I recently reviewed the freediving documentary The Deepest Breath and it got me thinking about deep diving world records in general. Whereas freediving is a sport, with competitions, medals to win and a world governing body, scuba diving is not. However, for as long as people have dived they have tried to go deeper and longer in search of diving world records – purely in an attempt to push what is possible.
These records draw mixed feelings from the wider diving community as they are both impressive feats of endurance and planning but punishingly dangerous. The margins for error are non-existent with a long list of fatalities of those who attempt them.
No one wins in diving there are only losers. The only reason to seek extreme record setting depth is the challenge (and a lot of ego).
So how deep can you dive and what is the world record? Like any good question the answer depends. The official and unofficial records are generally broken down by the equipment type so here’s a look at some of the key depth records.
Open Circuit
Amhed Gabr currently holds the world record for the deepest open circuit scuba dive reaching 332m (1,090ft) off Dahab, Egypt, in 2006. The dive was a serious undertaking lasting over 13 hours with a team of over 30 supporting.
The validity of the record was called into question by the release of emails from an anonymous source in 2020. The emails detail numerous supposed discrepancies in the dive: incorrect gas switches, depth readings and lax oversight by adjudicators. The expose emails were released under the pseudonym ‘Scuba Sam’, it was all very Panama Papers.
The women’s open circuit record is held by Karen van den Oever who made a dive to 246m (811 feet) in 2022. This record is particularly impressive as the dive was made at Boesmansgat (Bushman’s Hole) in South Africa, a deep freshwater sinkhole. Not only is the cave a challenging location but is also at an altitude of over 1,500m, significantly complicating the already ridiculous decompression schedules needed for a dive so deep.
Closed Circuit
Interestingly, there are no formally recognised world records for rebreathers. However, the unofficial record is held by Jarek Macedonski who reached 316m (1,036 feet) in Lake Garda in 2018.
Freediving
The outright depth record is held by Herbert Nitsch in the No Limit (NLT) category. No Limits is the most extreme and dangerous form of freediving. Competitors descend on a weighted sled and then use a lift bag to ascend back to the surface. The event is so dangerous that freediving’s governing body no longer sanctions the event. Nitsch reached 253m (830 feet) in 2012, almost dying in the process. He subsequently retired after setting the record.
The women’s No Limits record of 160m (524 feet) was set by Tanya Streeter in 2002. At the time this was a world record for both men and women.
Other Contenders
The deepest ‘dive’ in terms of atmospheric pressure was made during a set of experimental chamber dives run by the French diving company Comex. In 1992 Theo Mavrostomos descended to a simulated depth of 701m (2,300 feet) in an onshore hyperbaric chamber. To safely reach the ‘depth’ hydrogen (helium’s explosive cousin) was used as a diluent breathing gas.
Atmospheric diving suits are effectively close fitting submarines so may be at the limit of what could be considered diving. However, the current record is held by Chief Navy Diver Daniel Jackson who made it to 610m (2,000 feet) using the ADS 2000 suit in 2006.
