF EUCALYPTUS T-SHIRT

Regular price $35.00 USD

Regular price Sale price $35.00 USD
Unit price per

Fundraiser and Memorial Sculpture Unveiling

Oct 17, 2025 @ Hookin' Ain't Easy.

1 5

Recent Succeses

“This course thoroughly enhanced my knowledge and skill of safety and rescue techniques along with improving my diving.”
TV
“I showed up to the class with little knowledge of safety. By the completion of this course, I learned all the necessary safety procedures in the event of a LMC or a blackout.”
TM
“I would highly recommend taking a level 1 freediving course to anyone who is frequently in the water diving, whether they are going shallow or deep. This course showed me the importance of having a base knowledge of all safety skills and deep breathing techniques.”
KM

News & Resources

News & Events

News:

Suncoast freediving instructor encourages training, caution in wake of recent incident

Freedivers do not rely on scuba equipment and can make surprisingly deep dives.(Janine Cianciolo)

By Raj Ghanekar (https://www.mysuncoast.com/authors/raj.ghanekar/)

Published: Mar. 18, 2025 at 7:50 PM EDT

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Friends and family of 36-year-old Drake Sweet are working to fund a continued search for him, after he disappeared while freediving off the Southwest Florida coast.

The U.S. Coast Guard told ABC 7 they suspended the search for Sweet Thursday evening, “pending new information.”

Friends of the Sweet family have started a GoFundMe campaign (https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-drake-sweet-home-continued-search-fund?cdn-cache=0)to help raise money for a private sector search. They report some of his gear has been found, but there have been no reported sightings of him.

ABC7 spoke with Janine Cianciolo, a St. Petersburg-based diving instructor, to learn more about the sport of freediving. She knows her way around the water, first donning scuba gear in 1975.

“I started scuba diving way back when I was a little kid in Cincinnati,” Cianciolo said. ”I traded babysitting with lessons with a neighbor who was a scuba-diving instructor.”

Four years ago, she picked up freediving, a sport where divers rely on holding their breaths for an extended period. She says the goal was stress relief.

But with it comes some critical safety considerations. Janine says freediving can be deceptively technical and requires proper training to do so safely.

“Free diving is not just holding your breath; if you don’t know the proper way to breathe, you can and will hurt yourself,” Cianciolo said. “You need to make sure you have all your emergency plans set up, have your first aid kit, have your oxygen onboard, know where the nearest medical treatment is.”

Resources

Download the Spearfishing Checklist - Clean & Ready

Spearfishing Safety Tips

Underwater Hypoxic Blackout Prevention

Hypoxia in Freedivers:

Freedivers, who rely on breath-holding while submerged, are highly susceptible to hypoxic blackout due to decreasing oxygen levels. Warning signs include:

Dizziness or Lightheadedness: As oxygen levels drop, freedivers may feel faint or unsteady.
Numbness and Tingling: A lack of oxygen can cause unusual sensations in the limbs.
Visual Disturbances: Hypoxia may result in blurred vision or tunnel vision.
Physical Weakness: Movements that usually feel effortless can become difficult.
Blackout or Loss of Consciousness: In extreme cases, freedivers may lose consciousness, which can be life-threatening without a safety buddy.

Understanding hypoxia diving symptoms is essential for every diver. Proper training, monitoring oxygen levels, and diving with a buddy can significantly reduce the risks associated with low oxygen while diving.

Free Diving & Spearfishing Safety Courses

We believe that everyone in the spearfishing and free diving community should have access to proper safety training. These classes are designed to help divers stay safe in the water and take responsibility for those they dive with.

To support that mission, we offer scholarship opportunities to help make these courses more accessible.

Apply Here

News

Our very own safety instructor and foundation member, Brittany Brockway, is heading to world spearfishing championships!

Local FII Freediving Courses

Find the nearest course to you: www.freedivinginstructors.com

Courses they offer:

Core Courses

Professional Courses

Specialty Courses