Bizzare Scuba Diving Records

Apparently in the world of scuba diving there are those who like to push the envelope - some in pursuit of science and some who are just chasing a record.

72 Australian scuba divers determined to snatch the world record for ironing underwater. Yes, you read that right. They took their shirts and linens into 9.8ft of less than clear water and set up their ironing boards. Using irons that had had their electrical cords removed (for safety issues) the group pressed the drip dry shirts and found their way into the Guinness Book of Records.

Yet another Australian, this time a marine biologist, spent 13 days living underwater in a capsule that was 6ft high. He rode a bicycle - in fifteen feet of water - to provide electricity and urinated on algae to provide air. This was done in an effort to experiment with a few ideas science had for the possibility of living underwater and being self-sustaining – it took place in a BioSub.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Port Vila in Vanuatu, be sure to visit the world’s first and only underwater post office. Postal workers don diving gear to sell postcards that are waterproof and they even have an underwater franking machine to emboss the plastic coated postcards. It is open 1 -2 hours per day, depending on how busy it gets.

Ever wished you could dine underwater? Well 500 people (maybe a touch insane?) did just that to raise money and to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. This was a formal sit down affair and happened in a suburb of London, England. In 20 sessions, 500 people were served a three course meal while wearing an 18lb weight belt to ensure they didn’t ascend part way through their dinner. Each meal consisted of just one mouthful of food which to prevent disintegration under the water, was encased in a clear jelly. Each participant had to sign a lengthy health waiver and take lessons on how to eat while under the water.

Wanting to break the scuba diving record, a man from Singapore spent 220 hours in a mineral water tank, drinking isotonic and fruit beverages and using a special cubicle as his toilet. Khoo Swee Chiow suffered from dehydration, nausea, hunger and boredom during his time underwater but said he was happy once the event was over and he had broken the record set previously by a British man for 212 hrs 30 minutes.

Would you believe a there is such a thing as a diving barber? He has set a new world record for cutting hair underwater. David Rae, managed to cut the hair of 33 people in one hour, breaking the old Guinness Book of World Records mark of 11 haircuts in 60 minutes. It was all done at the bottom of a pool in London, England as part of a charity fundraising event.

Do you know of any other bizarre scuba diving rituals or records? Please comment on this article.