Under Water

'I needed to breathe. Not the short, shallow breaths that keep you alive ... merely existing. I wanted that breath that starts deep down in your being and fills your lungs and limbs with life.' Claire Walsh spent her twenties living the life she thought she was supposed to live, all the while playing hide-and-seek with depression. In her thirties, finding herself single and living with her parents, she decided it was time to chart a different path. In Central America Claire discovered freediving, plunging up to 60 metres below the water's surface without the use of breathing apparatus. It taught her the power of breathwork, but more importantly it taught her how to find freedom in the present moment. Under Water is a candid and captivating story of what it's like to take part in one of the most dangerous sports in the world, and a reminder that sometimes all we need to do is take a deep breath. '20,000 leaues of sparkling adventure and tap-dancing prose.' Ruth Fitzmaurice, author of I Found My Tribe

Claire Walsh is a freediver, year-round sea swimmer and teacher of breathwork courses. She was the first person to represent Ireland at the Freediving World Championships in 2019. Born and raised in landlocked Kildare, she now lives by the coast with her husband, Boudy.