I remember finding a Houdini book at the library and seeing an image of him chained on the side of a building. He looked so intense and scary, and I couldn't get that image out of my head. That started building up my love of magic.

Whether you're shuffling a deck of cards or holding your breath, magic is pretty simple: It comes down to training, practice, and experimentation, followed up by ridiculous pursuit and relentless perseverance.

But as they say about sharks, it’s not the ones you see that you have to worry about, it’s the ones you don’t see.

I’d go to Coney Island to hang out, and I saw a magician doing a rope trick on the boardwalk. I was fascinated. I guess that’s how it started.

I think great whites are the most beautiful and perfect creatures I’ve ever seen.

My mother was a teacher, and when she wanted to show me art and literature and science, she’d take me to museums, parks and free exhibitions.

As a kid I used to hold my breath longer than anybody else, and then I heard stories about people accidently underwater for 45 minutes – how do you recover from that? It’s not a miracle. Something allows us to survive.

I’d always wanted to do these types of things – pieces of magic I could put out not as illusions, but really doing it.

I thought instead of burying myself under dirt, I’d bury myself under water so everybody could see that you’re there.

Magic’s an art where you use slight of hand or illusion to create wonder. And I was just intrigued with that idea.