Under Water cover art

Under Water

How Holding My Breath Taught Me to Live

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About this listen

‘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.

©2023 Claire Walsh (P)2023 Bolinda Publishing Water Sports Sports

Critic reviews

"'20,000 leagues of sparkling adventure and tap-dancing prose." (Ruth Fitzmaurice, author of I Found My Life)
All stars
Most relevant
This story is deep, relatable and shows a real life journey. The author deserves the world, such a great soul. Definitely worth a listen as it had me hooked from the start.

Excellent, Real, Emotional

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This book had me from the start, I found it hard to put down, having Claire read her story was like having her there beside me. By the end found myself saying “I can’t wait hear about the next step” . I can tell you now this won’t be the last we hear of Claire Walsh.

Had me from the start

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I finished the book but it became a bit of a struggle towards the end. There was too much ‘finding myself’ going on for my liking and I felt that the author spent too long picking apart elements of her own character which detracted from what could have been a genuinely interesting story of her achievements in the world of freediving.

A bit too much psychobabble for me

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A truly open hearted account of one woman’s struggles to find herself, her self worth, her place in the world . Overcoming imposter syndrome and transporting the reader to world wide dive sites.
I loved the fact it was read by the author herself and that she has a beautifully mellow calm voice.
I would certainly recommend this read.

A story of battling self doubt & achieving self belief

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Real, raw and beautiful. It gripped me from start to finish and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Real, raw & beautiful.

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