What do Prince William, Paris Hilton, and Tiger Woods share? They all enjoy scuba diving! Since we are an online scuba magazine and not a celebrity gossip site, let’s look at some celebrities who share a passion for exploring the underwater world, just like you and I do.
Prince William
The perhaps future king of England may not be your next dive buddy, as he’s engaged already. However, the royal heir expressed his love for diving in an interview, along with his potential plans to combine the two passions in his life with a honeymoon in Australia.
“I love scuba diving and I’ve always wanted to dive the Great Barrier Reef.” – Prince William
For decades, Hollywood has glamorized our favorite hobby in films such as ‘The Abyss,’ ‘Open Water,’ ‘Men Of Honor,’ ‘Into The Blue’ and James Cameron’s latest blockbuster, ‘Sanctum.’ So it’s no surprise that some of Hollywood’s most famous actors and actresses have been roped in by the fascination of their experiences and turned it into an actual hobby behind the scenes.
Jessica Alba
Hollywood hottie and a regular on the People’s Magazine 50 Most Beautiful People list, Jessica Alba is a scuba diver at heart. Under the tutelage of her lifeguard mother, Alba learned to swim before she could walk, and this PADI-certified scuba diver’s skills were made to good use several times in her work, from the popular TV series Flipper to the movie Into the Blue. Jessica makes scuba diving look sexy.
“When I was thirteen I learned to dive for a TV show I did called “The New Adventures of Flipper” I grew up in CA where the water is so cold that diving isn’t something you do if you’re a regular teenage girl. But I loved it immediately, I was fearless.” – Jessica Alba
More Scuba Diving Celebrities
For Sandra Bullock, scuba diving wasn’t just for the love of the ocean; it was to overcome one of her biggest fears, being underwater. Having conquered the fear with scuba lessons, Sandra found she loved the peacefulness underwater and was hooked. As for Katie Homles, let’s say she followed suit when she took up diving as an activity she could experience with her husband, Tom Cruise, who loves scuba diving. Tom’s ex, the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz, also loves scuba diving when she’s on vacation, as does her good friend Salma Hayek, who has been scuba diving since she was 12.
The three-time Oscar-winning Director James Cameron of the worldwide box office hit “Titanic” shows his love for scuba diving and the ocean through his work. With over 3,000 hours logged underwater, Cameron has been an avid diver since 1969, when he grew up near Niagara Falls, and recalls begging his father at age 16 for scuba diving lessons.
Retired Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, Castaway star Tom Hanks, supermodels Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, actors Gene Hackman and Kevin Costner, and actresses Cameron Diaz and Kate Hudson are all scuba divers that join the list. Husband and wife actors Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber enjoy diving, especially with sharks in Tahiti, and intend to have their children certified to dive. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, an avid scuba diver, has been known to read scuba diving magazines during solo breaks between songs while on tour with the famous band. And yes, even Paris Hilton takes time off her busy social life and leaves her little doggy behind to log a few dives here and there.
Also on the Scuba celebrity list is…
Scuba diver and pro golfer Tiger Woods has been seriously diving since he took up the sport a few years back. A NAUI divemaster member, Tiger is also a specialized cave diver. When asked about his love of scuba diving, he states, “The fish don’t know who I am.”
“The waters are incredible! I have been diving in many places and Belize is definitely top notch. The Blue Hole is spectacular. The water was so clear everywhere we went.” “I have never done anything like that in my life. It was awesome!” -Tiger Woods (on Diving the Blue Hole and Shark-Ray Alley in Belize)
All celebrities, however, seem to agree on one thing: the more private the dive, the better. So, as cool as it would be, they may not be your next dive buddy.
