Turkish Diver Breaks Guinness Record For Longest Underwater Walk In One Breath

Some people can hold their breath underwater for a certain time period although the standard is about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In the case of Turkish free diver Bilge Clingigiray, doing that was only one part of her attempt to break a Guinness world record.

The national free diving athlete has dreamed of breaking the record for the longest underwater walk with just one breath. She was able to do so recently when she walked an unbelievable 81.60 meters in one minute in only a single breath, according to the Guinness World Records. For those who may not be aware, that distance is equivalent to walking up and down a bowling alley four times.

Clingigiray needed to have one foot touching the ground at all times. This was to prevent her from drifting to the surface. To make sure she stays down, she used a dumbbell to keep her down. The attempt was open to the public and held at the Ağaoğlu My World Club swimming pool in Istanbul, Turkey. Footage of her record-breaking feat can be found below.

Ironically, this was a record she previously set back in 2017. At the time, Clingigiray set the record when she walked 67.16 meters or 220.34 feet. That record was erased in the same year by a Russian athlete named Marina Kazankova. She improved that mark by 14.44 meters (47 feet and 38 inches).

Clingigiray is special since it also bested the underwater walk in the male category. The longest underwater walk with one breath for male currently stands at 79.94 meters or 262 feet and 3.24 inches.

Clingigiray got plenty of support from the people who were in attendance, including her family and friends. But when she finally achieved the feat, it was her four-year-old son who was the first to congratulate here.

For now, the record belongs to Clingigiray once more. It remains to be seen if someone else will try to break her record - both in the male and female niche.