He was so successful in playing skin diver Mike Nelson that people thought he was a skin diver.
From the post-gazette.com
This indicates how close a skin diver can approach to a large fish before it decides to turn and flee.
From the sciencedaily.com
While his two children lie asleep upstairs, his wife is out cuckolding him with a Negro skin-diver, or so he thinks.
From the time.com
It was kind of a double-edged sword because, while it gave him a lot of success, he also was very frustrated because he only got offered skin diver roles.