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Turkish dive instructor and guide diver Mazlum Kibar is gearing up to set a new endurance benchmark by staying underwater for 36 hours, aiming to surpass the existing cold-sea living record and dedicate the achievement to a major national commemoration.
Kibar, 32, said he is planning to stage the official attempt in March in the Saros Gulf, a large inlet of the Aegean Sea known in Türkiye for its clear waters and strong currents.
As preparation, he recently carried out a test dive in Izmit Gulf, a narrow bay on the Sea of Marmara near the industrial city of Izmit, in northwestern Türkiye.
During that trial, he went down from the pier in front of the Karamursel Water Sports and Diving Sports Club (KARSAD) and stayed underwater for 13 hours and 11 minutes, while club officials and fellow divers watched on and passed along their good wishes.
Kibar said his immediate goal is to beat Cem Karabay’s 30 hours and 20 minutes record in the category described as the “Longest Time Living in Cold Sea.”
He explained that if the 36-hour attempt goes through as planned, he wants to dedicate it to the 111th anniversary of the 18 March Canakkale Naval Victory, a landmark First World War-era battle remembered annually in Türkiye.
Kibar, who said he started diving in 2011, set out a wider ambition to hold multiple records across different environments, including cold water, enclosed settings, lakes, and standard sea temperatures.
He framed this as a step-by-step effort to end up with the title of the person who has lived underwater the longest across all of those categories.
Describing how he approached the test dive, he said he tried to adapt to underwater life by doing what living creatures do, using the trial to better get used to extended time below the surface.
Kibar also outlined how he expects to meet basic needs, such as feeding while submerged. He said food would be sent down from land and that he would eat underwater while wearing a full-face mask, which seals around the face and allows breathing without holding a standard mouthpiece.
Looking beyond the March plan, he also pointed to longer-duration targets in other record categories, including enclosed-environment and lake-based attempts, as well as record goals in normal seawater temperatures.
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