Man Breaks World Diving Record

A man spent 12 hours and 34 minutes underwater, the longest dive on record in cold, open seas, according to media reports.

Diver Sean McGahern disappeared into the chilly waters of the Mediterranean Sea near the small island of Malta close to midnight, local time, on Saturday (March 3), and didn't emerge until the following afternoon, the Times of Malta reported.

McGahern kept busy during his marathon dive, clearing plastic and glass bottles from the seafloor, and, along with a team of safety divers, piling up 20 tires for later removal.

He also managed to take a 45-minute nap.

"I've slept underwater before, it's not as difficult as you might think," McGahern told the Times of Malta before his attempt.

The longest coldwater ocean dive on record was 11 hours and 46 minutes. To set the record, divers must remain at least 36 feet (11 meters) underwater in seas no warmer than 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius).

The data will be sent on to the Guinness World Records Office in London for official sanction.

A search through the Guinness Website yielded no results for longest scuba diving records, but did reveal a world record for a diving pig. An animal named Miss Piggy jumped more than 10 feet (3 m) from a diving board into a pool in Australia in July 2005, the longest leap for a diving pig on record.

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