Turkish athlete Cem Karabay recently broke his own world record for the longest scuba dive (controlled environment) after staying underwater for an incredible 192 hrs, 19 mins and 19 secs.
The attempt began on 21 October with Cem diving into a specially made gigantic pool at the Activity Plaza in Istanbul's Caddebostan beach, with water set at a constant temperature of 35 Celsius degrees.
The attempt ended with Cem rising to surface on the 29 th in time to celebrate Turkey's Republic Holiday, beating his own previous benchmark set in 2009 by an impressive two days in the process.
During his marathon stay underwater he lead a relatively normal life, at times playing backgammon, working out on an exercise bike and even buying a ring for his wife through his sponsor's website www.yenicarsim.com.
A 20-strong team supported Cem through his attempt and were on hand day and night to change his oxygen tanks, bring him the food that he wanted and even give him a massage.
According to the Guinness World Records Guidelines for the record, Cem was not permitted to come to the surface for the duration of the attempt. In order to stop him from floating during his sleep, the crew placed weights on his back. His hands and legs were regularly moisturised and nourished by a special mixture of 10 creams.
After a brief press meeting following the end of his attempt, he was quickly taken to a local hospital for a check-up. After being given a clean bill of health, Cem received his certificate from Guinness World Records adjudicator Seyda Subasi-Gemici at a special presentation the following day.
While insisting he has no plans to attempt the record again, Cem says he is aiming to break at least two other records in other categories in 2012.
