Turkish diver Cem Karabay recently smashed the cold water endurance record.
The old record held by Norwegian Nils-Roar Selnes, which stood at 15 hours and 10 minutes in water below 15C/59F, was well beaten when Karabay doubled it, hitting 30 hours and 20 minutes on Tuesday April 24, 2018.
The event was held in the Aegean Sea at the Gokceada Island Marine Park at a depth of 6m/18ft, and was witnessed by a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records.
Reflecting on his achievement, Karabay was in a philosophical mood, stating:
”I considered the first 10 hours an apprenticeship. In the second 10 hours, I trained as a journeyman, because I improved myself from what I learned. Finally, I became versed in the last 10 hours.”
Karabay holds a host of scuba endurance records. In 2016, he set the record for the “longest open-water scuba dive“ in salt water by staying under for 142 hours, 42 minutes and 42 seconds.
