Have you ever wondered how deep a (properly-trained) diver could go? Or how far someone could swim in one breath? Read on to learn about some of the most amazing achievements in diving.
In 2016, Venezuelan and PADI AmbassaDiver Carlos Coste set the record for the world’s longest open water swim on one breath. Using fins, Coste swam 580 feet (177 meters) in three minutes and five seconds, breaking his previous record-setting distance of 492 feet (150 meters) set in 2010. View the record-setting event from Kralendijk, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles:
The longest open water swim on one breath (using fins) by a female is 505 feet (154 meters). Marina Kazankova set the record in Bonaire on 9 September 2016. She was reportedly dressed as a mermaid.
When “Deep Joy” Y-40 opened in 2014, it surpassed Nemo 33 as the world’s deepest diving pool . Located in the Hotel Terme Millepini in Padua, Italy, Y-40 is 131 feet (40 meters) deep. It includes underwater caves, platforms at various depths, and a viewing tunnel for non-divers. In 2017, freediver Guillaume Néry performed a single breath-hold dive to the very bottom of the pool.
PADI® Instructor Ahmed Gabr holds the world record for deepest scuba dive. Gabr trained for four years before the attempt, which culminated in a dive to 1090 feet (332 meters). “I wanted to satisfy my curiosity of how deep the human body can go, I was researching in books and on the internet but still never had the absolute answer so I figured out the best way to find the answer is to try it myself,” said Gabr.
The descent took 14 minutes, but Gabr’s return trip took just under 14 hours. He added, “I had a baby oceanic white tip shark as company for 6 hours, I think he wanted to say congratulations.”
The previous world record was set in 2005, Nuno Gomes of South Africa dove to 1044 feet (318 meters).
Verna van Schaik (South Africa) holds the world record for deepest female scuba dive. In 2004, she dived to 725 feet (221 meters) in a freshwater cave in South Africa. Her descent took approximately 12 minutes, while the ascent took five hours and 22 minutes.
PADI Pro Karin Sinniger dove her way into the record books in February 2013 alongside an ocean-swimming elephant. Her underwater experience took place in India, the 115th country where she had logged a dive.
