The Water Beneath: Life of a Skin Diver (Trailer)
"Documentary Short"
/ About the project
The Water Beneath: Life of a Skin Diver is a documentary short telling the untold story of Robert Isaac Kirton, a Barbadian laborer who helped build the Panama Canal and became one of its most extraordinary figures. Born in 1877 in post-emancipation Barbados, Robert left his homeland at 29 to join the tens of thousands of West Indian workers recruited to construct one of the greatest engineering feats in history. While working in the Canal Zone, Robert became known as a skin diver — descending into murky, treacherous waters without equipment to recover the bodies of fallen workers. Holding his breath for four minutes or more at depths of 35 to 40 feet, he retrieved at least twelve men from the depths of the canal, returning them to their families with dignity. Through interviews with his descendants and historical scholarship from Dr. Kaysha Corinealdi of Rutgers University, the film traces Robert's journey from Barbados to Panama, the brutal realities of the gold and silver roll segregation system, and the legacy of a man whose courage went unrecognized for generations. Produced by his great-grandson William Randolph Clark, The Water Beneath is a family's effort to ensure that the stories submerged beneath the waters of history finally rise to the surface.