Diving and Freediving Records

[drifter1430]

Someone asked me about this at the Lake Nagawicka ice dive this last weekend though I don't remember who. Anyway, here they are:

Diving & Freediving Records

Longest Underwater scuba submergence in a controlled environment
The continuous duration record-with no breaks-for remaining underwater using a breathing apparatus is 220 hours by Singapore adventurer Khoo Siow Chiow on December 25, 2005.

Longest Open Freshwater scuba dive
Jerry Hall (USA) spent 71 hours, 39 minutes and 40 seconds underwater on August 6-9, 2002 in South Holston Lake, Bristol Tennessee, USA. Using scuba gear for his dive, Hall spent most of the time reclining on a wooden platform suspended by cables underwater.

Longest Saltwater scuba dive
On December 2004, Johan Beukes spent 82.5 hours underwater in the uShaka Marine World Aquarium in South Africa.

Deepest open circuit scuba dive
Pascal Bernabé (Ralf Tech/WR1 Team) on July 5, 2005 descended to 1,083 feet (330 m). The dive took place near Propriano, Corsica.

Deepest Rebreather dive
The late Dave Shaw on October 28, 2004 set the world record depth for a rebreather dive when he descended to 885 feet (270 m) using a modified Mk 15.5 rebreather at Boesmansgat, South Africa. This was also the deepest cave dive on a rebreather and the deepest altitude dive on a rebreather. The cave elevation is 5,085 feet (1,550 m).

Deepest wreck dive
On May, 31 2005, a nine-man technical diver team set a new deep wreck scuba diving world record by going to 633 feet (193 m). Lead diver Rob Lalumiere reached the deck of the USS Cooper at 8:22 AM, seven minutes after starting his descent, and placed a memorial plaque on the shipwreck to honor the 191 officers and crew who went down with the ship when it was torpedoed by the Japanese during the Battle of Ormoc Bay on December 3, 1944.

Deepest dive by a Woman
In October 2004, Verna van Schaik from Gauteng, South Africa set a world deep diving record by diving to a depth of 725 feet (221 m) at Boesmansgat. This dive also gives her the record for the deepest cave dive and the deepest altitude dive by a woman.

Highest Dives (altitude diving)
In 2000, a Russian team (Andrei Andryushin, Denis Bakin and Maxim Gresko) set the unofficial world record for high altitude scuba diving at Lake Tilicho in the Anapurna range in Nepal. They dove at an altitude of 16,000+ feet.
In 2002, NASA planetary geologis Dr. Natalie Cabrol set the unofficial world record for high altitude free diving in the Licancábur volcanic lake in Chile/Bolivia. The lake is at 19,400 feet.

Deepest cave dive by a Woman
In October 2004, Verna van Schaik from Gauteng, South Africa set a world deep diving record by diving to a depth of 725 feet (221 m) at Boesmansgat cave.

Longest Solo Swimming Dive into a Cave
Sheck Exley, 1989, Chips Hole cave system, Florida, solo swimming penetration of 10,444 feet

Longest Solo Scooter/DPV Dive into a Cave
Gilberto Menezes (Brazilian), September 20, 2004, Bananeira Cave, state of Bahia in Central Brazil, Solo scooter/DPV penetration of 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) in the upstream sump of the cave system. The dive lasted 11 hours 23 minutes and was stopped in going passage. The Bananeira sump starts 400 m inside the cave and comprises a narrow passage 3 m wide and 2 m high in average with a silty floor. Although the water is warm (c. 25 ºC), visibility is never more than 3 m being only 1.5 m during the 2004 dives. The underwater passage is generally shallow in the first 3,500 m (25 m maximum depth) becoming gradually deeper until a short loop at around 6,000 m penetration brings the depth to 50 m. The dive was stopped in the ascending portion of the loop at 20 m depth. In his longest push two Submerge Inc. UV-42 scooters (specially adapted with 65-amph @ 24-volts NiMH batteries enabling a total range of about 10,000 m per scooter!) were used. The dive used conventional (open circuit) apparatus and a total of 33 tanks were either used or were in place at the sump during the longest dive. Trimix 25/50 was used from the surface to 25 m depth (up to 5,800 m penetration). Trimix 16/70 was used from 25 to 50 m in depth (from 5,800 m to 6,400 m penetration). Nitrox 70 was used for decompression from 12 m to 7 m in depth (3,000 m to 1,800 m penetration) and pure oxygen was used at 6 m depth (1,800 m penetration) and 3 m depth (1,500 m penetration).

Longest Cave Penetration Dives (scooter/DPV and swim)
Scooter/DPV:
•Gilberto Menezes, September 20, 2004, Upstream sump of Bananeira cave, state of Bahia in Central Brazil, 21,000-foot penetration scooter/DPV dive at a maximum depth of 164 feet
•WKPP divers, 2000, Wakulla Springs cave system, Florida, 19,000-foot penetration scooter/DPV dive at a maximum depth of 300 feet
Swim:
•Sheck Exley, 1989, Chips Hole cave system, Florida, 10,444-foot solo penetration swim dive

Longest Cave Traverse (distance from one cave entrance to another)
WKPP divers, May 29, 1999, Leon Sinks Cave System from Big Dismal to Cheryl Sink, Leon County, Florida, 14,000-foot scooter/DPV traverse at a maximum depth of 220 feet

Freedive Records

Constant Weight Without Fins
The freediver descends and ascends under water using only his own muscle strenght, without the use of propulsion equipment and without pulling on the rope.

Male Record: 262 feet
Martin Stepanek
Date: 2005-04-09 Place: Cayman, BWI

Female Record: 180 feet
Natalia Molchanova
Date: 2005-11-07 Place: Dahab, Egypt 


Constant Weight
The freediver descends and ascends using his fins/monofin and/or with the use of his arms without pulling on the rope or changing his ballast; only a single hold of the rope to stop the descent and start the ascent is allowed. 

Male Record: 364 feet
Name: Herbert Nitsch
Date: 2006-12-09 Place: Hurghada, Egypt 

Female Record: 282 feet
Name: Natalia Molchanova
Date: 2005-09-03 Place: Nice, FRA 


Dynamic Without Fins
The freediver travels in a horizontal position under water attempting to cover the greatest possible distance. Any propulsion aids are prohibited

Male Record: 600 feet
Name: Tom Sietas
Date: 2006-08-27 Place: Tokyo, Japan 

Female Record: 429 feet
Name: Natalia Molchanova
Date: 2005-12-20 Place: Tokyo, Japan 


Dynamic With Fins
The freediver travels in a horizontal position under water attempting to cover the greatest possible distance. Any propulsion aids other than fins or a monofin and swimming movements with the arms are prohibited

Male Record: 731 feet
Name: Tom Sietas
Date: 2006-08-28 Place: Tokyo, Japan 

Female Record: 656 feet
Name: Natalia Molchanova
Date: 2006-04-23 Place: Moscow, Russia 


Static Apnea
The freediver holds his breath for as long as possible with his respiratory tracts immerged, his body either in the water or at the surface.

Male Record: 9 min 4 sec
Name: Herbert Nitsch
Date: 2006-12-13 Place: Hurghada, Egypt 

Female Record: 7 min 30 sec
Name: Natalia Molchanova
Date: 2006-04-22 Place: Moscow, Russia 


Free Immersion
The freediver dives under water without the use of propulsion equipment, but only by pulling on the rope during descent and ascent.

Male Record: 347 feet
Name: Martin Stepanek
Date: 2006-04-03 Place: Cayman, BWI 

Female Record: 262 feet
Name: Natalia Molchanova
Date: 2006-06-03 Place: Dahab, Egypt 


Variable Weight
The freediver descends with the help of a ballast weight and ascends using his own strength: arms and/or legs, either by pulling or not pulling on the rope.

Male Record: 459 feet
Name: Carlos Coste
Date: 2006-05-09 Place: Sharm, Egypt 

Female Record: 400 feet
Name: Tanya Streeter
Date: 2003-07-19 Place: Turks and Caicos 


No Limit
The freediver descends with the help of a ballast weight and ascends via a method of his choice.

Male Record: 600 feet
Name: Herbert Nitsch
Date: 2006-08-28 Place: Zirje, Croatia 

Female Record: 524 feet
Name: Tanya Streeter
Date: 2002-08-17 Place: Turks and Caicos