Ahmed Gabr

Ahmed Gabr (in Arabic أحمد جبر ; born 9 November 1972) is an Egyptian scuba diver and retired special forces officer in the Egyptian Army, who holds the Guinness World Records for both The Deepest Scuba Dive (Male) and The Deepest Scuba Dive in Sea Water. Gabr dived to a depth of 332.35 metres (1,090.4 ft) in the Red Sea in September 2014.[1][2]

Diving certifications

  1. PADI IDCS instructor
  2. SDI, TDI and ERDI Instructor Trainer
  3. Certified US Combat Diver

Guinness World Record

In 2010, Gabr started training to break the world's record for the deepest depth ever reached by a human in scuba diving. The holder of the previous record was Nuno Gomes, with a record of 1,044 feet (318.25 m). Initially, the dive was scheduled to be done in 2012, but due to some political unrest in Egypt the dive was postponed. Considerably greater depths have been reached by saturation divers, who are pressurised at much slower rates to reduce high-pressure nervous syndrome. Gabr also beat the claimed record of French diver Pascal Bernabé of 330 metres.[3]

On 18 September 2014, Gabr started his World Record dive with the help of H2O Divers in Dahab; a team of 30 individuals, including 9 support divers as well as technicians, medical staff, and media representatives. The dive started at 10:30 on Thursday; while the descent took only 15 minutes, the ascent took 13 hours 35 minutes and he finally surfaced on Friday at 00:20. The slow ascent with decompression stops is designed to allow the inert gas components of the breathing gases dissolved in the tissues during the descent to be safely eliminated without forming the harmful bubbles of decompression sickness. Other than air, Gabr breathed different mixes of nitrogen, oxygen and helium (Trimix), each selected as suitable for a specific depth range, to reduce the risk of [nitrogen narcosis]], decompression sickness, and oxygen toxicity) that could be fatal if the wrong gas for the depth is used. Photos show Gabr carrying 5 back-mounted cylinders, but many more were used for decompression and by support divers.[1]

Gabr managed to reach 335 meters, instead of the 350 meters planned, and chose to accept this depth rather than to risk losing control of his limbs due to the high-pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS) he was experiencing. Minutes later, the depth was adjusted by the Guinness team to 332.35 meters (1091 feet) due to a slight bend in the rope resulting from the water current.[3]

Gabr was able to address the team and the media only minutes after surfacing, which was surprising to some, who expected hours of recovery after this arduous experience.[3]

The two Guinness World Records held by Gabr are:

  1. Deepest Scuba Dive (Male)[4]
  2. Deepest Scuba Dive in Sea Water[5]

Dive preparation

In 2010, he began his intensive training schedule, which included mental and physical preparations. Gabr had to exert a tremendous effort on the psychological part of his training, having to put himself in a state of mind that would empower him to achieve his target dive. Then Gabr had to form his support team, which consisted of 24 support divers from all over the world, technicians, medical team and others. It took him four years to finalize his training, both mental and physical, in addition to pin-pointing the best spot for the dive. Originally, the dive was going to take place in Safaga on the Red Sea, but due to strong water currents happening in that area, Gabr and the team decided to change the location to Dahab, South Sinai.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Janela, Mike (22 September 2014). "Ahmed Gabr breaks record for deepest SCUBA dive at more than 1,000 feet". www.guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Egyptian Scuba Diver Ahmed Gabr Plunges 1,066 Feet to Set World Record". www.nbcnews.com. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 17 Mat 2020. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ a b c El-Sharnoubi, Osman (20 Sep 2014). "Egypt record-breaking diver: How did he go down the deepest?". english.ahram.org.eg. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Deepest scuba dive (male)". Guinness World Records.
  5. ^ "Deepest scuba dive in sea water". Guinness World Records.

External links