Shailene Woodley alludes to doing something 'illegal' with scuba gear

Shailene Woodley has admitted she used "illegal" means to learn how to scuba dive and use equipment.

The 32-year-old actress has been reflecting on growing up in Hawaii where she fell in love with the ocean.

But it seems she may have breached some of the laws of the sea when she "played around" with scuba diving equipment.

Confessing to The Hollywood Reporter, the Big Little Lies actress said, "I guess I kind of illegally learned to dive a very long time ago, but I actually only got my PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification a couple of years ago.

"I grew up in Los Angeles. We were always in the ocean. And then I moved to Hawaii when I was 18 and I did a lot of free diving and would also play around with scuba gear in a way that was, actually, I think illegal, to be honest."

She added, "Water has always been a part of my life. It's the thing that makes me feel the most centred and the most grounded. And diving just opened up so many more avenues of exploration and deep care for the sea."

The star is promoting a new documentary series called Hope in the Water which airs on PBS in the USA and through which she is raising awareness about the dangers overfishing can pose to the environment.

On using her profile to spotlight causes to improve the ocean, the star said, "I just love the Earth. It's very simple."