My name is Luca Malaguti, I'm a professional freediver, underwater photographer/filmmaker and Canadian record holder. Here's my story on what inspired me to join the team at Movember as an ambassador for mental health awareness.

My journey into the water began with a dark chapter. I almost lost my life in a water-related accident, truly one I should not have walked away from. This caused great guilt in me as a survivor, depression, suicidal tendencies and immense fear. Afterwards, I could not step into the ocean without a panic attack. I carried this with me for many years, affecting my mental health, my emotional and psychological well-being and of course the relationships in my life.

Through freediving (breath-hold diving) and spearfishing I found a way to reconnect with the ocean, overcome my fears and improve my mental health. Freediving teaches me patience, humility, the ability to enjoy and live in the present moment. Breathwork makes me understand the importance of lung health, and how it's strongly related to mental health. Spearfishing and harvesting [on breath-hold] allows me to reconnect with nature, connect with the origin of my food and overcome my fears of being underwater.

My goal is to help and inspire others with real and concrete techniques of breathwork that we as freedivers apply every day. My vision is to make people understand the strong connection between their lungs [diaphragm], their mind and the nature around them. Through teaching, filmmaking and photography I hope others are inspired by my work to face their fears, open up about mental health issues and re-establish a connection with the nature they have around them.

My name is Luca Malaguti. I'm a survivor, a son, a brother, a friend. I try to overcome fear every day and help others do the same. I now dive to 300 feet and collect my own food at 100 feet on one breath. I hope my story inspires you to do the same.

Thank you.