Cem Karabay, the holder of the world record for the longest scuba dive, set a new mark recognized by the Guinness World Records by staying almost six days underwater. Karabay met all his basic needs for food and water during his time under the sea, and even played football and chess. When he returned to the surface on July 20, the anniversary of the 1983 Cyprus Invasion, he looked tired but proud, and delivered a speech expressing his gratitude to his audience. An official delegate from Turkish Cyprus attended the speech.
As the first Turkish athlete to set a record underwater, Karabay started his record bid on July 14 at the Yavuz Çıkarma Beach in Cyprus and finished last night. Karabay entered the Mediterranean Sea from the same beach which Turkish troops used as a landing point in an operation on July 20, 1974 to save Turkish Cypriots caught in a conflict with Greek Cypriots.
Karabay set three world records in 2009, 2011 and 2015. Last year, he also set a personal record by staying underwater for 72 hours. Over three days, he tried to break the longest open saltwater scuba dive record held by Egypt's Walaa Hafez, who spent over 51 hours underwater earlier in the year.
Karabay set a record in 2011 for the longest scuba dive in a controlled environment, when he stayed inside a pool in Istanbul for over 192 hours.
