Going Down: A Memoir of Survival, Acceptance and Finding the Courage to Live

In the early 1990s, when homosexuality was still illegal in parts of Australia, David-Graham Parker boarded a cruise ship carrying a secret. He believed the voyage would be his last.

Haunted by years of self-rejection and convinced there was no place for him in the world, he planned to end his life beneath the waters of the Pacific. Instead, an unexpected decision to enrol in a SCUBA diving course led to friendships, acceptance, and a breathtaking underwater world that slowly transformed how he saw himself.

Going Down is an honest and deeply personal memoir about identity, family expectations, depression, and the extraordinary moments that can change the direction of a life. It is a story of discovering hope where none seemed possible and learning that acceptance often begins within ourselves.

Both heartbreaking and uplifting, this memoir reminds us that even in our darkest moments, life can still surprise us.