How breath-holding records are achieved underwater. Maximum breath holding under water By breath holding

Swiss Peter Kolat has been diving for many years. Not long ago, his hobby allowed him to get into the Guinness Book of Records. Peter managed to stay underwater for 19 minutes and 21 seconds, after holding his breath. You heard right, the diver spent almost two dozen minutes underwater, simply drawing air into his lungs.

According to information from http://today.kz, a 38-year-old resident of the town of Rafz set his record during a competition dedicated to a thematic exhibition in St. Gallen. He had been training for a long time and was confident that he would be able to demonstrate his skills. That is why official representatives of the Guinness Book of Records were invited to the event. They confirmed that the Swiss did not really use any additional equipment, relying solely on the capabilities of his body.

It is worth noting that this record is not being rewritten for the first time. Until now, its owner was the Italian Nicola Putignano, who managed to stay under water for 19 minutes and 2 seconds. This is one of those cases where even a few seconds added to the previous achievement looks something impressive.

Peter Kolat's record demonstrates that a person is capable of unique achievements with proper development of skills. Special studies were even conducted, thanks to which it became obvious that the Swiss do not have any advantages in terms of body structure. In other words, he cannot boast of a significantly larger lung size or lack of oxygen requirement. But Peter trained a lot and was eventually able to achieve the desired result.

After the end of the event, Kolat noted that he was very proud of himself, because before he had never been able to hold his breath for so long. This success gave him hope that the achievement could be improved in the future. The diver dreams of breaking the threshold of two dozen minutes and promises to work hard on his skills in order to surprise representatives of the Guinness Book of Records more than once.

In 2018, the world record for holding breath underwater in the discipline of static apnea was set by the Croatian Budimir Shobat ( Budimir Shobat) 24 minutes 11 seconds. The previous record was exceeded by 8 seconds, and this is truly a heroic achievement.

Budimir Shabat dedicated his achievement to people with autism spectrum disorders.

On February 28, 2016, the world record was 24 minutes 03 seconds. Spanish freediver Aleix Segura managed to achieve such an incredible result. In 2014, Goran Colak held his breath for 23 minutes 01 seconds. It should be mentioned that achieving a twenty-minute or more breath hold is possible only by hyperventilating the lungs with pure oxygen before the start, but this is allowed by the rules when measuring static apnea.

Video from Guinness World Records documenting the 2016 world record for prolonged apnea using pre-hyperventilation with 100% oxygen. The record holder is Spaniard Alex Segura.

What is the secret of holding your breath for a long time? Superpowers, training, meditation? To achieve this level of mastery, there are special tools and physiological laws, knowing which you can consistently achieve records through hard work. So how is this done?

Physiology of breathing for achieving records

Holding your breath implies oxygen starvation. This is the first thing to remember when starting freediving training. Assess the risk and set priorities, and to do this you need to understand the basics of respiratory physiology.

What happens to the body when diving? Muscular load during a dive quickly burns oxygen, leading to hypoxia (O2 deficiency). Calculating the rate of oxygen loss is very complex and individual - the depth, speed, duration of the dive, water temperature, pulse and lung capacity of the diver are taken into account.

The video shows a clear example of what happens to a diver’s lungs during a dive:

Every organ in a diver's body reacts to the slightest change in pressure, blood vessels spasm, blood flow is redistributed and blood pressure carries oxygen to the most important organs - the heart and brain. Interestingly, the heart rate begins to slow down immediately after immersing just your face in water!

But all the fun begins when the central nervous system gives an impulse to inhale. This feeling is familiar to everyone - the concentration of carbon dioxide reaches a critical level and we reflexively inhale. A trained diver can control this reflex to a certain extent. When we are talking about a small pool for demonstrating breath holding, and not about diving, for example, for spearfishing, then we are not talking about gas pressure in the body, but when actively moving under water at a depth of 8-10 meters, there is a real risk of loss of consciousness upon ascent.

Why is it possible to lose consciousness upon ascent? In simple terms: pressure during a dive compresses the lungs and it seems to the diver that there is still enough oxygen, but when ascending, the pressure decreases and the lungs need an increasing volume of air with each meter. The lungs compensate for the missing oxygen from tissues and organs, thereby sharply increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide. CO2 is toxic and especially dangerous because consciousness turns off without much warning - a rapid active rise to the surface aggravates the situation every second. To prevent hypoxia from overtaking you suddenly, you need to learn how to dive safely.

Before beginning exercises to hold your breath and increase lung capacity, a novice diver must learn to understand the signals of his body and correctly evaluate sensations. Read the article about how to start your first workouts.

Symptoms of oxygen deprivation and carbon dioxide poisoning:

A harbinger of an increased concentration of CO2 is mild euphoria, tingling of the fingertips, goosebumps, then the temperature rises slightly (like after a cup of hot tea), the head begins to hurt and slightly nauseous.
Pulsation of cerebral vessels, tunnel vision, presyncope.
Convulsions, loss of consciousness.
The so-called anesthesia, during which the irreparable happens.

These symptoms occur very quickly. For a novice diver actively moving underwater, everything can be over in a couple of minutes. Even a trained pearl fisherman will not last longer than 8 minutes.

How to learn to hold your breath for a long time?

To reduce the sensitivity of receptors to carbon dioxide and set records for static apnea, regular training is needed. An experienced diver consumes more than 50% oxygen - this is the threshold for O2 consumption before the obligatory reflex breath of an ordinary person.

There are two different approaches to increasing the duration of apnea:

Various training systems aimed at developing proper breathing, self-control and relaxation, increasing lung capacity, training the diaphragm. Some techniques are based on pranayama, melting sadhana, kundalini yoga and other meditative practices. Oh there is a separate material.
Controlled hyperventilation, inhalation of pure oxygen.

Despite the side effects, hyperventilation is the most popular and effective way to prolong apnea. This is the practice of rapid breathing, which reduces the pressure of carbon dioxide before diving. The practice of rapid deep breathing can double the time of apnea, but the more intense and longer the hyperventilation is, the more acute the hypoxia will be during ascent. Some instructors consider this practice of prolonging apnea to be dangerous and not effective enough to justify the risks.

How long should you hyperventilate before freediving?

A range from 30 to 60 seconds is considered normal. Beyond a minute, hyperventilation reduces the diver's oxygen control and the likelihood of seizures increases several times. This has been tested academically and in practice hundreds of times, so you should not exceed the time of mandatory ventilation. Control of most tasks can and should be trusted.

There is a generally accepted test for the optimal duration of hyperventilation, developed by a medical commission specialist from the World Confederation of Underwater Activities (CMAS) R. Charlie. The coach or doctor discusses in detail the symptoms at which the diver will signal the first stage of oxygen starvation, several approaches of hyperventilation are carried out (at different times, with different frequencies and depths of inspiration), the first symptom is recorded with a stopwatch. The marked time is divided by 3 - this will be an acceptable time for preliminary ventilation.

The main rule for achieving records is don’t throw yourself into the pool headlong. Do not set impossible tasks without calculating the risk. Life and health are more important than any achievement!

Just a few centuries ago, the ability to not breathe under water for a long time could provide a person with food and resources for trade. Fish, pearls, algae - all this could be obtained by diving without scuba gear.

Now static apnea is used in sports, meditation and even magic tricks. Our editors decided to describe this phenomenon in detail. In this article we will look at world records, and also try to understand what helps divers overcome themselves.

Static apnea: what is it?

From ancient Greek the word apnea is translated as “calmness”. And indeed: respiratory activity has completely stopped, complete “calm” reigns in the lungs. Static apnea is a sports discipline for the bravest and most resilient, because realizing oneself at depth without an air tank is very exciting and can be confusing. How do swimmers cope with this task? What is the human body really capable of? Top 10 records for holding your breath underwater. Which swimmers are not included in the Guinness Book of Records?

The average person can go without breathing for about one minute, and with light exercise this figure increases to 4 minutes.

Now competitions are being held on static apnea, special ones are being developed techniques to increase lung capacity. Such training helps not only athletes, but also people who have great responsibility on their shoulders: rescuers, police officers, firefighters. This skill can save lives in critical situations. , for example, when there is a high concentration of burning or toxic substances in the air.

The benefits and harms of not breathing for a long time

With the right approach to technique, apnea can benefit the human body. Eg:

Metabolism stimulation– holding your breath while exhaling fills the body with vital energy and stimulates regeneration processes.
Stress relief– breathing practices are actively used in the treatment of depressive disorders.
Normalization of physiological processes– digestion, blood circulation, sweating.
Increased stamina – a person can stay “on his feet” much longer if he trains his lungs. This is a great help for people whose profession involves physical activity.

“Everything is poison and all medicine” - this quote also applies to breathing practices. If you do not follow precautions, you may encounter negative consequences:

Oxygen starvation– holding your breath for a long time has a detrimental effect on your well-being and overall health.
Hyperventilation- may cause loss of consciousness and injury.
Lung rupture– may occur due to improper buccal pumping.

Beginner freedivers should not practice alone due to the risk of fainting. By the way, we are having .

How to learn to hold your breath for a long time?

To navigate underwater without air, novice athletes practice on land. The main point in such exercises is the ability to hold your breath correctly - this should be done not by clamping the larynx, but by working the chest.

Exercises on dry land

The following static exercise will help you build endurance and reduce stress during a real dive:

Take a deep breath and exhale slowly - feel how your lungs fill and empty.
Don't breathe for 5 seconds.
Repeat the first step.
Increase the time you hold your breath by another 5 seconds.
Exercise according to the following scheme - one minute as usual, 5 seconds delay, 1 minute as usual - 10 seconds delay, etc. Repeat the exercise 5 times.

The record for holding your breath on land belongs to Ricardo Baja and is 10 minutes. Remarkably, he survived underwater without air for much longer. This phenomenon is explained by the natural instinct of self-preservation, which becomes aggravated in conditions of real danger.

Immersion exercises at home

Once you feel confident in your own abilities, you can go into the water. And for this you don’t need to go to the pool or pond. It is enough to fill a deep basin or bathtub with water and use the following technique:

Place a container of water in front of you or stand in front of the bathtub.
Take a deep breath and slowly close your eyes.
Start the timer. Immerse your face in water so that access to oxygen is completely blocked.
Hold on as long as possible, raise your head and take a smooth breath, gradually restoring your breathing rhythm.

Exercises in a pool or pond

The next stage is the transition to deep water. This is always exciting, so in order to avoid injury, it is permissible to use auxiliary means: hold on to the handrails or the edge of the pool. As you gain confidence, you can sink to the bottom on your own. The main thing is that someone from the outside monitors the exercises and in case of muscle spasm or loss of consciousness, he can get you out of the water. You need to increase the time spent in water gradually - adding 5-10 seconds with each session.

Regularity is the key to success. It is better to exercise a little every day than to load yourself with intensive exercise once a week. Otherwise, you will only overload your lungs and blood vessels without getting any benefit.

Restoring breathing after exercise

After a long stay without oxygen, it is very important to restore normal breathing rhythm, because blood circulation and brain activity depend on this. To do this, you need to take a smooth but deep breath “all the way” and exhale the same slowly, gradually returning to the usual, uncontrolled rhythm. If you find it difficult to perform the exercise while standing, sit or lie down to reduce intracranial pressure and calm your heart rate.

Auxiliary sports

Self-control, endurance, coordination - these are the qualities a diver must have in order to achieve high results in static apnea. The following sports will help improve physical performance:

Body-building– strengthening the muscle corset.
Fitness/cross-fit– develops endurance and strengthens the heart muscle.
Swimming– teaches how to stay on and under water, develops coordination of movements.
A ride on the bicycle– improves the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, strengthens the calf muscles.
Skiing– develops coordination of movements, strengthens leg muscles, increases endurance.
Yoga– teaches you to “hear” your body and breathe correctly.

What happens to the body during static apnea?

Holding your breath always implies oxygen deprivation - this is something worth remembering before you begin static apnea training. Necessarily undergo a full medical examination to understand how this may affect your health.

So, what does a diver’s body experience when diving without scuba gear?

O2 deficiency (hypoxia). During a dive, the muscles begin to consume oxygen very quickly. The exact rate at which oxygen reserves are burned depends on the depth of the dive, water temperature, heart rate and volume of the freediver.
Slow heart rate. Remarkable, but the heart begins to beat slower, even if only the face is immersed in water. The blood flow is redistributed and oxygen primarily supplies vital organs - the brain and heart.
Risk of loss of consciousness. The lungs compensate for the lack of oxygen by extracting it from tissues and organs, thereby increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the body. It is toxic and dangerous because it can abruptly turn off consciousness.

The third point is worth talking about separately. First, the swimmer feels unprecedented lightness and euphoria, and warmth in the body (as after a cup of hot tea), then vision becomes blurred, weakness appears, and the swimmer anticipates loss of consciousness. The last stage is convulsions and immediate fainting.

The above symptoms develop more dynamically if a person swims too fast or panics. A trained pearl hunter knows that you should not stay underwater for more than 8 minutes.

Records for holding your breath underwater

These swimmers know firsthand what it means to overcome their own strengths and capabilities. Thanks to dedication and perseverance, they managed to get into the Guinness Book of Records.

10th place - Martin Stepanek (2001)

For the first time, the world was shocked by Czech freediver Martin Stepanek, who stayed underwater for 8 minutes and 6 seconds. His record remained in the leadership position for 8 years, until the next swimmer replaced him.

9th place - Stefan Misfud (2009)

The French diver proved that he could survive without oxygen for even longer, namely: 11 minutes and 35 seconds.

8th place – Robert Foster (1959)

“How long can a person not breathe underwater?” — this was the question asked by a simple electronics technician, Robert Foster, and decided to answer it himself. He was able to survive without an oxygen tank for a full 13 minutes and 40 seconds.

7th place - Arvydas Gaiciunas (2007)

Another world achievement that does not belong to a swimmer. Arvydas Gaiciunas is a magician from Latvia who decided to amaze the audience with sleight of hand in an extreme situation. The trick was as follows: the illusionist and his charming assistant (the trickster’s sister) were chained and sent into a glass, transparent aquarium filled with water. Arvydas lasted without air for 15 minutes and 54 seconds. The maximum assistant time is 13 minutes.

6th place – David Blaine White (2008)

Less than a year later, another illusionist, David Blaine, announced himself. The American did not want to be in the shadow of the Latvians and promised his viewers that he would break all existing records. And the promise was fulfilled - he stayed in a glass aquarium for 17 minutes and 4 seconds! In an interview, the magician stated that it took him 4 months to train his lungs and learn to “turn off” his mind to save oxygen.

Each of David Blaine's tricks is a break in patterns and ideas about the capabilities of the human body. The list of his accomplishments also includes being buried alive, being frozen in ice, standing for 35 hours on top of a high column, and being imprisoned in a box for 44 days without food.

5th place - Niccolo Putignano (2010)

Unlike the two previous participants, the Italian Niccolo Putignano did not pursue fame and outrageousness - he only wanted to prove to himself that he was capable of more. For many years, he did not miss a single freediving competition, time after time leaving his competitors behind him. In 2010, his efforts were noticed thanks to a new world record - 19 minutes and 3 seconds.

4th place - Peter Kola (2010)

Peter Kola overtook his predecessor only slightly - when he emerged from the water, the timer showed 19 minutes and 20 seconds. Nevertheless, he for a long time secured the title of the person capable of holding his breath for the longest time.

3rd place - Tom Sitas (2015)

Thomas grew up on the sea coast and therefore water is his second element. Since childhood, he has honed his skills in static apnea and his efforts were rewarded - with a time of 22 minutes and 22 seconds he set a new world record. Thomas literally became a treasure of his country - his face constantly flashed on blue screens, he gave many interviews and advice on proper nutrition and training.

His story can be called truly amazing, because he became a celebrity thanks to a gap of just one second. A few months earlier, Brazilian two-time champion Ricardo Baja set a record of 22 minutes and 21 seconds.

2nd place - Goran Kolak (2016)

Diver from Croatia Goran Kolak is an example of determination and dynamic growth above oneself. He tirelessly felt in freediving competitions, winning gold medals every time (at the moment Goran is a ten-time champion) and walked towards his cherished goal of setting a world record. In 2016 he succeeded - he did not breathe for 22 minutes and 30 seconds.

1st place - Alex Segura (2016)

The mark of 24 minutes and 3 seconds is the maximum breath hold recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.. Alex Segura is the toughest freediver in the world. Will anyone be able to beat his record? We can only follow events.

Beyond common sense: unique cases of static apnea

For many, advanced age is a time of passive rest and creation. But not for these two men. They proved that pensioner status is not at all a reason to exchange morning exercises for gossip with neighbors next door.

Zabelin V. M.

In 1990, a 70-year-old Russian pensioner interested the best experts at the Leningrad Research Institute of Physiology. The man showed that using a special technique he can hold his breath for 22 minutes. The specialists were amazed at this result and physical endurance.

Ravindra Mishra

The Indian yogi adheres to ascetic views - he believes that all a person needs to live is to taste the gifts of nature and breathe pure oxygen. And you can completely abandon the second one for a while with the help of meditation. So, in 1991, he dived to the bottom of the lake and plunged himself into a long, meditative sleep lasting 6 days. Amazingly, such an act did not affect his vital signs in any way - he simply floated to the surface, as if only a few minutes had passed.

3-4 (maximum 5-6) minutes after cardiac arrest, leading to cessation of breathing and oxygen supply to the brain. However, the question of how long a person can live without air is not so clear-cut, and the answer depends on the specific case and the environment. For example, an ordinary, untrained individual is capable of not breathing for a maximum of 5 minutes, while for professional pearl miners, being under water without air for 9 minutes is not the limit. Without oxygen, the brain neurons are the first to suffer, the functioning of the central nervous system is disrupted, and the person dies.
In the case of pearl miners and professional divers, several factors contribute to such a long breath hold:
Using yoga techniques, divers can slow down their heartbeat;
when diving to a significant depth, due to increased pressure, blood flows from the extremities to the internal, vital organs;
The concentration of hemoglobin in the blood increases, which allows tissues to increase self-saturation with oxygen and its accumulation in organs.

There are other, quite specific factors that allow pearl miners at significant depths to hold their breath longer.
In real life, the results of holding your breath without consequences for the body are even more modest. Typically, when diving in beach conditions, the swimmer holds his breath for 35...80 seconds. Women divers from Southeast Asia (sea maidens or amas), using a special training method during work - pearl fishing, hold their breath for up to 5 minutes, while diving to a depth of 30 meters. In addition, there are official statistics recording record breath holdings under water.
Record for being underwater without air
Beginning in 1934, all duration diving was prohibited in the former Soviet Union, and no official statistics were kept. However, in 1991, the sports press circulated enthusiastic stories about how a resident of the city of Donetsk, Valery Lavrinenko, managed to stay under water for about 9 minutes. In 2001, a resident of St. Petersburg A. Zapisetsky officially recorded the longest stay under water without air in Russia, which amounted to 6 minutes 18 seconds.
Official statistics, which reflect every record of being underwater without air, maintained since 2001, indicate:
the first record for the longest stay under water was recorded in 2001, when Czech swimmer Martin Stepánek managed to hold out without air for 376 seconds;

in 2002, a women's record was set by Canadian diver Mandy Rekrushank; she managed to stay underwater without air for 376 seconds;
for the first time, the record dive of the Swiss Peter Kolat was entered into the Guinness Book of Records, who managed to stay under water for 1161 seconds in front of hundreds of visitors to the exhibition in St. Gallen;

in 2010, freediver and extreme sportsman from Denmark Stig Severinsen spent 1210 seconds in the aquarium of the city of Gren in the company of tropical sharks;

a year later, the Danish extreme sportsman was only 12 seconds ahead of the Brazilian athlete Riccardo Bahe;

The latest achievement belongs to the German freediver Tom Sitas, who managed to stay underwater for 1342 seconds.

Increased time spent without air
Today, modern techniques have been developed to increase the time a person spends under water and in airless conditions. The fundamental way to breathe before diving is not with atmospheric air, but with a special oxygen mixture or pure oxygen. The first such experiment was carried out by American swimmer Robert Foster in 1959. After he “inhaled” pure oxygen for half an hour, he managed to stay underwater, at the bottom of one of the Californian pools, for 822.5 seconds.
Since the thirties of the last century, the American scientist physiologist E. Schneider has been conducting experiments to increase the duration of a person’s stay without air. He conducted his first experiments on how long a person could live without air on volunteer pilots. After preliminary saturation of the test subjects’ blood with oxygen, they were able to hold their breath for 842…913 seconds.

Scientists have long established that the human body can do without food from fifty to seventy days, and without water you can live up to ten days. But the most important thing for maintaining life is the need for breathing. Without oxygen, the body can only survive for a few minutes.
Recently, it has become a popular trend to set various records and achievements in many fields of activity. Testing the capabilities of the human body is no exception. Divers and athletes compete with each other, trying to break the world record for holding breath. Everyone understands that an unprepared person cannot live without air for long. Therefore, despite the breath-holding record that was set, the champion had to train for a very long time before this.
Body capabilities
Under normal conditions, a simple adult is able to hold his breath for forty to sixty seconds. It's no secret that this ability is individual, and through training you can achieve more effective and lasting results.
World achievement
The Guinness World Record for holding your breath is held by a German freediver named Tom Sytas. This man lasted twenty-two minutes and twenty-two seconds underwater without air.
The previous world record for holding one's breath was set by Ricardo Baja, who did not breathe for twenty minutes and twenty-one seconds. New champion Tom Sitas stopped eating five hours before the competition to slow down his body's metabolic processes, and immediately before the dive he breathed pure oxygen. It should also be taken into account that the world record for holding one’s breath helped him set a large lung capacity, which is twenty percent more than that of an ordinary person.
Inexplicable but the fact
Few people know that in 1991, a seventy-year-old Indian named Ravindra Mishra, in the presence of observers, specialists, and a group of scientists, was able to stay under water for six days. All this time, under the supervision of a special device, the man meditated. Dr. Raksh Kafadi carefully watched to ensure that the guru did not come to the surface to catch his breath or use other tricks to deceive the many observers. At the end of the allotted time, Mishra surfaced in sound spirit and mind. Researchers confirmed that the man spent one hundred forty-four hours, sixteen minutes and twenty-two seconds underwater. All this time he sat in the lotus position at a depth of nineteen meters. Experts believe that Mishra immersed his body in a special state of meditation, when the vital activity of all organs was reduced to the maximum. Using this method, the man avoided the phenomenon of oxygen deficiency. Mishra himself stated that an ancient goddess allegedly helped him to sit under water for such a long time, in whose honor he set this record.
Phenomenal immersion
In the same year, a resident of the Philippines named Jorge Paquino, a simple fisherman, stayed under water for one hour and five minutes. The depth of the dive was sixty meters. There were no special devices or scuba gear that would allow breathing underwater. This was witnessed by cameramen filming the dive. Physiologists are unable to explain the process that made an ordinary fisherman from the city of Ampari a famous person.
Dangers
Meanwhile, long-term breath holding and apnea training techniques are quite likely to cause detrimental consequences for the health of the body. Hyperventilation can directly contribute to loss of consciousness. And the method of buccal pumping, during which breathing involves air previously drawn into the mouth, can even lead to rupture of the lungs. In this regard, any freediver must follow safety precautions. All training should be carried out only in a group and under supervision, even if the depth of the dive seems shallow.