Budimir Šobat

In June 2025 Croatian freediver Vitomir Maričić held his breath underwater for 29 minutes and 3 seconds, beating the 24 minutes 37 seconds set by Budimir Šobat in 2021. Both breathed pure oxygen beforehand, a method allowed in this record category.

Records in this category change; check the Guinness page for the latest. Without pure oxygen first, the best time is far shorter, around 11 minutes. This is an elite-trained feat and is dangerous to try.

Context

This record category is called static apnea with pure oxygen. Before the attempt, the diver breathes pure oxygen so that the lungs and blood hold far more oxygen than they would after breathing normal air, and it also helps flush out carbon dioxide, which is what triggers the urge to breathe. The diver then floats face down in a pool with minimal movement to save energy.

Guinness gives Šobat's 2021 time as 24 minutes 37.36 seconds, a slightly different figure from the 24:33 first reported in news coverage. Guinness has since reported that another Croatian freediver, Vitomir Maričić, held his breath for 29 minutes 3 seconds in June 2025, so Šobat's time is no longer the top mark in this category.

The separate, unassisted category, where the diver breathes normal air, stands at roughly eleven and a half minutes. Even trained divers risk blackout and brain damage from oxygen starvation, and records are attempted only with safety divers and medical support.