Freediving gives your life back.

The whole underwater world is in the first ten metres.

Below that there is nothing left to look at, so you look inward. We go out to sea and drift. Very deep states of consciousness are reachable down there.

Start down, and everything arrives at once.

The moment you hold your breath and descend, every thought you own turns up. You start filtering. The noise drops.

Then room opens up inside you. For you.

Your character fights it first. On the way down you hear his thoughts — get out, we are drowning. Relax him and he settles. He is still settled when you surface, and he stays that way at the desk, in the hard conversation, at 3am.