The underwater world is a fascinating and mysterious place, full of incredible creatures and stunning natural features. And for many people, pushing the limits of what’s possible underwater is a thrilling challenge. From diving deeper than anyone has gone before to swimming longer distances or holding their breath for incredible amounts of time, the pursuit of underwater world records has captivated adventurers and athletes for decades.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the most impressive and awe-inspiring underwater world records ever achieved. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the people who have dedicated their lives to pushing the boundaries through their extraordinary record attempts.
Longest Distance Swam Underwater With One Breath Using Fins (Open Water, Male)
Danish freediver Stig Severinsen set the newest male record for the longest underwater swim on one breath using fins. Severinsen swam 202 meters (662.73 feet) underwater on a single breath in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Stig’s effort surpassed the previous record by an impressive 25 meters (82 feet), which was set by Carlos Coste (Venezuela) on the 9 September, 2016.
Stig wanted to attempt this record to inspire children and to raise awareness to protect our ocean, including the wildlife that lives there.
Longest Distance Swam Underwater With One Breath Using Fins (Open Water, Female)
Veronika Kravtcova, from Russia, currently holds the world record for the longest underwater swim on one breath using fins (female). She swam a total of 160 meters (524 feet) underwater in Porto Koufo, Halkidiki, Greece, on 3 September, 2017.
Longest Time Breath Held Voluntarily (Static, Male)
A 56-year-old freediver, Budimir Šobat, holds the world record for longest breath hold (male). Šobat held his breath for a staggering 24 minutes 37.36 seconds, lying face down in a swimming pool. He surpassed the previous static apnea world record by 34 seconds, which is a long time when you’re not breathing!
Longest Time Breath Held Voluntarily (Static, Female)
Professional freediver, Karoline Mariechen Meyer, holds the world record for longest breath hold (female). This record took place at the Racer Academy swimming pool in Florianopolis, Brazil. Karoline trained for four months and ended up holding her breath for a total of 18 minutes 32.59 seconds.
Deepest Pool in the World
The deepest pool in the world is Deep Dive Dubai. With an amazing depth of 60 meters (196 feet), the pool has stolen the record from Poland’s Deepspot, which has a depth of over 45 meters (148 feet). Deep Dive Dubai is filled with 14 million liters of freshwater, and the temperature of the water is maintained at 30ºC (86ºF). This pool is an underwater dream, allowing divers to enjoy different habitats and practice their skills. Be sure to check out the video above to see all of unbelievable features this pool has!
Deepest Scuba Dive (Male)
PADI Instructor Ahmed Gabr holds the world record for deepest scuba dive. Gabr trained for four years before this attempt at deep sea scuba diving, which culminated in a dive to 332.35 meters (1090 feet). “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 when Nuno Gomes of South Africa dove to 318.21 meters (1044 feet).
Deepest Scuba Dive (Female)
Karen Van Den Oever holds the world record for deepest scuba dive (female). Van Den Oever dove to 246.56 meters (809 feet) in Boesmansgat Cave, Northern Cape, South Africa, on 27 October, 2022. This exceeded the previous women’s deep sea diving record of 221 meters (725 feet) set by Verna Van Schaik in 2004.
The duration of the dive lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes of which 14 minutes and 50 seconds were spent descending.
Fastest Time To Scuba Dive on All Seven Continents
On December 3, 2024, PADI AmbassaDiver Barrington Scott became the diver to dive on all seven continents the quickest. It took him 19 days, 19 hours, and 40 minutes to set the official Guinness World Record. Along the way, Scott made dives in Antarctica, Argentina, Egypt, the USA, Malta, Australia and Thailand. Read more about his journey here.
Scuba Diving in the Most Countries
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. This made her the world-record holder for scuba diving in the most countries. As of 2023, her total country count stands at 118 UN-recognized nations.
Longest Underwater Live Broadcast
On 16 October, 2023, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada broke the world record for the longest underwater live broadcast. The broadcast took place at the aquarium in Toronto, Canada. It concluded after 5 hours, 44 minutes, and 30 seconds, successfully breaking the previous record by just 20 minutes.
Most Days Living Underwater
Joseph Dituri, a University of South Florida professor and retired US naval officer, broke the world record for living in a fixed underwater habitat in 2023 after spending 100 days underwater in the Jules’ Undersea Lodge. The lodge is anchored at 30 feet (10 meters) off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, USA. Dituri embarked on this mammoth underwater mission as part of Project Neptune 100. The unique project focused on understanding the human physiological and psychological effects of compression while drawing attention to marine conservation.
Longest Chain of Divers in North America
Dixie Divers, a PADI Five Star IDC Center, holds the North American record for the longest underwater chain of scuba divers. They went well beyond the their own previous world record with 386 scuba divers in 2018!
Dixie Divers’ passion for attempting Guinness World Record titles is evident, and it brings together both the local and global dive community. This is truly an outstanding accomplishment for the entire industry. We are thrilled for all those who contributed to this success.
Oldest Scuba Diving Club
Where do you think you can find the oldest scuba diving club in the world? Look no further than the Groupe Pêche et d’Etudes Sous-marines (GPES) in France. Founded on 24 June, 1941 in La Ciotat, France, this club has been introducing divers to life under the waves for over 80 years! In 2024, the club will be an incredible 82 years old.
Oldest Married Couple to Scuba Dive – Aggregate Age
For many divers, once they uncover the magic of diving, they dream of diving every day that they can. That’s exactly what Grace and Philip Hampton have done. They have spent countless years exploring the depths of the ocean together. From Turks and Caicos to Belize, they have travelled across the globe in pursuit of their passion for diving. Back in 2017, the couple broke a diving record as the oldest diving couple in the world. Totaling 171 years and 329 days between them, the dynamic duo dove into the waters of the Cayman Islands to break the diving record.
Highest Altitude Scuba Dive
On 13 December, 2019, the world record for the highest altitude scuba dive was broken by Polish diver Marcel Korkus at Ojos del Salado in Argentina. The dive happened 6,395 meters (20,981 feet) above sea level in a permanent crater lake on the Argentina-Chile border. Ojos del Salado, where the dive took place, is an active volcano that is part of the Andes in South America. How cool is that?!
Deepest Freedive (No Limits, Male)
The deepest no-limit freedive by a male was set by Herbert Nitsch of Austria, in Santorini, Greece. The dive went to a depth of 253 meters (830 feet) and occurred on 6 June 2012. No-limit diving is often considered the most dangerous form for competitive freedivers. This is because it sets “no limits” on how the diver descends and ascends, unlike other disciplines, such as free immersion. This means it’s common for freedivers to use variable weighting, such as bars or sleds fixed to lines. It’s also permitted to use balloons on the ascent.
Deepest Freedive (No Limits, Female)
Tanya Streeter from the USA set the Guinness World Record for the deepest no-limit freedive by a female 17 August 2002. The dive took place in the Turks and Caicos Islands and reached a diving depth of 160 meters (524 feet 11.2 inches). From start to finish, the dive took 3 minutes and 26 seconds. At the time the record was set, it was the deepest official no-limit freedive achieved by any freediver.
Most People Extreme Ironing Underwater
In 2011, 173 scuba divers from the De Waterman Diving Club (Netherlands) in Oss, Netherlands, came together to set the record for the most people extreme ironing underwater. The chore-filled, high-pressure event lasted 10 minutes.
Largest Underwater Wedding
The largest underwater wedding happened at the Koparki Diving Base, Jaworzno, Poland, on 27 August 2011. The event involved 303 divers who turned up to witness the marriage ceremony between Ewa Staronska and Pawel Burkowski. The ceremony lasted around 18 minutes and the participants communicated with each other by using sign language and several waterproof texts.
Deepest Freedive (Constant Weight Without Fins (CNF), Male)
Swimming to a depth of 102 meters ((334 feet 7 inches), the New Zealander William Trubridge set the male world record for the deepest constant weight without fins freedive. This depth record was achieved in the Bahamas at Dean’s Blue Hole, a popular tourist attraction and renowned freediving location.
Deepest Freedive (Constant Weight Without Fins (CNF), Female)
Kateryna Sadurska, a former World Championship medallist in artistic swimming from Ukraine, set the female world record for the deepest constant weight without fins freedive on 29 July 2023. She achieved a depth of 77 metres (252 feet 7 inches) at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas.
Longest Underwater Kiss
The Guinness World Record for the longest underwater kiss is 4 minutes and 6 seconds. Beth Neale from South Africa and Miles Cloutier from Canada hold the record. The kiss took place in an infinity pool at the LUX* Resort in South Ari Atoll, Maldives on 4 February 2023.
Most People Scuba Diving at the Same Time
On 3 August 2019, in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, 3,131 people all scuba diving together simultaneously. This set the Guinness World Record for the most people scuba diving at the same time. Interestingly, this was one of three records achieved by the The Indonesia Women’s Organisation (WASI) during this period. In addition, they achieved the largest flag unfurled underwater and longest underwater human chain.
Oldest Scuba Diver (Male)
William Lambert is the oldest male scuba diver. At 100 years and 2 days old, William set the record on 7 September 2020 in Pearl Lake, South Beloit, Illinois, USA. The dive was part of William’s 100th birthday celebrations.
Oldest Scuba Diver (Female)
At the age of 94 years 364 days old, Jane Rhodes Martin is the oldest female scuba diver. She achieved this feat in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, on 23 March 2022. After completing her goal to become the world’s oldest female diver, Jane announced that her next intention was to become the oldest person ever sent into space.
Largest Scuba Diving Lesson
Ever wondered what the largest number of people learning how to dive at the same time was? Well, the answer is 2,465. On 16 August 2009, in Malalayang beach, Manado, Indonesia, more than 2,000 people took a joint class in which they learned some scuba diving techniques. Basic skills included using a regulator and recovering a lost mask. The event was organized by the Indonesian navy and took place at a depth between 10 and 15 meters (33 and 49 feet).
Deepest Scuba Dive By a Dog
Yep, you read that right. Shadow, and his owner Dwane Folsom, would regularly scuba dive together off the coast in Grand Cayman Island. Using specialized diving equipment made for the canine companion, the pair have set a depth record for the deepest doggie scuba dive at approximately 4 meters (13 feet).
Fastest 10km While Scuba Diving
Faisal Al Mosawi covered 10 kilometers in 5 hours and 24 minutes to set the record for the fastest 10 kilometers while scuba diving. This record was set in Hurghada, Egypt, on 22 August 2018. Faisal Al Mosawi, who is a disabled diver, wanted his attempt (and subsequent record) to show and encourage the world that they can achieve their dreams if they commit to them. During the attempt, Faisal used a total of 26 small air cylinders to complete the distance, and managed to break the previous record by more than an hour.
Longest Submergence Underwater With One Cylinder
Ever wondered how long you could really last on a single cylinder? Well, Jacobus Jacobs from South Africa doesn’t have to. He was able to remain submerged underwater for 8 hours, 20 minutes and 38 seconds from a single 12-litre scuba diving cylinder. The longest one cylinder submergence underwater record was set at All About Scuba, Rustenburg, South Africa on 27 January 2007.
Most Magic Tricks Performed Underwater in Three Minutes
On 11 November 2023, at the Aquarium of the Bay, in San Francisco, Avery Emerson Fisher performed the most magic tricks underwater in three minutes. Having prepared a total of 50 tricks for the attempt, she was able to successfully complete a total of 38. This beat the previous record of 20 by some way, giving her the record. As a passionate marine conservationist and steward for the ocean, Avery had the hope of raising awareness for the challenges the ocean faces, while inspiring others her age to try cool things.
Longest Time Juggling Three Objects Underwater
It sounds easier than it is! Can you imagine the high pressure situation of having to hold your breath while juggling three objects? Underwater, too! Well, that’s exactly what Nikolay Linder from Germany did on 1 April 2012 at the Gewerbeschau Reute fair in Reute, Germany. Using both his free diving and juggling skills, he managed to do it for a total of 2 minutes 48 seconds. Additionally, to aid him in the attempt, he used a weighted belt to help him stay down, but had no other additional oxygen or scuba equipment.
Extend Your Personal Records
To extend your personal records for depth or time spent underwater, contact your local PADI Dive Center or Resort and ask about becoming a scuba diver. If you’re already PADI certified, consider the Deep Diver and Enriched Air Diver Specialty courses. Or if you’re keen to break Karin Singer’s record for scuba diving in 100+ countries, check out PADI Travel to book your next adventure.