Water and public speaking are among the things that people fear the most. In the solo show Underwaterguy, actor, musician, visual artist and free diver Steve Underwood bravely tells his life story by way of his love of water, all while acknowledging his intense stage fright. Using videos he’s filmed above and below the surface, old family photos, music and beat poetry, Underwood captivates the audience with an inspiring tale of loss, discovery, and free diving.

Free diving is the activity of diving underwater without the use of any breathing apparatus. It’s just you and your lungs, nothing else except perhaps a wet suit and some flippers. Underwood’s breath hold record is five and a half minutes and the deepest he’s dived is 130 feet while holding his breath.

One object Underwood would never dive without is his waterproof video camera. The images he captures while diving are truly magnificent. He mostly dives in the multitudinous bodies of water in his home state of Maine, and in every shot you see the clearness of these lakes and rivers, the bright colors that make up the subaquatic landscapes, and the surreal movement of the water that makes certain images appear as though they are on land. If free diving is Underwood’s purpose in life, then videography is his passion. Capturing images seems to empower him as much as his lungs, arms and legs power his movements.

Underwaterguy, directed by Cheryl King, isn’t a linear show. The story of Underwood’s life is framed by the story of his diving life, as though the two ends meet to capture the wholeness that diving brings out in him. Underwood’s story is also a harrowing portrait of closeted life as a gay man, and his yearning to be accepted for who he is just as he’s trying to figure that out himself makes him a relatable narrator.

An astonishing effect of listening to Underwood explain the biology of free diving is that you often feel breathless yourself. This signals that the real achievement isn’t that Underwood can hold his breath for so long or free dive so deep. It’s the breathtaking honesty in which he tells his story, capturing the dark moments as clearly as he does the gorgeous underwater scenery.