10 Incredible Scuba Diving Records

It has always been in the nature of human beings to surpass the existing limits and prove both to themselves and to the whole world that they are the best at their discipline. This instinct led to some amazing scuba diving records that show us that we can always find a way to push forward. Some have successfully achieved their goals while others have lost their lives in the process. Here are the inspiring humans that have set some of the most incredible scuba diving records.

Deepest Scuba Dive

The record holder for both deepest scuba dive and deepest scuba dive in seawater is Ahmed Gabr who dived to a staggering depth of 332.35 meters (1,090 feet 4.5 inches). The Egyptian scuba diving instructor spent four years training for his record-breaking dive. The event took place in the Red Sea of Dahab, Egypt, on September 18, 2014. Gabr dived into the sea – carrying nine tanks – in the morning and surfaced after midnight. While the descent took only 15 minutes, he had to decompress for almost 14 hours on the way back to the surface.

Women’s Deepest Scuba Dive

The women’s world record for the deepest scuba dive is Karen van den Oever who dived to a depth of 246.65 meters (809 feet) into the Boesmansgat cave in her native South Africa. The dive took place on October 27, 2022, and lasted for more than 8 hours and 11 minutes.

Highest Altitude Scuba Dive

The world record for the highest altitude scuba dive is held by Marcel Korkuś . The Polish diving instructor dived at an altitude of 6,395 meters (20,980.97 feet) above sea level on December 13, 2019. The dive took place on Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano on Earth and borders Argentina and Chile. The dive took place in a natural water basin, below 1.3 meter-thick ice and a water temperature of just 3° C/37 ° F.

Fastest 10 km Scuba Diving

The record holder for the fastest 10 km scuba diving is Faisal Hassan, a disabled scuba diver that wanted to prove that physical limitations do not always prevent one from following their dreams. The Iraqi diver trained from three months in pools and one month in the open sea before setting the new record in Hurghada, Egypt, on August 22, 2018. The dive lasted 5 hours and 24 minutes, breaking the previous record held by an able-bodied diver by almost an hour.

Longest Open Saltwater Scuba Dive

The record for the longest open saltwater scuba dive is held by Egyptian diver Saddam Al-Kilany, who surpassed Turkish diver Cem Karabay by more than an hour. Al-Kilany spent 145 hours and 30 minutes underwater off the coast of Dahab on November 5, 2020. He passed the time – a total of almost six days – by playing chess, painting, and praying.

Women’s Longest Open Saltwater Scuba Dive

The female record holder of the longest open saltwater scuba dive is Cristi Quill from the United States. Quill spent 51 hours and 25 minutes underwater at La Jolla Shores in San Diego, California, on July 11, 2015. She did the dive 5 meters (15 feet) below the surface with the help of a support team that brought her food, drinkable water, and extra tanks.

Note: The record title is also claimed by young Egyptian diver Reem Ashraf, who claims to have stayed underwater for 55 hours. Ashraf was just 14 years old at the time of the dive and her record was presumably refused by the Guinness World Records because of her young age.

Longest Open Freshwater Scuba Dive

The record for the longest open freshwater scuba dive is currently held by Jerry Hall from the United States. Hall dived to a depth of 3.6 meters (12 feet) on a submerged platform in Watauga Lake, Tennessee, where he remained for 120 hours 1 minute 9 seconds. He stayed underwater from August 29 to September 3, 2004, and did not surface at any time. Hall ate and slept regularly and exercised using a stationary bike, and an underwater TV with a DVD player provided the diver with entertainment.

Most People Scuba Diving Simultaneously

The record for the most people scuba diving simultaneously was achieved by Wanita Selam Indonesia organization that gathered 3,131 scuba divers in Manado, North Sulawesi, for a one-of-a-kind dive. Both Indonesian and foreign divers joined in on the initiative on August 3, 2019, and dived simultaneously for 15 minutes. Immediately following the event, a second record attempt took place. The group of divers unfurled a 1,014-square-meter Indonesian flag underwater, thus setting a new record for the largest flag unfurled underwater.

Longest Human Chain Underwater

Two days prior to achieving the world record for the most people scuba diving simultaneously and the largest flag unfurled underwater, the Wanita Selam Indonesia organization also brought together hundreds of divers to break the record for the longest human chain underwater. No less than 578 scuba divers held hands for ten minutes in an underwater chain. The event took place on August 1, 2019, in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Oldest Scuba Diver

The oldest scuba diver in the world is William Lambert – born in 1920 – who did his Open Water certification dives at age 98, in 2019, in Cozumel. Consequently, he also holds the record for the oldest Open Water diver certification in the world. Lambert broke the record for the oldest scuba diver on his 99th birthday, on September 5, 2019. The dive lasted about 20 minutes with a maximum depth of 9.7 meters (32 feet). The old-timer says his next goal is to break the record again at 101.

These are just some of the many incredible scuba diving records recognized by the Guinness World Records organization. Every year brings new attempts to break the current scuba diving records. It won’t be too long until new staggering figures will take the place of the already impressive accomplishments of the brave men and women in the scuba diving world.