On a midsummer afternoon in 2019, laughter rang out again and again from the pool at Liugong Junior High School in Taipei, accompanied by the steady, determined voice of a young woman calling out: "Alright, we're going to swim across, then finish with a mermaid tail turn at the end." Pushing open the pool's heavy door, you'd find yourself looking at a group of young boys in mermaid tails, diligently practicing all sorts of demanding mermaid movements. The coach leading these bright-eyed boys was none other than the subject of this article — Audrey Lee.
The adorable little mermaids of Liugong Junior High School — planting the seeds of ocean education from the ground up
The Old Audrey
The tanned, confident young woman in front of the camera goes by Audrey. It's hard to imagine that eight years ago she was a seasoned professional in the public relations and marketing world. True to the stereotype, her wardrobe was packed with heels and gorgeous outfits, and her after-work social life grew more vibrant with every passing year — yet the pressure that came with the job was genuinely suffocating.
Taiwan's PR and marketing industry operates in a rather unique way: to meet client expectations, agencies typically provide full end-to-end service, covering everything from business development and planning to execution and even sitting in the editing suite to supervise video cuts. Finishing work at nine or ten at night was perfectly normal, and weekends were frequently eaten up by events that demanded overtime. Under such a high-pressure environment, her body began to send out warning signals. After eight years inside that pressure cooker, Audrey arranged a Gap Year adventure in Canada for herself. Before setting off on that journey, she had absolutely no idea how profoundly the decision would shape the rest of her life.
For the first ten years of my career I was just trying to survive. Now I'm learning how to actually live well.
During her year in Canada, she ticked all the expected boxes — language study, road trips — but the change that had the greatest impact on her came from a group of outdoor enthusiasts she met along the way. Back in Taiwan, those friends invited her to try hiking, surfing, snowboarding, and scuba diving. Every single one of those activities was something she had never even considered touching in the first half of her life. But through the experience of pursuing them alongside this group of friends, she noticed that they had an entirely different way of making sense of life — and quietly, her own perspective began to shift.
Freediving taught me to rethink the different paths life can take
Already holding a scuba diving Divemaster certification, she had once considered becoming a scuba diving instructor. But while interning at a dive shop in Kenting, she was introduced to freediving — and from the very core of her being, she felt what "freedom" truly meant. Simply slipping beneath the surface with a mask and long fins (freediving), and savoring the fleeting stillness held within a single breath, she suddenly understood: life could be lived in a completely different way.
So two years ago she completely let go of her glamorous job titles and lifestyle in Taipei and headed to Keelung to begin what she calls her "life as a woman of the sea." We asked whether such a decisive change created financial stress, given that she was giving up a stable income in Taipei and a decade's worth of professional foundation.
She answered with quiet resolve: "In the dead of night I still miss it sometimes — but if you truly want to pursue a professional skill, you need to give yourself a dedicated period of proper training."
Already a PADI (certification agency) freediving instructor, she was about to head to the Philippines to sit for her AIDA (freediving agency) instructor certification. For Audrey, earning the instructor rating is about validating her own professional competence — not simply adding another teaching qualification. Reaching for the AIDA (freediving agency) instructor rating after two years of preparation is, for her, the realization of a major personal milestone.
Freediving completely changed my life
Looking Ahead
When we asked Audrey about her vision for the future, she answered directly: "Planting the seeds of ocean education from the ground up matters enormously!" Everyone already has a general sense of the state of Taiwan's oceans — overfishing, marine plastic debris, the long-standing policy of restricting public access to the sea — none of these things can be changed by a single person's efforts alone. But if more people pay attention to ocean issues, there is a real chance of change down the road. She said with a smile: "If even one of the little mermaids I've taught goes on to become a senior official in ten years' time, maybe they'll create policies that are kinder to the ocean."
The Freediving Wetsuit
Audrey also shared something extra: a good wetsuit is critically important for freediving training. Because freedivers spend extended periods in the water during training sessions, the warmth provided by a comfortable, form-fitting wetsuit really counts. The God Style wetsuit she wore for this shoot features an open-cell interior lining made from YAMAMOTO# 39 fabric, while the exterior uses YAMAMOTO SCS (Super Composite Skin — a patented technology that applies a titanium-alloy membrane coating 70 microns thick to the outer surface) as a specially formulated, high-water-resistance coating, significantly boosting both warmth and comfort.
This kind of construction is typically used for competition or training. The tight, body-hugging fit delivers surprising warmth, and the low-drag outer surface makes movement underwater noticeably more comfortable. The one caveat is that the material is less scratch-resistant than standard neoprene — always use lubricant to help put it on and take it off, and be especially mindful of fingernails, which are the enemy of this type of suit. This particular wetsuit was designed with Asian women's body shapes in mind: a high waist that accentuates natural curves, and a non-restrictive chest cut that keeps things comfortable during freediving.
Independence opens more paths ahead of you
Finally, Audrey made a point of encouraging all women to embrace independence — to take control of their own lives, finances, and futures. Before she got into outdoor sports, she had never imagined she could manage so many things on her own: signing up for a freediving course solo, lugging 10 kg of gear by herself, taking the bus to the beach alone, and — once she became an instructor — independently leading students while managing risk.
Because when you can't stand on your own two feet, your life becomes limited. The moment you become independent, you open up far more possibilities for yourself.
The God Style founder, who insists on staying off camera
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