Thursday, April 11, 2013

  Longest time underwater: UT scuba club breaks Guinness world record

TOLEDO, OH, USA -- A team of about 25 certified divers that included the University of Toledo student scuba diving club spent April 1 through 9 taking turns underwater in a 330-gallon tote housed on UT's campus in the Student Union next to the Trimble Lounge, setting the new world record for the longest continual time underwater between a group of divers in an enclosed environment, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/ .

  Photo: DiveUT, the University of Toledo's scuba diving club, has broken the Guinness World Record for spending the longest time underwater by a group of divers in a confined area. ( enlarge photo )

 The Guinness world record for the longest distance swam underwater with one breath is 200 m (656 ft 2 in) and was achieved by Tom Sietas (Germany) in Beijing, China.

  Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the longest time holding the breath underwater: 22 min 00 sec, by Stig Severinsen (Denmark) at the London School of Diving in London, UK.

  The previous Guinness world record of six days and 21 hours was broken at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, at which time the divers exited the water after seven days.

  A celebration in the Student Union Trimble Lounge honoring the new world record was held Tuesday afternoon.

  Divers who participated stayed submerged in a small, canvas-colored vessel with no windows, sometimes for hours on end.