Longest
underwater swim-world record set by Dave Mullins
[Sep 25] WELLINGTON, New Zealand-- Freediver Dave Mullins set a
world record for the longest underwater swim, after swimming 244
metres underwater on one breath in a suburban Wellington pool at
the weekend.
Dave Mullins swam 244 metres in 4 minutes, two
seconds, adding 18 metres to the World record he set on Friday.
Using a mono fin, Mullins swam nonstop for four minutes
and two seconds, completing nearly five lengths of the 50-metre
Naenae pool. "You have to get it pretty much spot on," he said.
"You're after maximum efficiency, so the turns are pretty important."
Mr
Mullins says he had been training up to five days a week leading
up to the event, using a slow-swimming technique. But he says it
is an exhausting exercise, as it causes the leg muscles to build
up lactic acid.
Mullins said that though he was an "unusually slow"
swimmer, the sport was all about lasting the distance.
American judge Grant Graves said yesterday's effort
at the freediving competition - hosted for the first time in New
Zealand - was one of the biggest increases in a world record he
had heard of. "It was a very impressive swim."
Mullins said it would take a few days to recover from
the rigours of busting world records because of the buildup of lactic
acid in his legs.
Mullins
is preparing for the Freediving World Championship in Egypt, where
he will compete in an ocean event in which divers go as deep as
they can without breathing equipment.
Mullins practises holding his breath as part of
his training, making his muscles work while oxygen-starved. Earlier
this year he set a national freediving record, becoming just the
fifth man to reach 100 metres.