Croatian Freediver Breaks World Record For Holding Breath Underwater — By an Extra 5 minutes

Most types of publicity are beneficial when it comes to attracting attention towards a cause. Following this thought process, a Croatian diver did something mind-blowing to bring attention to a cause close to his heart, according to Science Alert. He set the world record for the longest held voluntary breath, according to Guinness World Records. The organization shares that Vitomir Maričić held his breath underwater for 29 minutes and 3 seconds. It meant that he beat the previous record holder by around five minutes. The feat was achieved on June 14, 2025, and was done by the freediver in hopes that people would turn their attention to the issues of oceans. 

Who is Vitomir Maričić?

Maričić achieved the record in a pool inside the Bristol Hotel at Opatija, Croatia, according to Guinness World Records. The freediver is a member of Adriatic Freediving and saw the feat as a personal challenge. Also, for him, it is a way to illuminate people about ocean conservation. The record was achieved before the International Association for the Development of Apnea (AIDA) freediving judges. There were also around 100 spectators watching the whole thing go down, according to the Daily Mail. Though he was elated to achieve the goal, the freediver warned others against attempting something like this. "This is a very advanced stunt done after years of professional training and should not be attempted without proper guidance and safety. O2 and CO2 toxicity can be lethal," Maričić shared.

How Did Vitomir Maričić Manage to Achieve the Record?

Not only did the record make Maričić reign supreme over humans, but it also surpassed the bottlenose dolphin's longest recorded dive. His 29 minutes and 3 seconds inside the water keep the freediver on par with a harbour seal, in terms of holding breath underwater. Maričić claimed that in order to achieve this feat, he took inspiration from the methodology applied by harbor seals to hold their breath underwater. Harbor seals can exchange 90 percent of the air in their lungs just by one breath, while for humans it is just 20 percent.

In order to achieve the air exchange at the scale of harbor seals, Maričić decided to inhale pure oxygen. Before diving, he breathed pure oxygen for 10 minutes, which removed excess nitrogen from his blood and also elevated oxygen levels to five times the normal limit. The process not only filled his red blood cells with as much oxygen as possible, but also inserted dissolved oxygen into his blood plasma. It massively enhanced his ability to hold breath inside the water. On his reel, the freediver claimed that he started the process with five times more oxygen than normal, and would not have lasted as long as he did without this change.

Other Records in Sight

Maričić's abilities are not limited to underwater, and he can apparently hold his breath on land for around 10 minutes and 8 seconds. Branko Petrovic of Serbia set the record for unaided breath-holding at 11 minutes and 35 seconds in 2014. Considering how close Maričić is, people can expect another record-breaking feat from him soon in the future.