World of the Bizarre

Insane feat sees diver hold his breath underwater for 29 minutes

By T.K. Randall
August 20, 2025 ·  3 comments

Image: The First Guinness Book of Records
Credit: Whowhooh / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Given that most people would likely struggle to hold their breath for 60 seconds, it is incredible that it is possible for anyone to hold their breath for several minutes - especially while submerged in water.

But even that is nothing compared to the insane feat recently achieved by Croatian freediver Vitomir Maricic who managed to hold his breath for an absolutely staggering 29 minutes and 3 seconds.

To put this into perspective - that's 2-3 times as long as a bottlenose dolphin can typically achieve.

To make this possible, Maricic breathed pure oyxgen for 10 minutes before the attempt so that his blood oxygen level was five times higher than normal.He held his breath in a three-meter deep tank of water while five judges and 100 spectators watched.

The previous record of 24 minutes and 37 seconds had been previously held by Croatian Budimir Sobat, while the record before that of 17 minutes and four seconds was held by illusionist David Blaine.

"It's not about how much you inhale, it's about how little you need," said Maricac.

"No panic, no thoughts, just silence. That's how you make it to 29."

Yes, it's absolutely real, Croatian freediver Vitomir Maričić officially set a new Guinness World Record for the longest breath‑hold voluntarily underwater while using pure oxygen, at 29 minutes and 3 seconds. This remarkable feat was achieved on 14 June 2025, in a 3-meter-deep... pic.twitter.com/CRYopgE4DQ

- Billy Carson II (@4biddnKnowledge) August 20, 2025

Source: Mail Online | Comments (3)

Tags: Diving