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.

The Drake Sweet Foundation's Purpose

2026 Tournament Series

The Drake Sweet Foundation is proud to support this year's Tampa Bay/St. Pete spearfishing tournament series, partnering with leading local spearfishing clubs to promote safety in freediving and spearfishing. At each event, we will present the Top Freediver award along with a foundation sponsored prize.

Throughout the season, our team will be present at each event with a foundation booth, where we will share information about upcoming safety classes, raise awareness for our mission, and offer merchandise to support our ongoing efforts.

We are honored to be part of the following events:

Tampa Bay Spearfishing Challenge
June 12–14, 2026

Tampa Bay Spearfishing Challenge

OCC Roadhouse (awards on 14th)
Southern Open
July 10–12, 2026

Southern Open

Seafire Grill, New Port Richey (awards on 12th)
St. Pete Open
August 14–16, 2026

St. Pete Open

SkyBeach Resort (awards on 16th)
Ray Odor Classic
February 2027

Ray Odor Classic

Freedive-only tournament

In addition, the Drake Sweet Foundation will present a Super Series Title to the top freediver across all four competitions.

For more information on these tournaments, including how to enter or come support, please visit: https://www.floridaskindivers.com

Through our involvement in these events, we aim to bring the community together, raise awareness, and further our mission to promote safer diving practices so every diver can come home safe.

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

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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.”

Copyright 2025 WWSB. All rights reserved.

Resources

LMCs and Blackouts While Freediving: What Happened and Why?

https://www.hprc-online.org/physical-fitness/injury-prevention/prevent-shallow-water-blackout

Download the Spearfishing Checklist - Clean & Ready

Spearfishing Safety Tips

Underwater Hypoxic Blackout Prevention

Free Shallow Water Blackout Safety Course

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.

Read more here.

Video & Advice on recent blackout

https://deeperience.com/freediving-blackout/

https://usfreedivingfederation.org/content/2023/10/2/blackout-amp-other-incidences-when-to-return-to-diving

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Water Wise Generation Project

The Drake Sweet Foundation and Life Academy invite you to join us a Spearfishing & Freediving Safety Seminar with in-water rescue training on June 9th at 5:30PM at Life Academy in Apollo Beach.

$10 admission - Come learn life-saving skills firsthand from amazing instructors including Juani Valdivia, Danyar, Tyler Sultenfuss and Bill Van Deman while gaining valuable knowledge about freediving, spearfishing safety, water awareness, emergency preparedness, and real-life rescue techniques through hands-on, in-water rescue training.

This event is open to divers, families, beginners, experienced watermen and women, and anyone who wants to become more confident and informed in and around the water.Come grab a bite to eat at the onsite restaurant, enjoy a drink, and mingle with the community.Together, we can spread awareness, build safer habits, and help make sure every diver comes home safe

RSVP

Products coming soon

sens07 Safety Vests

The sens07vest has been designed to give you peace of mind so you can fully focus on spearfishing or freediving.

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Products coming soon

High vis dive belts & weights

Great for keeping an eye out for your dive buddy.

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Fundraiser and Memorial Sculpture Unveiling

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

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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
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The Drake Sweet Foundation

The Drake Sweet Foundation Support

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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

Local FII Freediving Courses

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

Courses they offer:

Core Courses

Professional Courses

Specialty Courses

Get in touch