Croatian freediver set a world record by staying underwater for 29 minutes

Croatian freediver Vitamir Maricic set a new Guinness World Record in the category "Longest voluntary breath-hold underwater," exceeding the previous achievement by almost five minutes. According to the Daily Mail, the athlete used a technique of preliminary breathing with pure oxygen, which allowed him to increase the oxygen level in his blood five times compared to normal.

Experts noted that this result puts Maricic on the same level as a common seal - a marine mammal capable of renewing up to 90% of the air in its lungs in a single breath (versus 20% in humans). To achieve the record, the freediver breathed pure oxygen for 10 minutes, which allowed him to flush excess nitrogen from his blood and significantly increase the oxygen reserve in his body.