♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, his personal creed. scott staff with arms wide open. the rock star baring his soul after a very psychotic episode. >> i was sleeping in my truck. i had no money for gas or food. >> years of battling addictions and mental health issues nearly costing him everything. plus, man versus shark. closer than ever before. the dangerous deep dive. >> careful, guys. they're coming in from every

direction now, which is not good. >> no cages, nerves of steel and one cutting edge secret weapon. and baby boom. out from the ashes of a devastating california wildfire, bundles of hope.

good evening. thanks for joining us. creed frontman, scott staff is known for belting out soul-baring lyrics. tonight he sheds light on the dark years which nearly destroyed him. the family man on how sobriety has given him new perspective. ♪ ♪ can you take me higher >> reporter: with just one note. ♪ to a place where blind men see ♪ >> reporter: scott staff can take you back in time. that distinctive voice behind power balance adds like "higher" and with "arms wide open." frontman for the group creed, staff helped shape the sound track of the '90s. to his legions of fans, he was, and is, a rock star. a grammy-winning, multi-platinum

artist. but, along the way, the band also became an easy target, with some people, even jimmy fallon -- ♪ >> reporter: loved to mock. and his reputation is difficult and moody. >> i heard you say you isolated yourself from your own band mates and they interpreted that as you think you're better than us. >> i think that's all about lack of understanding and depression doesn't discriminate. >> reporter: creed would eventually break up. and in 2014, staff hit rock bottom. you had a very public psychotic break. >> yeah, six years ago, yeah. >> reporter: when people go their these kinds of break downs they do it in private. >> yeah. >> reporter: they don't have millions of fans watching their every move. >> and mine would have been private had i not posted it on facebook. >> i had to sleep in my truck.

i had no money even for gas or food. >> reporter: staff made headlines after posting these disturbing videos to facebook, followed by a series of distressing 911 calls. i've j i've uncovered that the core of isis is in my own family. >> reporter: he even threatened president obama. >> i've reached out to the secret service. >> reporter: do you have rational memories of what you were thinking when some of those, you know, like the obama threat or the isis threat game in? >> i mean, i don't have rational understanding of why i was thinking that, except that, of the substances that i had in my body created that paranoia, and it was a prescribed medication that, that i had used. and so i took it to the next level. >> reporter: his battle with addiction almost cost him everything, including his marriage.

>> that's when i was, like, i got to do whatever i've got to do to save my family and say with the woman that i love and keep this family together. >> reporter: the psychotic break was the culmination of a toxic combination of substance abuse and mental health issues which lasted for years. >> i had an onset of depress, you know, we at the height of our career. >> reporter: were you one of the biggest rock bands in america. >> right. you don't want to let your friends down, your band mates down, because it's hard to describe what you're feeling. i did what i thought i needed to do to keep everything moving forward. and it worked for a time. >> reporter: which was to self-med cas self-medicate. >> yeah, self-medicate. i didn't know what was wrong. when you start mixing alcohol and substances to self-medicate, that's a toxic combination. so that can create a human being that is so far removed from who you are because of the chemicals inside of you, that you can say

and do some pretty fnasty thing. >> reporter: he thinks it stems from childhood trauma. how do you think that played out in the way you spiralled into this self-destrektiuctive pattee >> i can't claim to be a psychologist or psychiatrist, but i do though it played out in very self-destructive manners that would manifest when i would drink. >> reporter: today he's clear-eyed and sober with a new perspective. >> i'll never forget my nephew and my oldest son. i'm driving in the car one day, and they're giggling and laughing in the back seat, and they were probably about 14 years old. and i was like, what are you guys laughing about? and they just busted out with how, how those memes probably are, like how people, you know, sing my voice and, you know,

whatever. and i'm like, do i sound like that? for real? are you kidding me? >> reporter: i love that you have a sense of humor about it. >> now my 12 year old and my 8-year-old, they'll imitate me. >> i always say we're perfect for each other, he's my best friend. >> reporter: he and his wife, jaclyn, a former beauty queen who's been his rock for more than a decade. >> alexa, play baby shark. >> reporter: live here in the posh suburbs outside nashville with their kids. so how does it feel? >> it feels good. we're ready. we've been working pretty hard and doing 12-plus-hour days. >> reporter: giving us a preview of his new album due out next week. "the space between the shadows" dives head first into the lessons he's learned. his polished life a far cry from the life he was leading just a few years ago.

♪ there's got to to to to t >> reporter: known for his soul-baring lyrics like "in purpose for pain" his new music seems to be a reflection of where he is today and how far he's come. >> there is a light despite the darkness. there is a color despite the gray. and if you want it, you can have it. and i found it, and i want to share it. that would pretty much sum up the journey that the record takes you on. >> reporter: i mean you're baring your soul. >> yes. >> reporter: do you ever worry about getting hurt when you open up so much? >> you know, i should have thought about that in 1994 when i started writing songs and lyrics with creed because it's how i write music, how i right lyrics. it's what moves me. >> reporter: another song that seems very personal is "gone too

soon". >> yeah. >> reporter: he says the song was inspired in part bit tragic deaths of his friends, kris cornell and chester bennington. >> when kris passed, it hit me hard. and then a year later, when chester died, again, hit me really hard, and i was at a place in my recovery journey at that point in time where not only was i feeling the pain of their loss, but i was saying, man, that very, very easily could have been and should have been me. and this feeling of just i can't ever go back. you know. because that will be my story. >> reporter: you say so much that i'd want to say. >> yeah. >> reporter: so much that i didn't take the time to. >> yeah. >> reporter: what would you say to them, and what might have gotten through to you when you were in that dark place? >> you know, i don't know if there was much that would have gotten through to me.

when you're in the throes of addiction, combined with depression or any other mental health issue, you're not of sound mind. you're not thinking rationally, so, for me, i can just base it on my personal experience. it really took the threat of losing the two most important things in my life for me to have that moment of clarity amidst the darkness to get in the door of a facility that could help me to start the journey. >> reporter: a journey to recovery that's following him even out on tour. >> i run a sober tour. you know, it's sober environment on the bus. we're all really not even in to that. >> we have this family vibe. and it's so cool, because we can have wife. >> reporter: a guy with six earrings and all tatted up is telling me this. >> yes. >> all this positiveness, we have a good time. >> reporter: finish the

sentence. scott stapp is? >> a husband and father. >> reporter: you're in a good place. >> yeah. my greatest accomplishments in life, my grammys are my children and my wife. they mean more to me than anything that i could ever achieve or receive or have received in my entire career. and if i never get another accolade, if i never reach any pinnacles of success as i've done in the past in my career moving forward, i've already achieved it all with the family that i have. >> scott stap's new album comes out next friday. up next, the shark whisperer, testing out the waters with his suit of armor. hs are excited about the potential of once-weekly ozempic®. in a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults

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click, call or visit a store today to learn more. now here's a first. those two white sharks captured on camera interacting off the coast this week. they knew sharks bite each other, but until that video they'd never witnessed any social contact. one man is going cage free and getting closer than ever. diane macedo shows hus his secrt weapon. >> reporter: they're some of the fiercest animals on the planet. steely eyed, sharp toothed predators that can appear without any warning. >> watch out, jeremiah. careful, guys. they're coming in from every

direction now. this is not good. watch out, camera. >> reporter: sharks strike fear into just about everyone, except this guy, jeremiah sullivan. >> i don't know that i'm the shark man. i'm just another guy. >> reporter: a marine biologist, sullivan has been studying sharks closely for decades, very closely. >> big tiger coming in slowly but deliberately. she tried to push past wow. whoa, she's come back already. hang on now. >> reporter: 40 years ago he created the shark suit, a protective armor that would allow him to study sharks free of cages. >> it's important to study them in their own environment, not from a cage, which can alter the very behavior you're trying to study. >> reporter: the original was made of chain mail, but they've never been able to withstand the biggest shark bites.

so now he's putting his latest version of the suit to a test in the nat geoshow, "man versus shark". >> no cages. no second chances. >> these sharks are going nuts already. >> just man versus shark. >> reporter: you're putting your own body on the line, risking your own life for this. >> you know, i don't consider it that kind of a threat, because i have so much familiarity with what's going on, i have a pretty significant level of confidence that this new type of armor would work. what i'm trying to do is get away from all the chain mail. >> this is the old suit. >> you'll notice the difference between black mail. frequently the shark's sides are silvery. if you've got a piece of fish in your hand, it looks very similar to your hand. as the shark comes in for the fish, he can easily chew on you. >> reporter: i will never wear a

silver bathing suit again. >> you see how heavy this metal is. they're heavy, expensive, quite durable but not perfect. i'm shifting over to these advanced laminates. >> reporter: looks sort of like a shin guard. >> nothing is going to be able to get anywhere through here. >> reporter: to test it, sullivan engages with some of the most dangerous sharks known to man. >> >> oh, that was a close one. >> reporter: even baiting tiger sharks. >> tiger coming in. >> got it, 180 pounds. >> big shark, powerful shark. they eat most anything. their teeth, as you request see here are quite different. they've got this backward edge. they have a thicker tooth, and

they're used to biting into things that are harder, like turtles. this is the species you hear the famous stories about ate a keg of nails or license plates, that's tiger sharks. >> reporter: jeremiah gets bitten by a tiger shark on purpose. >> they're getting more revved up. careful guys. they're coming in from every direction now. this is not good. >> reporter: after meeting jeremiah, i suited up for my own close encounter with the sharks at the long island aquarium. moment of truth. we are swimming with sharks, and as great as jeremiah's suit sounds, i'm pretty glad to be in this cage. ah! i can't believe how close he is right now. how many sharks are in this tank? >> there's ten total. >> reporter: whoa, that one caught me by surprise a little bit. they kind of sneak up on you.

>> yeah, they're silent, silent hunters. you don't see them coming. >> reporter: okay, that's enough shark experience for me. back on dry land i get some practical tips from the shark whisperer. >> the golden rule with shark divers generally is it's the shark you don't see that's going to bite you. >> reporter: are there things you can do to stay safe? >> yes, yes. if you're in murky water it's very dangerous. i stay out of murky water when i know there are sharks that are potentially biters. >> reporter: murky water is a no-go. >> if it's clear water, if you panic and move around and in an erratic way, you look like a struggling fish or animal that may be injured or sick. that's what predators look for. in the ocean, if sharks do come around, it's very easy if you can stay cool and focussed. simply redirect them away from you. it's that simple. >> reporter: keywords. if you can stay cool, which not a lot of people can do when

they're face-to-face with a shark. >> i know that probably sounds silly, but that's the best chance you've got. >> reporter: as more people flock to the oceans close encounters will only become more common. is there something individuals can do to mitigate this increase? >> no. inform yourself. that's all you really can do. you can't expect sharks not to behave like sharks in their home. >> reporter: for "nightline," diane macedo in river head, new york. >> you can catch jeremiah testing out his suit on "man versus shark" wednesday on nat geo's shark fest. up next, firefighters answering the call of diaper duty. its show of strength or its sign of intelligence? in crossing harsh terrain or breaking new ground? this is the time to get an exceptional offer on the mercedes of your midsummer dreams at the mercedes-benz summer event, going on now. lease the gla 250 suv for just $329 a month

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and finally, sound the alarms. the babies have arrived. it was nearly one year ago. firefighters with the redding, california fire department were on the front lines for hours, fighting a devastating wildfire of the now their hands full once again with the 12 newest members of the squad. three sets of twins in the group. the families celebrating their bundles of joy with a photo

shoot, new life rising from the ashes. >> last year's been exciting. we've been richly blessed. >> and congratulations to all of them. that's "nightline." you can always catch our full episodes on hulu. good night, america, and have a great weekend.

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