Scuba diving is a popular activity around the world, and to take part, people must first pass an exam and receive training from a PADI-certified association. But how deep can humans dive? The deepest dive ever achieved by a human was 1,090 feet and 4.5 inches (323.35 meters), set by Ahmed Gabr in 2014. This is deeper than the height of the Chrysler Building in New York City, which stands at 319 meters (1,046 feet).The deepest point ever reached by man is 35,858 feet below the surface of the ocean, located in the Challenger Abyss of the Mariana Trench. To reach this depth, humans must use motorized submersibles equipped with advanced technology. This year, Victor Vescovo piloted the DSV Limiting Factor to the full depth of a shipwreck, setting a new record for the deepest manned dive in history.
As part of his Five Deeps expedition, Vescovo also piloted his submersible to the deepest points of each of the world's five oceans. It is worth noting that both the Deepsea Challenger and the Trieste plunged into the depths of the Challenger once, while the Limiting Factor submersible made a total of four dives in the Mariana Trench. Additionally, developing the right technology for underwater vehicles is expensive and makes deep-sea diving and exploration difficult. Divers have lost their lives attempting to break records for deep diving. Ahmed Gabr suffered a brain injury while ascending after reaching a depth of 831 feet (253.2 meters) without oxygen. In order to reach his record-breaking dive, Vescovo used nine tanks filled with a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, helium and hydrogen. Humans are constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible when it comes to deep-sea diving.
As technology advances and more records are broken, we can expect to see even deeper dives in the future.
