Diver Spends 5 Days Under Water, Sets New Record

Jerry Hall has broken an underwater record by staying submerged for more than 5 days. He played underwater checkers with other divers to pass the time. (Photo: Facebook)

Man Spends Five Days Under Water to Set World Scuba Diving Record

South Holston Lake, Tennessee – Jerry Hall of Kingsport, TN, has shattered the world record for the longest freshwater scuba dive by a full 24 hours when he managed to stay under water a full day longer than he originally anticipated. He began his quest to break the world record Saturday, July 27 at 12:10:28 p.m. local time.

By Thursday, he had beaten the world record but decided to stay in longer and added an additional 24 hours to his time. He emerged Friday, August 2 at 1:41:50 p.m. for a total underwater stay in HH:MM:SS of 145:31:22.

The previous record was owned by a Florida diver of 120:14:00. To set his record, Hall spent his time 15 feet underwater in this lake which is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

“I’m so happy right now, I can’t stand it!” Hall told a local news station using an underwater microphone.

The water was a warm 81 degrees, but even that became cold for him. Hall stated that by Wednesday he had become pretty cold, but his team managed to warm up the water sufficient to get him “semi-warm”.

He passed his time playing checkers and listening to music with an iPod and waterproof speakers. His son and girlfriend visited him underwater as well.

On The Web:
Diver Spends 5 Days Under Water
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/excursions/post/scuba-diver-breaks-record-for-longest-freshwater-dive/