Renowned Croatian freediver Vitomir Maričić took a deep breath of pure oxygen and submerged himself in a hotel pool in Opatija. Holding his breath, he remained underwater for 29 minutes and 3 seconds. Maričić’s achievement has been officially recognized as a world record, as reported by Science Alert.
That beats the previous world record by five minutes.
For comparison, the average person can hold their breath for about 30 to 90 seconds.
What else is known about this record?
Nearly half an hour without air — now that’s impressive. Most people can hold their breath for only 30 to 90 seconds. With that kind of “superhuman” endurance, Maričić could even be compared to seals.
In a single breath, a seal can replace 90 percent of the air in its lungs, while the average person can manage only about 20 percent. That exchange increases with deeper, fuller breaths that fill the lungs with fresh air.
Before setting his record, Maričić inhaled pure oxygen from a tank for 10 minutes to maximize his body’s oxygen levels. In an Instagram video, the freediver said he had nearly five times more oxygen in his system than usual before the attempt. Without that pre-breathing, he wouldn’t have been able to stay underwater so long.
However, even under normal conditions, the Croatian athlete’s abilities are impressive: he can hold his breath for 10 minutes and 8 seconds. Meanwhile, the record for breath-holding without supplemental oxygen is held by Serbian Branko Petrović, with a time of 11 minutes and 35 seconds.
According to the official Guinness World Records website, Maričić aimed to set this record to draw attention to ocean conservation.
