September 9, 2025, 5:49 pm | Read time: 7 minutes
In static freediving, also known as time diving or static apnea, the goal is to stay underwater as long as possible with held breath. Freediver Vitomir Maričić managed more than 29 minutes. What the body and mind must endure—and how freedivers train.
World Record in Freediving: 29 Minutes Underwater with a Single Breath
In June 2025, freediver Vitomir Maričić descended into a small, three-meter-deep hotel pool in Opatija, Croatia, before about 100 spectators and a five-member jury, sank to the bottom, and resurfaced only 29 minutes and three seconds later. This incredible feat earned him the world record in freediving—beating the previous record by almost five minutes. Afterwards, the 40-year-old Croatian reported on the freediving portal “Divernet” about the physical agony he endured during the attempt. Especially for his diaphragm, it became severe after 20 minutes due to contractions.1 “But mentally, I knew I wouldn’t give up,” Maričić said.
Before the Dive, Maričić Breathed Pure Oxygen for 10 Minutes
His world record in freediving would have been impossible without one measure: Before the attempt, Maričić massively increased his blood plasma oxygen and the O2 reserve in his lungs by breathing pure oxygen for ten minutes. This slows the increase of carbon dioxide in the body—the urge to breathe sets in later. According to “Divernet,” this measure increased his available oxygen from about 450 milliliters to almost three liters. This significantly extends the possible time the body can go without breathing.
World Record in Freediving – Official Statement from Guinness World Records:
“The longest time a man voluntarily held his breath underwater is 29 minutes and three seconds, achieved by Vitomir Maričić (Croatia) on June 14, 2025, in Opatija, Croatia. Vitomir, a member of Adriatic Freediving, took on this record as a personal challenge and aimed to raise awareness about the importance of marine conservation. The attempt took place in the presence of the AIDA freediving jury, where he beat the previous record by almost five minutes.”2
Without pre-breathing oxygen, the world record in freediving stands at eleven minutes, 35 seconds (set in 2009 by Stéphane Mifsud in Hyeres, France).3 Maričić can also hold his breath for more than ten minutes without pre-breathing oxygen. Specifically, it’s ten minutes and eight seconds—documented in February 2025.4
»Experience Always Worse, Especially for My Diaphragm
After 20 minutes, “everything became easier,” “at least mentally.” Maričić describes his physical pain as follows: The experience became “physically worse, especially for my diaphragm, due to the contractions. These involuntary contractions occur when the body desperately wants to breathe again. “But mentally, I knew I wouldn’t give up,” Maričić continued. He credited his achievement to the support of his team, family, and friends.
Also interesting: Can You Intentionally Influence Your Heart Rate?
World Record in Freediving – These Mechanisms Occur in the Body
What happens in the body during extended time underwater without breathing and which mechanisms are involved is well-documented in research.5
First: There is always a bit of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the blood because cells produce it while working. Holding one’s breath increases the carbon dioxide level in the blood. Too much CO₂ is dangerous.
During breathlessness, chemoreceptors, which function like “CO₂ detectors,” signal the brain: “Warning, too much CO₂, breathe!” These receptors are located in the brain and neck, particularly in the carotid bodies. The breathing reflex, felt through the diaphragm, now intervenes: Involuntary diaphragm contractions are meant to “force” the body to breathe again. Untrained individuals stop at this point to avoid suffocation.
Even for freedivers with recorded world records like Vitomir Maričić, this reflex works just like it does for everyone else—only the pros outsmart their “alarm system” and train their bodies to trigger the breathing reflex later.
The Required Mindset
Freediver Sheena McNally once described it in a conversation with FITBOOK: “A big part of freediving is learning that you’re okay underwater when you hold your breath. You learn that the body has mechanisms and adaptability to handle this situation.”
Regarding the required mindset, the Canadian, who pulled herself 85 meters deep into the sea using her arm strength, told FITBOOK: “I think the key is a mindset that is opposite to many other sports. There, you get better by pushing harder or exerting more effort. In freediving, you make progress by relaxing and simply observing what happens to you instead of reacting. You need a mindset like meditating: Observe, don’t judge—and don’t react. Discover!”
Pool Freediving Requires Brutal Self-Control
While pool freedivers like Vitomir Maričić always have the option to simply surface, Sheena McNally, who dives into the depths (sometimes thinking at the deepest point: “Oh no!”), is always far from it. For pool freedivers, this constant temptation means the entire dive is accompanied by continuous self-control.
Freedivers Must Especially Train White Muscle Fibers
Freedivers need muscles that function well without oxygen—because they need the oxygen in their bodies while diving to optimally supply their organs. Therefore, it’s particularly important for professionals to train their white muscle fibers—these are the muscle fibers that derive their energy predominantly anaerobically, meaning without oxygen, from the body’s glycogen stores. Strength training, HIIT, or Crossfit are particularly suitable for this. Exhausting endurance sessions are counterproductive for freediving. Top freedivers often have an exceptionally low resting heart rate of under 30 beats per minute. This means their bodies consume extremely little oxygen.
Also interesting: How (In)Accurately Do Fitness Trackers Measure Heart Rate?
Breathing Before Diving
Berlin freediver Maria Unverricht, who can hold her breath underwater for more than five minutes, explained to FITBOOK years ago how she prepares right before a diving competition in the pool: About eight minutes before the start, she exhales twice as long as she inhales (abdominal breathing). Full inhalation before a competition takes her about 20 seconds. Freedivers “hyperventilate,” so to speak—filling their abdomen and chest with as much air as possible before diving.
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Breathing Center in the Spinal Cord Eventually Triggers the Breathing Reflex – Underwater, Deadly Within Seconds
A significant part of training for freedivers involves checking and correctly interpreting their own physical signals. Freedivers must be able to precisely distinguish between the urge to breathe, which they can still suppress, and “now it’s getting dangerous.” With an ever-decreasing oxygen level in the blood, the brain eventually shuts down: The freediver loses consciousness. At a critical oxygen threshold, the breathing center, located in the medulla oblongata in the brainstem, triggers the vital breathing reflex. The result: The diver inhales water instead of air. Without help, the consequences are deadly within seconds.
Freediving is a sport associated with high risks. If you ever decide to hold your breath underwater, you should definitely do so with a trained diving partner. Participate in a freediving course. These are available in pools, lakes, and the sea. There, you learn to safely hold your breath and achieve better results.
Repeated Fatalities
Freediving repeatedly leads to fatalities: American Nicholas Mevoli died in 2013 while attempting to set a record in freediving in the Bahamas. French record diver Audrey Mestre died in 2002 in the Dominican Republic. Russian freediver Natalja Vadimovna Molchanova did not resurface from the sea off Formentera in 2015.