Ahmed Gabr became the new world record holder for deepest saltwater scuba dive after descending to 1090 feet. The 41 year old special forces officer in the Egyptian army took the plunge in the Red Sea off Dahab, Egypt on September 18, 2014, where he surpassed the previously held record by about forty-six feet, cementing the scuba diving world record in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Gabr says he had been in training for about four years and teaching for seventeen before successfully completing the dive. He submitted his original application of intent to Guinness World Records more than a year before his dive. However, his descent didn’t take very long by comparison. Reaching the record depth, which is approximately the height of the Chrysler building, only took him about twelve minutes. He used a weighted sled to accelerate the descent and a tagged rope that accompanied him.
Assisting Guinness World Records adjudicator Talal Omar in making the official measurements were three independent expert witnesses: Vice Dean of Engineering for the Cairo campus of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport; professor Ayman Wanas; Professional Association of Diving Instructors course director Mustafa Alsayyad; and Technical Diving International instructor/trainer Ahmed S. Hussein.
However, because of the intense requirements of decompression and the need to expel nitrogen, the ascent to the surface required 14 hours.
Gabr told Guinness World Records that he had hoped to prove that humans have the amazing ability to survive the extreme conditions of deep-sea immersion. Scuba Diving magazine saluted his record-breaking achievement as a testament to proper dive training and safety.
