World record-breaking scuba dives: who has gone the deepest, spent the most time underwater, done it with more people and a stack of other scuba diving world records
The deepest dive
The world’s deepest dive on open circuit scuba stands at332.35m (1,090ft). It was undertaken byAhmed Gabr in Dahab in the Red Sea on 18/19 September 2014 after nearly a decade of preparation. The descent took only 15 minutes while the ascent lasted 13 hours 35 minutes. Ahmed was helped by a 30-strong support team, includingnine divers as well as technicians, medical staff, and media representatives.
The record had previously been held by South Africa’s Nuno Gomes with a 2005 dive to 318.25m (1,044ft) also at Dahab. He still holds the official world record for the deepest cave dive after diving to a depth of 282m (927ft) in the Boemansgat cave in South Africa in 1996.
The same cave was the scene for the deepest scuba dive by a female set in 2004 when Verna van Schaik dived down to 221m (725ft).
The world record longest scuba dive
On 20 July 2016, Turkish diver Cem Karabayobliterated his own scuba diving world recordof 71 hours spent underwater by doubling it to 142 hours, 42 minutes and 42 seconds at Yavuz Çıkarma Beach, Cyprus – a total of almost six days spent underwater in open water. Cem also holds the record for the longest time spent underwater in a controlled environment– 192 hours, 19 minutes and 19 seconds submerged in a pool in Istanbul in 2011. He helped to pass the time during the dives by playing chess and football with his support team. The women’s record is held by Cristie Quill of the USA, who spent 51 hours and 25 minutes underwater at La Jolla Shores, San Diego, in aid of the ‘Put Cancer Under Pressure’ campaign.
Jerry Hall from the United States remained on an underwater platform in Watauga Lake, Tennessee for 120 hours, 1 minute and 9 seconds in 2004 which earned him the record of the longest open freshwater scuba dive.
The highest dive
The record for the highest altitude scuba dive is held by Erno Tósoki, a Hungarian scuba diver and mountaineer. This feat was achieved on 21 February 2016 at Ojos Del Salado, the tallest volcano on Earth, located on the Argentina-Chile border. Tósoki dived a permanent lake on the east side of the volcano, located at 6,382m above sea level, putting him as the first person to ever dive above 6,000m.
The dive only lasted for 10 minutes at a mere 2m due to the strenuous and unknown effects diving at this altitude could have on a person. After five years of preparation and two attempts already under his belt, Tósoki achieved this feat with only one team member supporting him.
This is one record that will be difficult to surpass, as there is no known lake on Earth higher than Ojos Del Salado.
The longest chain
Going back to normal altitudes now for the biggest underwater human chain, a record that was set on 17 June 2017 in Florida. Dixie Divers organised the event that saw 240 scuba divers plunge into the Florida waters off the coast of Deerfield Beach.
The two-day event started as an underwater clean-up to clear fishing nets and other waste from the popular diving and fishing spot. The uninterrupted chain required all divers to link arms or hold hands around the pier, beneath a series of buoys. The Florida divers easily surpassed the previous holders of this record, a group of 182 divers off the coast of Thailand, set in 2016.
The largest group dive
Another group record, this time for the largest amount of divers submerged at once. This record was broken by an event organised by the Indonesian Navy back in 2009, which saw 2,486 divers dive simultaneously. Divers were split into groups of 50 and waited in line until they could submerge to the target depth of 15m. The divers who participated in this event was more than double the amount of the previous record, set in the Maldives in 2006 when 958 divers took part in a group dive.
Deepest closed-circuit dive
Rebreather diving comes with its own particular set of challenges, and the world record deep dive on a closed-circuit rebreather was set by instructor Will Goodman ofBlue Marlin Dive Tech, based on Gili Trawangan, Indonesia on 26 March 2014. Will and his JJ-CCR reached a depth of 290m after a 9-minute freefall, during which all his computers froze. His actual – but unrecorded – depth is estimated to be a shade over 300m. The dive in total took 9h and 57m but is unfortunately not officially recognised by theGuinness Book of World Records. Will was also at one point the holder of the world record for longest dive underwater. The ladies’ CCR record is held by American Kimberly Inge, who reached 198.73m (632ft) at Lighthouse Point, Grand Cayman, on 30 May 2012. The total dive time on her rEvo CCR was 6h 2m.
The three highest UK lakes in 24 hours
The Three Lakes Challenge is a record in which divers attempt to dive the highest three lakes of the UK within a 24 hour period. Challengers must carry a full set of dive gear, without assistance to and from each of the lakes before making the dive. Kenny Munro, Matt Buckley and Rob Pozzi a team fromBurghead Sub-Aqua Club (Burgsac)completed the dive in a time of 20 hours and 36 minutes, beating previous record-holders Monty Hall and Andy Torbet by more than 2 hours.
They began the challenge at the highest lake, Loch Coire an Lochan, which lies 996m up the northwestern slope of Breariach in the Cairngorms, the UK’s third-highest peak. This took them 6 hours and 38 minutes before driving to the UK’s third highest mountain, Red Tarn, sitting 718m high. Lastly, they finished the challenge off atFfynnon Lloer, located at an altitude of 650m within the Carneddau mountain range of Snowdonia, North Wales.
Fastest 10km scuba diving world record
The record for the fastest 10km scuba dive is held by Faisal Jawad Hassan. What makes the record particularly significant is that the 33-year-old Kuwaiti is paraplegic, having lost the use of his legs in a car accident when he was 20. His record time for the 10km was 5 hours and 24 minutes, beating the previous record of 6 hours 21 minutes – which was set by an able-bodied diver.Faisal started scuba diving to assist with his recovery after the accident.‘After the car accidents I had, the first thing I did was challenging my fears,’ said Hassan. ‘I chose to learn how to dive. After I dove I felt that I am free under the water,’ he said.‘Diving can set me free from sadness and hopelessness and made feel free.’
Deepest no-limits freedive
There are several disciplines in the freediving world, depending on what type of weight configuration they use, whether they dive under their own propulsion, or with or without fins. The most ‘extreme’ version of freediving is ‘no limits’ whereby the freediver can choose any mode of locomotion – typically a weighted sled to descend and an inflatable balloon to ascend. The record for deepest no-limit freediving is 214m (702ft), held by Austrian world champion Herbert Nitsch, who set the record on 14 June 2007 in Spetses, Greece.
The ladies’ no-limit freediving record is held by Tanya Streeter of the USA, who reached 160m (525ft) on 17 August 2002 – an outright world record at the time for both men and women. Freediving requires the diver to hold their breath for a considerable amount of time, and both of these records took over 3 minutes underwater. The world record for ‘static apnoea’, however – ie holding one’s breath underwater without moving – is held byStephane Mifsud of France, who held his breath for an incredible11 minutes and 35 seconds in June 2009.
World record scuba dive for underwater juggling
Possibly the silliest of world scuba diving records, but also probably the most fun, Markus Just of Germany, a ‘comedian, clown and fire artist’ holds the record for ‘longest duration juggling of three objects underwater’. He juggled for 1 hour and 40 minutes at the Freizeit Messe (Leisure Show) in Nuremberg on 3 March 2013 – earning him the nickname ‘The 100-Minute Man’. Markus also holds the record for the longest underwater duration of juggling by apnoea, with a time of 3 minutes and 32 seconds. The video below was inspired byGuillaume Néry’s ‘FreeFall’ freediving video.
FAQs
What is the longest recorded scuba dive? ›
The world record longest scuba dive
Cem also holds the record for the longest time spent underwater in a controlled environment – 192 hours, 19 minutes and 19 seconds submerged in a pool in Istanbul in 2011.
The maximum depth reached by anyone in a single breath is 702 feet (213.9 metres) and this record was set in 2007 by Herbert Nitsch.
Can a human dive 1000 feet? ›Most recreational divers rarely dive deeper than 130 feet. But commercial divers can use atmospheric suits to descend to depths up to 2,000 feet. Some recreational divers have descended to depths of 1,000 feet and beyond and survived the experience without any problems.
Can a human dive to 200 feet? ›In Recreational diving, the maximum depth limit is 40 meters (130 feet). In technical diving, a dive deeper than 60 meters (200 feet) is described as a deep dive. However, as defined by most recreational diving agencies, a deep dive allows you to descend to 18 meters and beyond.
How far can a Navy SEAL dive? ›With a maximum depth of 70 feet, the LAR V Draeger rebreather cannot operate as deep as open circuit SCUBA systems. The unit's relatively small size and front-worn configuration makes them suitable for shallow water operation. Dive duration is affected by depth, water temperature and oxygen consumption rate.
Can you scuba dive to 500 feet? ›This pressure, known as “storage depth,” is typically too deep to dive using air, so the divers breathe a mix of helium and oxygen called heliox. Below 500 feet, heliox can cause high-pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS), which is characterized by tremors.
Can you dive to the Titanic? ›Have you ever wished you could see the ship up close and in person? Well, now you can. That's right — you can dive to the depths of the ocean and see the Titanic for yourself. OceanGate Expeditions, a company made up of undersea explorers, scientists, and filmmakers, offers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Can you scuba dive to 300 feet? ›A recreational diving limit of 130 feet can be traced back decades. The deepest your typical recreational scuba diver can go is 130 feet. In order to venture further and explore wrecks, caves and other sites beyond 130 feet, these agencies — such as PADI, NAUI and SSI — require “technical” certifications.
Can a human survive 47 meters underwater? ›According to the US Navy dive decompression tables a diver may spend up to five minutes at 160' (47 meters) without needing to decompress during their ascent. The longer a diver stays underwater the greater their exposure to “the bends” becomes.
How deep do Navy divers go? ›Submarine Rescue and Saturation: Navy Divers perform saturation diving operations in support of deep ocean recovery and submarine rescue to a depth of 2000 feet.
What's the deepest you can go in the ocean? ›
In the Pacific Ocean, somewhere between Guam and the Philippines, lies the Marianas Trench, also known as the Mariana Trench. At 35,814 feet below sea level, its bottom is called the Challenger Deep — the deepest point known on Earth.
How deep is the ocean floor? ›The average ocean depth is 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles).
The average depth of the ocean is about 3,688 meters (12,100 feet).
Decompression sickness. Often called "the bends," decompression sickness happens when a scuba diver ascends too quickly. Divers breathe compressed air that contains nitrogen. At higher pressure under water, the nitrogen gas goes into the body's tissues.
What happens if you dive too deep in the ocean? ›This can cause tissue and nerve damage. In extreme cases, it can cause paralysis or death if the bubbles are in the brain. Nitrogen narcosis. Deep dives can cause so much nitrogen to build up in the brain that you can become confused and act as though you've been drinking alcohol.
How deep can you dive with oxygen? ›Divers have to limit their oxygen exposure to a maximum partial pressure of 1.4 ppO2 in order to avoid Central Nervous System (CNS) toxicity. At high pressure, oxygen interferes with neural function and will cause convulsions. This 1.4 ppO2 limit equates to a 56.6m/185ft maximum depth when breathing air (21% O2).
Are there female Navy SEALs? ›To date, 13 women have been chosen for Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman training, with one completing the course and becoming the Navy's first female Naval Special Warfare operator -- the boat operators who transport Navy SEALs and conduct their own classified missions -- in July 2021.
What does frog mean in Navy SEALs? ›A time-honored tradition for Navy SEALs is to get a bone frog tattoo on return from a combat deployment to honor a fallen SEAL. It's a constant reminder of the ultimate sacrifices made to uphold our nation's liberty and freedom.
Has a woman ever passed buds? ›Ultimately, however, she was not selected for a SEAL contract, officials said. While the military formally opened SEAL billets — and all other previously closed jobs — to women in 2016, no woman has yet made it to the infamous 24-week Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training to date.
How long can a scuba diver stay at 100 feet? ›When divers advance beyond 100 feet, no-decompression time falls significantly. The PADI recreational dive planner allows for a bottom time of 20 minutes at 100 feet or 10 minutes at 130 feet.
Can you scuba dive 10000 feet? ›The ten thousand foot mark is the maximum elevation still considered safe for recreational divers.
How deep can you dive without a PADI? ›
– Open Water Divers can plan and execute dives with a certified buddy or dive professional to a maximum depth of 18 meters/60 feet. – Scuba Divers may only dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional (an Instructor) to a maximum depth of 12 meters/40 feet.
Are there body still in the Titanic? ›— People have been diving to the Titanic's wreck for 35 years. No one has found human remains, according to the company that owns the salvage rights.
Who owns the Titanic wreck? ›Over 1,500 people died in the disaster. The wreck was discovered in 1985. RMS Titanic Inc. owns the salvage rights, or rights to what is left, of the Titanic.
Is the Titanic still sitting at the bottom of the ocean? ›The wreck of the Titanic sits in two parts at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean, slowly decaying nearly 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) below the surface, but it's not alone. A sonar blip detected around 26 years ago has now revealed there's much more to this underwater area than previously thought.
How deep can a 12 year old dive? ›Junior Open Water divers age 10-11 can only dive with a parent, guardian, or PADI professional and to a maximum depth of 40 feet (12 m). Junior Open Water Divers age 12-14 years old can dive with a certified adult other than a parent, guardian, or PADI professional, and they may dive to 60 feet (18 m).
Can you scuba dive 2000 feet? ›An atmospheric diving suit allows very deep dives of up to 610 metres (2,000 ft). These suits are capable of withstanding the pressure at great depth permitting the diver to remain at normal atmospheric pressure. This eliminates the problems associated with breathing high-pressure gases.
How long can divers hold their breath? ›Free divers swim to extreme depths underwater (the current record is 214m) without any breathing apparatus. Champions can hold their breath for extraordinary amounts of time – the record for women is nine minutes, and men 11.
Has a shark cage ever sunk? ›In 2007, a commercial shark cage was destroyed off the coast of Guadalupe Island after a 4.6-metre (15 ft) great white shark became entangled and tore the cage apart in a frantic effort to free itself.
Is 47 meters down true story? ›It's dramatic, but is 47 Meters Down: Uncaged a true story in any way? Soul Surfer this isn't. The film takes a few near-truths and bends them with artistic license.
What is the longest a human has been underwater? ›In aquatic mammals, this reflex is particularly well-developed. Without training, we can manage about 90 seconds underwater before needing to take a breath. But on 28 February 2016, Spain's Aleix Segura Vendrell achieved the world record for breath-holding, with a time of 24 minutes.
How long do Navy SEALs hold their breath? ›
Navy SEALs can hold their breath underwater for two to three minutes or more. Breath-holding drills are typically used to condition a swimmer or diver and to build confidence when going through high-surf conditions at night, said Brandon Webb, a former Navy SEAL and best-selling author of the book “Among Heroes.”
What level divers are Navy SEALs? ›Unlike other special-operations units, in the SEAL Teams everyone is combat diver qualified.
What is the highest paid job in the Navy? ›The dive to the ocean's deepest point turned up some surprises. The news: During a four-hour exploration of the Mariana Trench, retired naval officer Victor Vescovo piloted his submarine to 10,927 meters (35,849 feet) below the sea's surface, making it the.
Have humans reached the bottom of the ocean? ›While thousands of climbers have successfully scaled Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, only two people have descended to the planet's deepest point, the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench.
What is under the ocean floor? ›The ocean floor is called the abyssal plain. Below the ocean floor, there are a few small deeper areas called ocean trenches. Features rising up from the ocean floor include seamounts, volcanic islands and the mid-oceanic ridges and rises.
Does anything live under the ocean floor? ›The abyssal plain is the relatively level deep seafloor. It is a cold and dark place that lies between 3,000 and 6,000 meters below the sea surface. It is also home to squat lobsters, red prawns, and various species of sea cucumbers. For these creatures food is scarce most of the time.
How dark is the ocean? ›Light may be detected as far as 1,000 meters down in the ocean, but there is rarely any significant light beyond 200 meters. The ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level. Although some sea creatures depend on light to live, others can do without it.
Is there lava on the ocean floor? ›It was only when scientists began sampling the deep ocean floor in the 1950s and 1960s that they realized that most of the ocean floor is composed of lava flows. In fact, more lava has erupted on the sea floor than anywhere on Earth, mostly from mid-ocean ridges -- the longest chain of active volcanoes on our planet.
Why do I get so tired after scuba diving? ›During a dive, nitrogen dissolves in your body and gradually invades your tissues. During the ascent and during the hours following immersion, your body will have to use energy to remove this excess nitrogen in order to return to its normal state of functioning.
What is the most important rule in scuba diving? ›
1. Never hold your breath. This is undoubtedly by far the most crucial of all safety rules for diving because failure to adhere could result in fatality. If you hold your breath underwater at the depths at which scuba divers reach then the fluctuating pressure of air in your lungs can rupture the lung walls.
Do your lungs shrink when you dive? ›As external pressure on the lungs is increased in a breath-holding dive (in which the diver's only source of air is that held in his lungs), the air inside the lungs is compressed, and the size of the lungs decreases.
Why don t deep sea creatures get crushed? ›Many sea creatures are made of mostly water. Water cannot be compressed, or squeezed, by pressure like air can. This means that animals in the sea can stay safe when in the depths of the sea, as their body is balanced with the pressure around them, whereas we have air in our bodies that would be crushed.
Why do divers have to come up slowly? ›As he ascends to a depth with less water pressure, this nitrogen gas expands according to Boyle's Law. If a diver does not ascend slowly enough for his body to eliminate this expanding nitrogen gas, it can form tiny bubbles in his blood and tissue and cause decompression sickness.
At what depth is 100% oxygen toxic? ›Breathing air containing 21% oxygen risks acute oxygen toxicity at depths greater than 66 m; breathing 100% oxygen there is a risk of convulsion at only 6 m.
Do divers breathe 100% oxygen? ›Pure Oxygen Is Used in Technical Diving
Pure and high percentage mixes of oxygen (such as nitrox or trimix) are used by trained technical and recreational divers to extend bottom times and to speed decompression. On the surface, pure oxygen is recommended first aid for the majority of diving injuries.
- No flying after diving. Flying after scuba diving is one of the more widely known risks to divers. ...
- Don't go zip-lining after scuba diving. ...
- Avoid heavy drinking after diving. ...
- No mountain climbing after diving. ...
- Avoid massages after diving.
The industry-standard depth limit for a recreational dive is 130 feet (40 meter). However, anything over 60 feet will require an advanced certification. During your Advanced Open Water course, you will be trained under the supervision of a dive instructor to dive to a depth of 100 feet.
What is the deepest a human has been in the ocean? ›While thousands of climbers have successfully scaled Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, only two people have descended to the planet's deepest point, the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench.
What happens if I fly after scuba diving? ›Ascending to high altitude after scuba diving increases your risk of suffering from decompression sickness. Flying after diving increases this risk because of the decreasing atmospheric pressure.
How deep can you dive with just oxygen? ›
Diving with pure oxygen deeper than 20 feet can cause a person to absorb more oxygen than his system can safely handle, leading to central nervous system (CNS) oxygen toxicity. CNS oxygen toxicity causes a diver to go into convulsions (among other things).
What happens if you dive too deep? ›As you descend, water pressure increases, and the volume of air in your body decreases. This can cause problems such as sinus pain or a ruptured eardrum. As you ascend, water pressure decreases, and the air in your lungs expands. This can make the air sacs in your lungs rupture and make it hard for you to breathe.
How long can scuba diver stay underwater? ›An Average Diver, at an Average Depth, With an Average Tank
Based on personal experience, an average open-water certified diver using a standard aluminum 80-cubic-foot tank on a 40-foot dive will be able to stay down for about 45 to 60 minutes before surfacing with a safe reserve of air still in the tank.
A "no-decompression", or "no-stop" dive is a dive that needs no decompression stops during the ascent according to the chosen algorithm or tables, and relies on a controlled ascent rate for the elimination of excess inert gases.