Croatian Diver Holds Breath 29 Minutes in Guinness Record

Croatian freediver Vitomir Maričić has set a new Guinness World Record after holding his breath underwater for an astonishing 29 minutes and 3 seconds.

The record-breaking feat took place in a private swimming pool, where Maričić prepared by breathing pure oxygen for ten minutes before submerging. 

This pre-breathing technique helped saturate his blood with oxygen, dramatically boosting his endurance and allowing him to surpass the previous record by a full five minutes.

His achievement has now been officially recognized by Guinness World Records, making him the holder of the world’s longest static breath-hold.

For comparison, harbor seals can replenish up to 90% of the air in their lungs with each breath, while humans manage only about 20%. Remarkably, Maričić’s breath-hold performance even exceeded the diving capacity of bottlenose dolphins.

Maričić explained that his preparation focused on raising his oxygen levels to many times above the natural baseline, which enabled him to push human limits. He added that even without pure oxygen, he can hold his breath for more than ten minutes.

The record for unaided breath-holding, without oxygen pre-breathing, remains with Serbian diver Branko Petrović, who achieved 11 minutes and 35 seconds in 2014. By contrast, most people struggle to hold their breath for more than a minute under normal conditions.

Guinness World Records noted that Maričić attempted the feat in June as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of protecting marine ecosystems.