Tiger Woods - Scuba Diver

[trigfunctions]

I just read this. Tiger Woods - Salon.com

Woods spent a week at Fort Bragg going through Special Forces training with the Marines and became a master scuba diver, capable of holding his breath for four minutes at a time while exploring the ocean. It was one of his tales from under the sea that first gave his colleagues pause.

Woods was having lunch at Firestone Country Club in 2003, regaling Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn with stories about diving and spearfishing. He could stay on the ocean floor even longer, Woods explained, when he used a regulator. But the scenery was so much better without one.

"You don't want any bubbles because that scares the fish off," he said. "The only problem is that when you don't make any bubbles, the sharks come around, too."

Bjorn stiffened, raised a bushy eyebrow and said, "Just be careful down there. Our future earnings depend on you."

I googled a little and found some other articles about it.
Tiger Woods Comes to Belize, Belize Newspaper and Magazine Articles

I also found this old ScubaBoard thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/snorkeling-freediving/116066-tiger-woods-freediving.html

 

[ScubaCollin]

Having no bubbles in the area attracts sharks? This is news to me. Just keep him away from the dolphins, lord knows what he plans to do once hes finished fornicating with the entire human female population.

 

[zaberman1]

He also did the zero to hero course and is a full cave diver...

EDIT:

Not sure if the zero to hero thing is true but he is definitely a full caver, got his cert at ginnie springs

 

[mike_s]

why would the military allow a civilian to go through a dive training program?

and can you become a "Master Diver" in the military in a week? (I don't think so).

has anyone verified this below that the magazine is correct? I mean when did Salon.com become an authority on scuba diving?

Woods spent a week at Fort Bragg going through Special Forces training with the Marines and became a master scuba diver

 

[Hockeynut]

How can you go through special forces (ARMY) training with Marines?

 

[Scott L]

why would the military allow a civilian to go through a dive training program?

Why was Florida US Senator Bill Nelson part of a shuttle crew last decade?

 

[ScubaCollin]

How can you go through special forces (ARMY) training with Marines?

Probably meant recon.

 

[tstormdiver]

Not sure if the zero to hero thing is true but he is definitely a full caver, got his cert at ginnie springs

Very true, Tiger & his buddy asked my cave instructor for directions to find a guideline. My instructor did not initially recongnize him, as he had a hood on, but did after the dive when the hood was removed.

 

[Hoomi]

I'm not sure if you all have heard, but he's dropping the Tiger name for another big cat. From now on, he's to be known as "Cheetah."

 

[Jax]

Well-l-l-l, knowing nothing about this story or Woods, I can speak to Army / Defense programs.

First, "went through Special Forces training at Bragg". There is a very large Special Forces contingent there, and they hold the whole line of training there, for both refresher and for qualifying.

Second, all the services have means by which their service members can train with other forces. I could go to the Air Force Senior Service College, although I've never been Air Force. Our basic and advanced courses have members from not only joint, but from coalition forces too.

Therefore, the Marines could have been attending training put on by the SF at Bragg.

Federal civilian employees, if properly qualified, and if there's good reason, may also attend training.

Now, when it comes to "pure" civilians - sometimes it is good PR. I had a CEO from a major firm go through our Army leadership training.

I deduce that Tiger was already well-qualified as a diver, and perhaps the training was final training and quals for master diver. The four-minute thing? Maybe he could already do it.