The Diving Almanac & Book of Records

First published in 2007, the Diving Almanac celebrates the achievements of a unique group of people that share a passion for underwater adventure and discovery. Ten years later, the Diving Almanac has become the world’s only central body of information for diving records, personalities and history, and it is 100% FREE.

Who's Who

GRUBER, Samuel H., Ph.D.

By Jeffrey Gallant

Shark researcher specializing in anatomy, behaviour, habitat selection, homing behaviour, sensory systems, tracking, and shark repellents; worked [...]

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Deepest diving tank (and deepest pool)

By Jeffrey Gallant

42 m (137 ft) — Y-40 located at the Hotel Terme Millepini, in Italy. Volume: 4,300,000 litres (1,135,939 gallons) of chemical-free thermal water kept at a [...]

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Longest beaver dam

By Jeffrey Gallant

850 m (2,790 ft) — The world’s longest known beaver dam was discovered in Wood Buffalo National Park (Alberta, Canada) on October 2, 2007. Satellite photos from the 1990s and [...]

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Deepest dive under ice [Freshwater]

By Jeffrey Gallant

132 m (434 ft) — Kevin Brown (Canada) dove to the record depth under landfast ice during an exploratory dive of Lake Mazinaw, the second- [...]

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World’s deepest fish?

By Jeffrey Gallant

Depending on where you get your information, the Mariana snailfish, a.k.a. Swire's snailfish, is not the world's deepest fish nor is there a depth limit beyond which fish can live [...]

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Most dangerous seal

By Jeffrey Gallant

The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) — Leopard seals live around the pack ice in Antarctica where they hunt penguins and other seals. They are the only seal species that feeds on [...]

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Diving History

Divers rescue 12 boys and coach from flooded Thai cave

By Jeffrey Gallant

[2018] On July 2, cave divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen locate all 12 members of a youth football team and their coach [...]

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Diving History

Discovery of HMS Erebus

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 2014 ] On September 7, Parks Canada archeologists from the 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition discover the wreck of one of the ships from the ill-fated [...]

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Who's Who

LABAN, André

By Jeffrey Gallant

Underwater photographer; filmmaker; world’s first underwater painter; musician; longtime crewmember and diver of the Cousteau Society; chemical engineer; co-designer and [...]

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COUSTEAU, Jacques-Yves

By Jeffrey Gallant

Diving pioneer, visionary, and inventor; world-famous underwater explorer and advocate for the environment; prolific author and film [...]

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Who's Who

MCDANIEL, Neil

By Jeffrey Gallant

Marine naturalist; writer; photographer; cinematographer (IMAX); Associate Producer of The Blue Realm; author of Sea Stars of the Pacific Northwest; former Editor of Diver [...]

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Who's Who

COSGROVE, Jim

By Jeffrey Gallant

Marine biologist and expert on the Pacific giant octopus; former Manager of the Natural History Section at the Royal British Columbia Museum; public speaker, underwater [...]

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Deepest underwater habitat

By Jeffrey Gallant

185 m (610 ft) — SEALAB III, February, 1969, San Clemente Island, California (USA). The main purpose of SEALAB III was to develop technology that [...]

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Diving History

Leonardo Da Vinci designs a diving suit

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ CIRCA 1500 ] Leonardo Da Vinci designs a diving suit and flexible snorkel system for breathing at depth. The snorkel is made of cane tubes [...]

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WATSON, Neal

By Jeffrey Gallant

Pioneer of dive resort franchising; President of the Bahamas Diving Association; commercial diver; dive instructor; treasure salver; underwater stuntman; holds the world record for the longest [...]

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First diver to tag a Greenland shark underwater

By Jeffrey Gallant

2004 — Jean-Yves “Tag” Forest tagged a free-swimming Greenland shark off Baie-Comeau, Québec, during [...]

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First shark observation cage dives [Canada]

By Jeffrey Gallant

2000 — Jeffrey Gallant and Chris Harvey-Clark (GEERG), observed several blue sharks off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The cage was used as a precaution [...]

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Slowest fish

By Jeffrey Gallant

Dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae) — 152 cm per hour (0.001 km/h) or 60 in. per hour (0.0009 mph). Size: 4.2 cm (1.7 in). The dwarf seahorse swims in an upright position using its [...]

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Coldest seawater

By Jeffrey Gallant

Seawater with an average salinity of 35 ppt (parts per thousand) freezes at -1.94°C (28.5°F). The coldest seawater ever recorded at −2.6 °C (27.3 °F) was found in a stream under [...]

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CALYPSO, The

By Jeffrey Gallant

BYMS-1 Class Motor Minesweeper: laid down 12 August 1941 as BYMS-26 by the Ballard Marine Railway Co., Inc., Seattle, WA; completed and transfered to Great Britain [...]

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The records chapter showcases over 650 underwater feats and firsts by humans, machines and animals. If you are looking for the world’s deepest scuba diver, freediver, fish or submersible, they’re all here. The 16 categories include scuba diving, freediving, submersibles, oceanography, biology, and underwater art.

Deepest diving tank (and deepest pool)

By Jeffrey Gallant

42 m (137 ft) — Y-40 located at the Hotel Terme Millepini, in Italy. Volume: 4,300,000 litres (1,135,939 gallons) of chemical-free thermal water kept at a [...]

Longest beaver dam

By Jeffrey Gallant

850 m (2,790 ft) — The world’s longest known beaver dam was discovered in Wood Buffalo National Park (Alberta, Canada) on October 2, 2007. Satellite photos from the 1990s and [...]

Deepest dive under ice [Freshwater]

By Jeffrey Gallant

132 m (434 ft) — Kevin Brown (Canada) dove to the record depth under landfast ice during an exploratory dive of Lake Mazinaw, the second- [...]

World’s deepest fish?

By Jeffrey Gallant

Depending on where you get your information, the Mariana snailfish, a.k.a. Swire's snailfish, is not the world's deepest fish nor is there a depth limit beyond which fish can live [...]

Most dangerous seal

By Jeffrey Gallant

The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) — Leopard seals live around the pack ice in Antarctica where they hunt penguins and other seals. They are the only seal species that feeds on [...]

Deepest underwater habitat

By Jeffrey Gallant

185 m (610 ft) — SEALAB III, February, 1969, San Clemente Island, California (USA). The main purpose of SEALAB III was to develop technology that [...]

First diver to tag a Greenland shark underwater

By Jeffrey Gallant

2004 — Jean-Yves “Tag” Forest tagged a free-swimming Greenland shark off Baie-Comeau, Québec, during [...]

First shark observation cage dives [Canada]

By Jeffrey Gallant

2000 — Jeffrey Gallant and Chris Harvey-Clark (GEERG), observed several blue sharks off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The cage was used as a precaution [...]

Slowest fish

By Jeffrey Gallant

Dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae) — 152 cm per hour (0.001 km/h) or 60 in. per hour (0.0009 mph). Size: 4.2 cm (1.7 in). The dwarf seahorse swims in an upright position using its [...]

Coldest seawater

By Jeffrey Gallant

Seawater with an average salinity of 35 ppt (parts per thousand) freezes at -1.94°C (28.5°F). The coldest seawater ever recorded at −2.6 °C (27.3 °F) was found in a stream under [...]

Oldest decompression diver

By Jeffrey Gallant

Gregg Bemis (USA), 76, made a 62-minute dive on the wreck of the RMS Lusitania (Ireland) in July 2004. The Lusitania lies at a depth of 92 m (300 ft) [...]

First commercially built submersible in the USA

By Jeffrey Gallant

The Asherah, capable of reaching a depth of 183 m (600 ft) and a speed of 4 knots, was launched about one month before Alvin in May 1964. It was designed [...]

Largest isopod

By Jeffrey Gallant

Giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus) — The largest known deep sea isopod whose average length is between 19 and 36 cm (7.5 - 14.2 in), reaches up to 76 cm (30 in) and 1.7 kg [...]

Largest barrier reefs

By Jeffrey Gallant

Great Barrier Reef (Australia) — Over 2,300 km (1,400 miles). The Great Barrier Reef is made up of over 900 islands and 3,400 reefs. It is the largest structure on the planet built by living [...]

Deepest wreck dive [Men]

By Jeffrey Gallant

236 m (774 ft) — Alessandro Scuotto (Italy), Mario Marconi (Italy) and Pim van der Hofirst (The Netherlands). Wreck of the Milano, Lake Maggiore [...]

First scuba diving family

By Jeffrey Gallant

1945 | The Cousteaus — Jacques-Yves, Simone, Jean-Michel and Philippe Cousteau did their first dives as a family in the Mediterranean Sea near Marseille, France [...]

First female scuba diver

By Jeffrey Gallant

1943 — Simone Melchior Cousteau (1919-1990), first wife of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Her first dives were in the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 1943. Her sons [...]

First saturation dive under polar ice

By Jeffrey Gallant

Jim English (Memorial University, Canada) and Bob Wicklund (Manager Hydrolab, USA) — Arctic IV Expedition led by Dr. Joe MacInnis in Resolute Bay [...]

The Diving Almanac features more than 650 celebrities or locally-known champions from all parts of the world. Discover long-forgotten pioneers and current day explorers and inventors in our industry-exclusive Who’s Who.

Who's Who

GRUBER, Samuel H., Ph.D.

By Jeffrey Gallant

Shark researcher specializing in anatomy, behaviour, habitat selection, homing behaviour, sensory systems, tracking, and shark repellents; worked [...]

Who's Who

LONG, Dick

By Jeffrey Gallant

Founder of Diving Unlimited International (DUI); diving instructor (1960, NAUI #49); diving contractor in San Diego (1965-72); developed procedures and equipment for [...]

Who's Who

LABAN, André

By Jeffrey Gallant

Underwater photographer; filmmaker; world’s first underwater painter; musician; longtime crewmember and diver of the Cousteau Society; chemical engineer; co-designer and [...]

COUSTEAU, Jacques-Yves

By Jeffrey Gallant

Diving pioneer, visionary, and inventor; world-famous underwater explorer and advocate for the environment; prolific author and film [...]

Who's Who

MCDANIEL, Neil

By Jeffrey Gallant

Marine naturalist; writer; photographer; cinematographer (IMAX); Associate Producer of The Blue Realm; author of Sea Stars of the Pacific Northwest; former Editor of Diver [...]

Who's Who

COSGROVE, Jim

By Jeffrey Gallant

Marine biologist and expert on the Pacific giant octopus; former Manager of the Natural History Section at the Royal British Columbia Museum; public speaker, underwater [...]

WATSON, Neal

By Jeffrey Gallant

Pioneer of dive resort franchising; President of the Bahamas Diving Association; commercial diver; dive instructor; treasure salver; underwater stuntman; holds the world record for the longest [...]

CALYPSO, The

By Jeffrey Gallant

BYMS-1 Class Motor Minesweeper: laid down 12 August 1941 as BYMS-26 by the Ballard Marine Railway Co., Inc., Seattle, WA; completed and transfered to Great Britain [...]

WATERMAN, Stan

By Jeffrey Gallant

Pioneer underwater filmmaker and photographer; owned and operated a dive charter business in the Bahamas (1954-1958); co-producer and cameraman for Blue Water White Death [...]

Who's Who

BEMIS, Gregg

By Jeffrey Gallant

Sole owner of the wreck of the RMS Lusitania since 1982; dove the wreck at age 76 in 2004, setting a record for the oldest decompression diver; explored the wreck aboard a [...]

Who's Who

HILDRED, Alex

By Jeffrey Gallant

Marine archaeologist; author; researcher; Head of Research and Curator of Ordnance & Human Remains for the Mary Rose Trust; consultant; university lecturer; member of the [...]

Who's Who

DORADO, François

By Jeffrey Gallant

Photographer and crewmember of Cousteau's Calypso; former photographer at National Geographic Magazine; had to be picked up by helicopter from the Woodstock music festival [...]

Who's Who

COUSTEAU, Pierre-Yves

By Jeffrey Gallant

CEO and Founder of Cousteau Divers, whose mission is to bring the legacy of Jacques-Yves Cousteau to life, making each diver an agent of the study and conservation of the aquatic [...]

Who's Who

COURTEAU, Jean-Louis

By Jeffrey Gallant

Artist; writer; photographer; finds his inspiration while diving; shark conservationist; founder and Director of CIEL; co-discoverer of submerged First Nations artifacts in Québec; founder of [...]

Who's Who

EARHART, Amelia

By Jeffrey Gallant

Aviation pioneer; first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (1928); author; early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment; conducted two hardhat dives in 1929 [...]

Who's Who

BARTH, Robert A.

By Jeffrey Gallant

Retired United States Navy Chief Warrant Officer; saturation diver; helped establish U.S. Navy dive tables; joined the Naval Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) Genesis habitat program [...]

Who's Who

PARTRIDGE, Bruce

By Jeffrey Gallant

Technical diver; computer systems designer and programmer; Chairman of Shearwater Research, a manufacturer of dive computers and rebreather electronics [...]

Who's Who

BOISSINOT, Paul

By Jeffrey Gallant

President of the Quebec Federation of Underwater Activities (FQAS); former DSO of the Quebec Aquarium; former President of the Canadian Association for Underwater [...]

From the deepest dives to the most dangerous sea creatures, our feature posts showcase outstanding diving facts and trivia, hand-picked from our Diving Records, Diving History, and Who’s Who. Nothing here is fake or clickbait!

Outstanding women every scuba diver should know

Feature

By Jeffrey Gallant

These trailblazing underwater women have inspired so many divers to follow their passion and make a difference [...]

Underwater artists every scuba diver should know

Feature

By Jeffrey Gallant

From true to life nature scenes to the surreal, these amazing underwater artists will make you dream of diving [...]

Underwater legends every scuba diver should know

Feature

By Jeffrey Gallant

These legendary figures left such a mark in their respective fields that they would change the world of diving forever [...]

Our Timeline of Man Underwater, which chronicles over 6,000 years of exploration and innovation, is the most thorough history of diving available online.

Diving History

Divers rescue 12 boys and coach from flooded Thai cave

By Jeffrey Gallant

[2018] On July 2, cave divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen locate all 12 members of a youth football team and their coach [...]

Diving History

Archaeologists find HMS Terror

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 2016 ] On September 18, 2016, Parks Canada confirms that the wreck discovered by the Arctic Research Foundation is HMS Terror. The archaeological [...]

Diving History

Discovery of HMS Erebus

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 2014 ] On September 7, Parks Canada archeologists from the 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition discover the wreck of one of the ships from the ill-fated [...]

Diving History

Leonardo Da Vinci designs a diving suit

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ CIRCA 1500 ] Leonardo Da Vinci designs a diving suit and flexible snorkel system for breathing at depth. The snorkel is made of cane tubes [...]

Diving History

First dives for treasure

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 480 BCE ] Herodotus tells of Cyana (a.k.a. Hydna of Scione) and her father Scyllias, a pair of divers who recovered sunken treasure for the Persian King Xerxes. When Xerxes [...]

Diving History

Divers in the Trojan War

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 1194 BCE ] Homer writes of divers attacking ships during the Trojan War in the Iliad. Whether there is any historical reality behind the Trojan War remains an open question. Many [...]

Diving History

William Bourne designs a wooden submarine

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 1578 ] William Bourne, an English mathematician draws the first plans for an underwater boat powered by oars. The wooden submarine covered [...]

Diving History

Commeinhes develops open-circuit scuba

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 1937 ] The first model of a two-cylinder open-circuit breathing apparatus with demand regulator is developed by Georges Commeinhes for [...]

Diving History

Edmond Halley improves the diving bell

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 1690 ] English astronomer Edmond Halley—of Halley’s Comet fame—improves the diving bell. Additional air is available in weighted barrels [...]

Diving History

Artifacts recovered from Antikythera

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 2015 ] Archaeologists excavating the Antikythera shipwreck recover more than 50 items including a bronze armrest, remains of a bone [...]

Diving History

Anthony’s Key Resort is founded on Roatan

By Jeffrey Gallant

[1968] Julio Galindo Sr. and his wife, Cheryl Galindo, welcome their first guests on the island of Roatán, Honduras. Anthony’s Key Resort has since become [...]

Diving History

Refit of Cousteau’s Calypso restarts

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 2016 ] Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s famed oceanographic vessel Calypso is moved to Turkey for a full refit, including new engines; Calypso's sad saga began [...]

Diving History

Two divers die in Johnson Sea Link

By Jeffrey Gallant

[1973] Edwin Clayton Link and Albert Dennison Stover died from carbon dioxide poisoning after the submersible was entangled for over 24 hours at a depth [...]

Diving History

Record habitat dive in Romania

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 1994 ] Romanian aquanauts Liviu Miron and Constantin Mihaï set the European record for the longest uninterrupted stay in an underwater [...]

Diving History

Renowned explorers in the High Arctic

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 2015 ] A team of renowned explorers mounts the Elysium – Artists for the Arctic expedition to the High Arctic to produce a feature documentary, a book [...]

Diving History

Kessler designs diving bell

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 1616 ] German inventor Franz Kessler designs an unstable diving bell with a harness and glass ports. Kessler was also a was a portrait painter, a [...]

Diving History

Antikythera Shipwreck found

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 1900 ] Greek sponge divers discover the Antikythera Shipwreck and recover artifacts, including the oldest known analog computer. The [...]

Diving History

Natalia Molchanova disappears

By Jeffrey Gallant

[ 2015 ] World champion freediver Natalia Molchanova (Russia) disappears while teaching a freediving course off the coast of Formentera [...]

Join the editor of the Diving Almanac as he visits record destinations, and meets notable divers and personalities from our international Who’s Who.

The Diving Almanac is the only central body of information on diving records, people, and diving history. Browse the website or search our exclusive database of thousands of records, diver profiles and historical events covering every aspect of the underwater world.