The records for the longest underwater dive with sharks by a man and woman were set earlier this month at Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas.
Kuwaiti scuba divers Reem Abdullah Al Edan and Mubarak Abuhaimad originally planned to break female and male scuba diving overall duration world records, but technical issues scrapped those plans.
Instead, Al Edan broke the women’s world record for the longest underwater dive with sharks (five hours) and Abuhaimad the men’s world record (seven hours and 49 minutes).
Both divers want to raise awareness for women’s rights and the plight of Arab women in the Middle East. As Al Edan said:
“Being a woman in a male-dominated industry is a challenge, being a woman in the Middle East and wanting to teach diving is even more challenging. I am hoping by holding this event in the Western world we can bring media attention to the plight of women like me in the Middle East and any other countries around the world where women are repressed and not allowed to express themselves like men can in many activities, like scuba diving.
“The calm peaceful waters of Nassau, Bahamas provided the perfect setting for the event, as I had originally planned to break this record in Egypt. However, working with my friend and Team Leader Alharith Alateeqi, we moved the venue to The Bahamas, specifically, to his friend, Stuart Cove and his location in Nassau. The warm waters of the Bahamas are close to the USA, and served the event well.”
To watch the full stream of Al Edan’s and Abuhaimad’s record-setting dives, check out the video below.
