Quadriplegic man proves "no challenge is too great" as he breaks scuba diving record
An Egyptian naval officer who was left paralyzed in a car crash has made history by breaking a scuba diving record.
Walaa Hafez (Egypt) became the first ever quadriplegic man to set the record for longest scuba dive in a controlled environment (male) (CI1) with a time of 6 hr 4 min 45 sec.
The CI1 in Walaa’s record title refers to our impairment classifications that aim to make record breaking accessible for everyone.
CI1 refers to a person being quadriplegic, with a loss or lack of smooth body movements in all of the limbs.
Walaa dove to a depth of five metres to break the record in Ismailia, Egypt, on 11 August, with a massive crowd of supporters cheering him on.
He was under the water from 11 a.m. to 5:04 p.m. and is seen in our video taking sips from juice cartons to stay hydrated with the help of pals.
Walaa, who holds the title of Captain and serves as Secretary for the Disabled Persons Secretariat of the Homeland Defenders Party in Ismailia, was honoured by Admiral Osama Rabie, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman after breaking his record.
He had performed his history-making dive at the SCA’s international pool.
It was his first endurance dive since the car crash that left him paralyzed from the neck down.
Before the accident, in 2015, he set the record for longest open saltwater scuba dive (male) with a time of 51 hr 24 min 13 sec.
That record may have been broken, but this new one proves that nothing can keep Walaa from his destiny of being a record-breaking legend.
I feel committed to prove that no challenge is too great when you have the will and preparation to inspire Egyptians and others to face obstacles. – Walaa Hafez
That first record attempt 10 years ago earned him the nickname “Egyptian Whale”, and it seems it’s still very appropriate.
Walaa had constant support around him during his dive, with people under the water with him, checking his equipment and making sure he was okay.
As he submerged, the excited crowd of people who’d gathered to watch clapped and cheered.
Walaa was lifted out of the water and into his chair to continue the celebrations.
His supporters dubbed his feat “the greatest challenge” and wore T-shirts printed with an illustration of Walaa and the tagline “first quadriplegic diver”.
Guinness World Records Adjudicator Raafat Tawfik was there to hand Walaa his certificate and the record breaker beamed a huge smile as he celebrated with his loved ones.
Raafat said: “Respect and passion are two main values in our dictionary at Guinness World Records and today this record showed passion more than anything else!”
After eight hours on site, Raafat said he was amazed by the “amount of resilience and persistence” Walaa displayed as well as the “passion, dedication and collaboration” from the team helping him.
He added: “Walaa is a role model in having a will power which we all should be learning from.”
Walaa also broke the record for largest life jacket word in 2020 with a total of 501 life jackets spelling out the word “peace”.