Humans can dive to varying depths depending on whether they use scuba gear or dive free (without breathing apparatus).
Free Diving (Without Scuba Gear)
- Most people can safely free dive up to about 60 feet (18 meters), though many recreational swimmers typically reach around 20 feet (6 meters)
- The current world record for free diving in the "Constant Weight with Fins" category is 423 feet (128.93 meters), set by Alexey Molchanov in 2021
- In the "No Limits" free diving category, the record is 702 feet (213.97 meters), held by Herbert Nitsch
Scuba Diving (With Breathing Apparatus)
- Recreational scuba divers typically dive up to 130 feet (40 meters), which is considered the maximum safe depth for most trained recreational divers
- For non-certified or beginner divers, recommended depths are around 40 feet (12 meters), while advanced divers with training may go up to 130 feet (40 meters)
- The deepest scuba dive on record was by Ahmed Gabr, who reached 1,090 feet (332.23 meters) in 2014 in the Red Sea, a dive that required over 14 hours including decompression stops
- Commercial saturation divers can operate at depths up to about 701 meters, pushing human limits with specialized equipment and gas mixtures
Physiological and Safety Limits
- Diving beyond recreational limits involves risks such as nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity, and decompression sickness ("the bends") due to pressure changes and gas absorption
- Safe diving requires slow ascents with decompression stops to avoid these risks
- Theoretical maximum human diving depth is estimated to be around 1,000 meters, but this is beyond current practical and safe limits for humans
In summary, while casual free divers reach tens of meters and recreational scuba divers typically dive up to 40 meters, highly trained professionals with specialized equipment have pushed human diving depths to over 300 meters scuba and over 200 meters free diving, with commercial divers going even deeper under saturation conditions
