On Monday 7th September I flew to Istanbul, Turkey to complete my adjudication of the longest scuba dive in a controlled environment. I had seen the beginning of the attempt as in my previous blog, so now was the time to return to examine the evidence.

To recap, Cem Karabay went into the tank in the car park of the Beylikduzu Migros Shopping Mall in Istanbul on 30th August at 19.45. His attempt was streamed live on his website and as per the guidelines provided by Guinness World Records, he had a support team to aid his various neccesities such as changing oxygen tanks and any health/sanitary requirements. He was also required to be monitored by two witnesses at all times, who had to rotate every 4 hours, signing at the beginning and end of each shift. As controlled environment was a new category, Guinness World Records had stipulated that in order to set this new record Cem would need to at least equal the existing record for open fresh water of 120 hours, 1 minute and 9 seconds.

I had learned that Cem had surfaced prior to my arrival, but it was still necessary to verify his time underwater and the evidence as required by the guidelines. On arrival at the shopping mall the atmosphere was intense. There were around 12 press channels waiting for my verdict and the certificate presentation if the attempt was successful. I took my time to carefully examine the evidence and when I was satisfied with what I had seen, I announced my findings to the large audience and press. Cem Karabay had managed to remain underwater for 135 hours, 2 minutes and 19 seconds, setting a new Guinness World Record.

Below are some pictures of the event including a press cutting showing Cem's hands shortly after emerging from the tank!







09 September 2009