Diver Ahmed Gabr Set the World Record for the Deepest Scuba Dive

Many Guinness World Records titles are about reaching greater heights, from soaring to extraordinary altitudes in skydiving records and achieving higher speeds in land-based motor racing to building increasingly taller man-made structures.

But records can also be broken by going in the opposite direction by plunging into the depths. Egyptian diver Ahmed Gabr did exactly that.

On September 18th, 2014, 41-year-old Ahmed Gabr broke the world record for the deepest scuba dive, reaching a depth of 332.35 metres (1,090 feet and 4.5 inches) in the waters of the Red Sea.

With this achievement, Gabr surpassed the previous record, set by South African diver Nuno Gomes in 2005, when he reached a depth of 318.25 metres (1,044 feet) at the same location off the coast of Dahab.

Who Is Ahmed Gabr?

Ahmed Gabr is a former Egyptian army officer who, at one point in his career, received a scholarship to attend the US Army's Combat Diver Course. He is recognised as the only US-certified combat diver in the Middle East.

Gabr began diving recreationally at the age of 18, continuously developing his mental and physical capabilities before deciding to pursue professional training as a diving instructor.

The Story Behind the Dive

Before attempting the record-breaking dive, Gabr researched and read extensively about the medical science of deep-sea diving, hoping to find information that could help him understand how the human body responds to such depths and pressure.

However, he was unable to find enough information to satisfy his curiosity, so he decided to take the risk and move forward with the attempt.

He began intensive preparations in 2010, but political unrest at the time forced him to put everything on hold.

As the political situation began to stabilise two years later, Gabr resumed his training schedule. This involved extensive mental and physical preparation through a combination of exercises, mental stimulation, cardiovascular fitness activities, observation and meditation.

The psychological aspect of his preparation required considerable effort. Gabr had to train himself to reach a mental state that would allow him to complete the demanding dive.

Beyond the physical and mental training, he was also responsible for organising, researching and preparing for the attempt, securing funding, managing his support team and corresponding with Guinness World Records representatives.

It took him four years to complete the preparations and reach the limits of his physical and mental training capabilities, as well as identify the ideal location for the attempt.

The dive was initially scheduled to take place in Safaga on the Red Sea. However, due to the strong currents that typically affect the area at that time of year, Gabr and his support team decided to move the attempt to Nabq Protected Area, south of Dahab in Sinai.

On September 18th, 2014, he made the attempt alongside a team of 30 people, including experts, technical specialists and doctors.

All the necessary preparations were finalised. The team was in position, a Guinness World Records representative was present, and it was finally time to begin.

The dive lasted 13 hours and 50 minutes. Gabr descended in exactly 14 minutes, reaching a depth of 335 metres. However, because an underwater current had shifted the guide rope slightly to the side, the judges deducted 2.65 metres, making his officially recognised record 332.35 metres.

He then began the ascent, which took 13 hours and 36 minutes. The final 27 metres alone took seven hours to reach the surface.

But he made it.