Celebrity/Famous Scuba Divers August 29, 2018 by lukesheppard

Diving appeals to so many people and you’ll always be surprised when you bring up diving in conversation how many of us are out there.  Scuba divers are everywhere and of course you’ll find that many celebrities scuba dive either recreationally or have learnt for a role in a film.

Jessica Alba “I loved it immediately, I was fearless.”

You’ll recognise Jessica Alba diving opposite Paul Walker in the film Into the Blue that featured scuba and freediving heavily. Jessica’s mother was a lifeguard and taught her to swim before she could walk. Staring in the TV series Flipper she learned to scuba dive back in the mid-90’s. 

Leonardo DiCaprio “Protecting our future on this planet depends on the conscious evolution of our species”

Leo is a big conservationist and recreational diver. Dramatic stories of him diving with Ed Norton, performing an out of air ascent and a near shark attack flooding newspapers prove he keeps going back for more and the media love to over dramatise our sport.  Back in 1998 The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation was founded that is dedicated to the long-term health and wellbeing of all Earth’s inhabitants, surprising how scuba diving can often lead people to conservation. Maybe scuba diving should be mandatory for the next generation…

Matthew McConaughey “the day we went out diving and swam with a dugong, which was very cool”

Matthew McConaughey starred in Fools Gold, with plenty of Mares product placement, as a treasure hunter searching for sunken treasure. Both he and co-star Kate Hudson learned to dive while filming and their confidence in the water shows.

Prince William “Scuba diving really has opened my eyes not only to many extraordinary sights, but also to the responsibilities that we have as guardians of the underwater world”

Both the future King of England Prince William and Kate the Duchess of Cambridge, not to be confused with freediver Kate Middleton, scuba dive.  William took on the title of President of the BSAC like both his father Charles and his grandfather before him so scuba diving flows through the British Royal family and will hopefully influence others.

James Cameron  “I just loved it. I loved this idea that there was this alien atmosphere right here on planet earth”

Director James Cameron has to be on this list, he directed The Abyss that was filmed in large part underwater with Cameron watching dailies during deco stops. Many of the exotic plants and animals in Avatar were inspired by underwater species and Cameron himself captained a submarine down to the deepest point on Earth in the Mariana Trench.

A few common themes occurs among scuba diving celebrities and what they say about it. One is often the anonymity of diving as the fish don’t recognise them and ask for photos and there aren’t any paparazzi under the waves and another is the focus on conservation that it brings to your conscience.