What is the longest time a human has stayed underwater?

The longest time a human has held their breath voluntarily underwater is 29 minutes and 3 seconds, set by Croatian freediver Vitomir Maričić on June 14, 2025, using pure oxygen pre-breathing (denitrogenation) to achieve this record. For longer durations, people have lived underwater for months in pressurized habitats, like Joseph Dituri's 100-day stay for scientific research, but this involves supplied air, not breath-holding.

What is the longest time a person has stayed underwater?

The world record for the longest breath hold underwater, using oxygen pre-breathing, is held by Vitomir Maričić, who achieved 29 minutes and 3 seconds on June 14, 2025, surpassing the previous record of 24 minutes 37.36 seconds by Budimir Šobat (2021). These feats involve intense training and preparation, like hyperventilating with pure oxygen before submerging, and are distinct from records for living underwater or scuba diving depth. 

What's the longest a human has been underwater?

Croatian freediver Vitomir Maričić broke the world record for longest human breath hold with a stunning 29 minutes and 3 seconds—almost five minutes longer than the previous record, set in 2021.

Is it true a man held his breath for 29 minutes?

Most of us can hold our breath for between 30 and 90 seconds. A few minutes without oxygen can be fatal, so we have an involuntary reflex to breathe. But freediver Vitomir Maričić recently held his breath for a new world record of 29 minutes and three seconds, lying on the bottom of a 3-metre-deep pool in Croatia.

How long can a human be underwater before drowning?

Drowning can happen very quickly, with people unable to swim potentially struggling on the surface for only 20 to 60 seconds before submerging, as the body instinctively tries to keep the mouth above water, then losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen (hypoxia) and leading to cardiac arrest if not interrupted. The process involves gasping, holding breath, airway spasms, and then unconsciousness, all within a short timeframe. 

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How did Chris survive 40 minutes without oxygen?

The most commonly agreed upon reasons for Chris' survival have to do with his environment. Chris spent 28 days saturating his entire body tissues to around 11 bar of Heliox, a mixture of Helium and Oxygen. His body may have been able to use some of the Oxygen in his body tissues to sustain brain function.

Can you feel pain when you drown?

Yes, drowning is generally very painful and distressing, involving intense panic, burning sensations as water enters the lungs, and a desperate struggle for air, but this can transition to a strange sense of calm or euphoria as the brain becomes deprived of oxygen (hypoxia) before unconsciousness, with experiences varying based on water aspiration and individual response. 

Did Tom Cruise hold his breath for 6 minutes?

For the said sequence in Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, the actor actually had to undergo training to be able to hold his breath underwater for six minutes.

What is the easiest world record?

The "easiest" world record is subjective, but many simple, fun records exist for everyday items like stacking CDs on a finger (50), putting socks on one foot (28+ in 30 sec), balancing caps (many on head in 1 min), or quickly peeling/eating an orange (17.15 sec). Other easy-to-attempt feats involve household items like toilet paper towers or toys like Mr. Potato Head, with Guinness World Records creating many categories for quick, silly challenges.
 

What is the longest time someone has survived without oxygen?

The longest scientifically documented time a person survived without oxygen, thanks to extreme cold and medical intervention, is around 35 minutes, in the case of saturation diver Chris Lemons in 2012, while the voluntary breath-hold world record (using pure oxygen pre-breathing) is held by Vitomir Maričić at 29 minutes and 3 seconds (2025). Normal survival without oxygen is only a few minutes, but factors like cold water slowing metabolism and pre-oxygenation in freediving dramatically extend these limits.
 

What actor can hold their breath the longest?

Guinness World Records lists Kate Winslet as the record-holder for the “longest breath-hold on screen (lead actor).” The record is 7 minutes and 15 seconds, achieved during filming for Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).

Can you get the bends at 20 feet?

It's exceptionally rare for the bends to occur in water shallower than 30 feet (9.1 m), so don't panic if you haven't been taking decompression breaks on the shallow dives you've completed in the past. If you've never had symptoms before, you have nothing to worry about.

What is hypoxic blackout?

Hypoxic blackout, also known as 'shallow water blackout', happens when loss of consciousness occurs underwater due to a lack of oxygen. This is often due to breathholding or purposeful hyperventilation before going underwater.

How long can you safely hold your breath?

The longest instance of someone holding their breath without inhaling pure oxygen beforehand is 11 minutes and 34 seconds. However, most people can only safely hold their breath for 1 to 2 minutes. The amount of time you can comfortably and safely hold your breath depends on your specific body and genetics.

What is the hardest world record to break?

There's no single "hardest" record, as difficulty varies, but often cited as nearly impossible are those requiring rare physical conditions (like skin stretching due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), extreme endurance/tolerance (Michel Lotito eating a plane), or historical anomalies (tallest man Robert Wadlow, whose height likely won't be surpassed due to modern medicine). Records set under unique, unrepeatable circumstances, like specific aircraft or historical sporting feats (Jesse Owens), are also incredibly difficult to beat. 

Did David Blaine really hold his breath for 17 minutes?

Yes, David Blaine really did hold his breath for over 17 minutes (17 minutes, 4.4 seconds) in 2008 on The Oprah Winfrey Show, setting a Guinness World Record for oxygen-assisted static apnea after intense training to prepare his body for extreme breath-holding and CO2 tolerance. While average people manage only a couple of minutes, Blaine achieved this through extensive practice, learning meditative techniques to control his body's response to carbon dioxide buildup, though he later admitted the performance was extremely taxing.
 

What is the longest kiss ever?

The longest kiss ever lasted 58 hours 35 minutes, achieved by Thai couple Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat. The kiss took place at an event organised by Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Pattaya, Thailand, starting the kiss on February, 12, and ending two days later, on Valentine's Day (2013)

Who counted to 1,000,000?

Jeremy Harper (born June 18, 1977) is an American entrant in the Guinness Book of World Records for counting aloud to 1,000,000, live-streaming the entire process.

What disability does Tom Cruise have?

Actor Tom Cruise has dyslexia, a learning disability that affects reading and writing, which he was diagnosed with at age seven and has openly discussed, sharing how he developed unique visual strategies to overcome challenges with scripts and reading. He described himself as a "functional illiterate" in high school, but used mental imagery and focus techniques to succeed in his acting career, advocating for others with learning differences. 

Is 2 minute breath hold impressive?

Yes, holding your breath for 2 minutes is very impressive for an untrained person, as most people can only manage 30-90 seconds, but it's achievable with training and common for athletes like freedivers, though elite divers can last much longer. Two minutes shows good fitness and breath control, but always prioritize safety and stop if you feel dizzy or distressed, as extended breath-holding carries risks like fainting, especially underwater, according to Verywell Health, Healthline, and Ohio State Health & Discovery. 

Does Tom Cruise really eat 1200 calories a day?

According to Men's Health Magazine, Cruise caps his daily food consumption at 1200 calories. He prefers “steamed white fish and vegetables without oil, butter, or sauce” and chooses to have 15 snacks a day instead of three main meals to accommodate his busy lifestyle better.

Is drowning a traumatic death?

In the U.S., drowning is the second most common cause of traumatic death in children and the third most common cause of death by trauma in any age group.

Is drowning actually silent?

Yes, drowning is often silent and fast, not like the dramatic splashing and yelling seen in movies; victims usually can't call for help because their body's instinct is to breathe, leading to a quiet struggle where they might bob vertically with their head back, trying to keep their mouth above water, which can look like playing, making supervision critical.
 

Can a child survive drowning?

Of the children who survive nonfatal drowning, many suffer from long-term consequences such as neurological impairment, like motor and cognitive disorders, e.g., spasticity and dystonia or vegetative states of consciousness [5,10,13]. However, drowning is preventable [1,9,10].