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For a man who loves scuba diving, there are sharks in the water around Tiger Woods now.
As a golfer like none we've ever seen, Woods has been a close-to-perfect package even though he's rarely let the admiring public get close enough for a hug.
Now the world is looking in on Woods, straining to find out what really happened behind the gates of Isleworth during Thanksgiving. There's tabloid chatter about an affair and speculation about what happened in the wee hours of Friday morning.
He's in the deep end of the celebrity pool now.
There's a good chance we will never fully know what led Woods to hop into his black Escalade at around 2:30 a.m. Friday and, moments later, wind up crashed into a tree and laying in the street.
There has been more than enough speculation about what happened and why – the edgier the celebrity gossip site, the more salacious the story – but we're not likely to get much more from Woods.
There's likely no David Letterman moment on the horizon, especially now that Woods has cancelled his appearance as host at the Chevron World Challenge this week.
For all of his fame, he has always fiercely protected his privacy. He has offered occasional glimpses of the man, not just the golfer, but he's never been one to throw open the windows.
He is, away from the glare of his celebrity, a funny, remarkably down to the earth guy who prefers shorts, t-shirts and needling his friends.
For someone so famous, Woods has effectively kept his private life his own, keeping his own sanctuary away from golf and the business demands on his time.
It's no coincidence his yacht is named “Privacy.”
Now this happens.
It's disconcerting because it's Tiger, because this kind of thing isn't supposed to happen with him.
It's confusing, disappointing and, possibly, sad.
In world full of dings and dents, Woods has so far managed to stay relatively untouched by controversy unless you count his occasionally coarse utterances on the golf course as damaging. It would be refreshing if it could stay that way.
Suddenly, though, there are questions about his private life, some raised by the National Enquirer, more raised by what happened in front of his house. I'm not idealistic enough to think he's flawless, but Woods has done such a good job in handling the business of being Tiger Woods that it's jarring to see the swirl of scandal around him.
Public perception hasn't been helped by Woods' choosing not to talk with Florida Highway Patrol officials about what happened. Though he is under no legal obligation to talk, his unwillingness to meet with Highway Patrol officials has – perhaps unfairly – fueled suspicion.
Whatever Woods and his wife were to tell investigators would quickly become public and, it's logical to assume, he doesn't want that to happen.
If the accident happened at 2:30 in the afternoon, it would look one way. But it happened at 2:30 in the morning, raising many unanswered questions.
If Woods and his wife had a fight – the conclusion to which the world has jumped – it doesn't mean the details have to be shared with the world.
There's a difference in hiding something and choosing to keep it private.
In the statement posted on his Web site, Woods took responsibility for what happened and said he was embarrassed.
“This situation is my fault,” he wrote.
“I'm human and I'm not perfect.”
You don't need a magnifying glass to read between the lines. He's not proud of whatever happened.
That's given us a glimpse of Tiger we've rarely seen.
