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.
GILPATRIC, John Guy
By Jeffrey Gallant
Freediving pioneer; directly influenced the careers of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Hans Hass, Philippe Tailliez and Frédéric Dumas in the 1930s when he personally [...]
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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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First underwater movie
By Jeffrey Gallant
1914 — John Ernest Williamson and his brother George use the Williamson Photosphere to produce the first underwater movie in which he kills a shark with a knife in the [...]
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Underwater post office (First)
By Jeffrey Gallant
Sea Floor, Bahamas — J.E. Williamson converted an underwater sphere (the Photosphere) into the world’s first underwater post office [...]
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High-altitude dive (Highest)
By Jeffrey Gallant
6,395 m (20,981 ft) — Marcel Korkuś (Poland) dived through the frozen surface of a natural water reservoir near the summit of Ojos del Salado on [...]
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Most radioactive dive site
By Jeffrey Gallant
Bikini Atoll (Marshall Islands) — The most radioactive dive site accessible to recreational divers was opened in 1996, 38 years after the site was blasted [...]
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Oldest marine vertebrate
By Jeffrey Gallant
Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) — According to a study published in 2016 (Nielsen et al.), the Greenland shark has a life expectancy of at least 272 years, and sexual maturity [...]
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NUYTTEN, Phil, Ph.D.
By Jeffrey Gallant
Sub-sea engineer; commercial diver; deep-sea explorer; author; carver and native advocate; entrepreneur; designer of the Newtsuit and the Exosuit; publisher of DIVER Magazine [...]
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First all-female habitat mission
By Jeffrey Gallant
1970 — The Tektite II mission led by Dr. Sylvia Earle lasted two weeks at a depth of 15 m (50 ft) in the U.S. Virgin Islands' Great Lameshur Bay. The team [...]
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First shark observation cage
By Jeffrey Gallant
1948 - Jacques-Yves Cousteau used a cage built by the GRS (Groupe de recherches sous-marines) during an expedition off northwest Africa [...]
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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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Largest fish (Carnivorous)
By Jeffrey Gallant
White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) — Up to 7 m (23 ft), 2,300 kg (5,070 lbs). The white shark inhabits subtropical and temperate waters around [...]
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Deepest saturation dive (Experimental)
By Jeffrey Gallant
701 msw (2,300 fsw) — COMEX Hydra 10, Hyperbaric Experimental Centre, Marseille, France, 1992. The dive protocol required a four-week [...]
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COUSTEAU, Jean-Michel
By Jeffrey Gallant
Explorer; environmentalist; educator; film producer; architect; President of Ocean Futures; longest active diver in the world; produced over 75 films; member of the world's first scuba [...]
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Oldest diver (Men)
By Jeffrey Gallant
99 — William Lambert (USA) celebrated his 99th anniversary with a birthday dive in Pearl Lake, Illinois, on September 5, 2019. He remained at the depth of 9.7 m (32 ft) for 20 minutes [...]
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COUSTEAU, Céline
By Jeffrey Gallant
Documentary film director and producer; designer; founder and Director of CauseCentric Productions and founder/President of the non-profit organisation [...]
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COUSTEAU, Philippe
By Jeffrey Gallant
Environmentalist; explorer; film producer; lead cinematographer for multiple Cousteau Society films; pilot; dove for the first time in 1945 at the age of four using a miniature version of the [...]
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First Aqua-Lung dive
By Jeffrey Gallant
January 1943 — Jacques-Yves Cousteau tested the first Cousteau-Gagnan open-circuit scuba unit in the cold Marne River near Paris. The single-stage regulator worked [...]
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First sea lion selfie
By Jeffrey Gallant
Steller sea lion — Russell Clark's 360° camera was momentarily engulfed by a Steller sea lion during a dive off Hornby Island, British Columbia, in 2019. The resulting image became the [...]
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Most isolated atoll
By Jeffrey Gallant
The coral atoll of Kiritimati, located in the northern Line Islands is part of the Republic of Kiribati. Based on the United Nations Environment (UNEP) Index of Isolation [...]
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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.
First underwater movie
By Jeffrey Gallant
1914 — John Ernest Williamson and his brother George use the Williamson Photosphere to produce the first underwater movie in which he kills a shark with a knife in the [...]
Read More
Underwater post office (First)
By Jeffrey Gallant
Sea Floor, Bahamas — J.E. Williamson converted an underwater sphere (the Photosphere) into the world’s first underwater post office [...]
Read More
High-altitude dive (Highest)
By Jeffrey Gallant
6,395 m (20,981 ft) — Marcel Korkuś (Poland) dived through the frozen surface of a natural water reservoir near the summit of Ojos del Salado on [...]
Read More
High-altitude dive (Staged deco. | Deepest)
By Jeffrey Gallant
50 m (165 ft) (Corrected depth) | Altitude: 4,877 m (16,000 ft) — George K. Watson (USA) and Geoff Belter (USA), Laguna Sibinacocha, Peru [...]
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Most radioactive dive site
By Jeffrey Gallant
Bikini Atoll (Marshall Islands) — The most radioactive dive site accessible to recreational divers was opened in 1996, 38 years after the site was blasted [...]
Read More
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 [...]
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Most powerful underwater lighting
By Jeffrey Gallant
The most powerful lights ever used in the deep ocean were mounted on the Russian MIR 1 and MIR 2 submersibles to film the IMAX film Titanica [...]
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Largest brain coral
By Jeffrey Gallant
The world’s largest brain coral colony is found at a dive site named Kelleston Drain. The colony located south of Little Tobago, is 3 m (10ft) high and 5.3 m (16 ft) wide [...]
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Oldest marine vertebrate
By Jeffrey Gallant
Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) — According to a study published in 2016 (Nielsen et al.), the Greenland shark has a life expectancy of at least 272 years, and sexual maturity [...]
Read More
First all-female habitat mission
By Jeffrey Gallant
1970 — The Tektite II mission led by Dr. Sylvia Earle lasted two weeks at a depth of 15 m (50 ft) in the U.S. Virgin Islands' Great Lameshur Bay. The team [...]
Read More
First shark observation cage
By Jeffrey Gallant
1948 - Jacques-Yves Cousteau used a cage built by the GRS (Groupe de recherches sous-marines) during an expedition off northwest Africa [...]
Read More
Largest fish (Carnivorous)
By Jeffrey Gallant
White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) — Up to 7 m (23 ft), 2,300 kg (5,070 lbs). The white shark inhabits subtropical and temperate waters around [...]
Read More
Underwater rope jumping
By Jeffrey Gallant
Peter Nestler (USA) jumped rope 1,871 times in 60 min. in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 13, 2014. He averaged seven to nine jumps per breath. The rope [...]
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Deepest saturation dive (Experimental)
By Jeffrey Gallant
701 msw (2,300 fsw) — COMEX Hydra 10, Hyperbaric Experimental Centre, Marseille, France, 1992. The dive protocol required a four-week [...]
Read More
Oldest diver (Men)
By Jeffrey Gallant
99 — William Lambert (USA) celebrated his 99th anniversary with a birthday dive in Pearl Lake, Illinois, on September 5, 2019. He remained at the depth of 9.7 m (32 ft) for 20 minutes [...]
Read More
First Aqua-Lung dive
By Jeffrey Gallant
January 1943 — Jacques-Yves Cousteau tested the first Cousteau-Gagnan open-circuit scuba unit in the cold Marne River near Paris. The single-stage regulator worked [...]
Read More
First sea lion selfie
By Jeffrey Gallant
Steller sea lion — Russell Clark's 360° camera was momentarily engulfed by a Steller sea lion during a dive off Hornby Island, British Columbia, in 2019. The resulting image became the [...]
Read More
Longest-established scuba magazine (North America)
By Jeffrey Gallant
DIVER Magazine (Canada) was founded by Peter Vassilopoulos in 1974 before being acquired by Dr. Phil Nuytten in 2004 [...]
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Most isolated atoll
By Jeffrey Gallant
The coral atoll of Kiritimati, located in the northern Line Islands is part of the Republic of Kiribati. Based on the United Nations Environment (UNEP) Index of Isolation [...]
Read More
First female scuba diving instructor
By Jeffrey Gallant
1955 — Dottie May Frazier (USA). Mrs. Frazier was also the first female commercial diver, and the first female dive shop owner (Penguin) [...]
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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.
GILPATRIC, John Guy
By Jeffrey Gallant
Freediving pioneer; directly influenced the careers of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Hans Hass, Philippe Tailliez and Frédéric Dumas in the 1930s when he personally [...]
Read More
MARTINEZ, Andrew J.
By Jeffrey Gallant
Photographer; writer; author of Marinelife of the North Atlantic; and of the Marine Life - North Atlantic app; assignment photographer for the National Geographic Society; public [...]
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ALLEN, Rick
By Jeffrey Gallant
Video producer, director and videographer; co-founder of Nautilus Productions; project videographer on Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck Project [...]
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NUYTTEN, Phil, Ph.D.
By Jeffrey Gallant
Sub-sea engineer; commercial diver; deep-sea explorer; author; carver and native advocate; entrepreneur; designer of the Newtsuit and the Exosuit; publisher of DIVER Magazine [...]
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CARNEY, Brian
By Jeffrey Gallant
President and CEO of International Diving (TDI, SDI, ERDI); former publisher of Diving Adventure magazine; former head diving instructor at the University of Rhode Island [...]
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SCHWABE, Stephanie, Ph.D.
By Jeffrey Gallant
Cave explorer; geologist; biogeochemist specializing in Bahamian caves; discovered new cave systems and bacterial life forms; technical instructor [...]
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PRODANOVICH, Jack
By Jeffrey Gallant
Freediving and spearfishing pioneer; underwater weapons designer; co-founder of the Bottom Scratchers Dive Club in 1933, the world’s first freediving club; designed a dive mask [...]
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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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SIEBE, Christian Augustus
By Jeffrey Gallant
Engineer; inventor; developed a surface-supplied diving helmet and airtight canvas suit which was used by the Royal Navy; first helmet was a variation [...]
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DELOIRE, Michel
By Jeffrey Gallant
Longtime underwater cameraman for the Cousteau Society; began in 1965 as the alternate cameraman for Philippe Cousteau during Conshelf III; cinematographer [...]
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MCNEESE, Doug
By Jeffrey Gallant
President and CEO of Scuba Schools International (SSI); purchased NASDS in 1993 and merged with SSI in 1998; Chairman of The Dive Shop, Inc, which was founded by his [...]
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COUSTEAU, Jean-Michel
By Jeffrey Gallant
Explorer; environmentalist; educator; film producer; architect; President of Ocean Futures; longest active diver in the world; produced over 75 films; member of the world's first scuba [...]
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COUSTEAU, Fabien
By Jeffrey Gallant
Aquanaut; oceanographic explorer; environmental advocate; engineer; filmmaker; Founder of the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center in 2016; lived and worked underwater [...]
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COUSTEAU, Céline
By Jeffrey Gallant
Documentary film director and producer; designer; founder and Director of CauseCentric Productions and founder/President of the non-profit organisation [...]
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COUSTEAU, Jan (née Sullivan)
By Jeffrey Gallant
Co-founder of EarthEcho International; served as a photographer, paramedic and cook during 20 Cousteau expeditions over a period [...]
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COUSTEAU, Philippe
By Jeffrey Gallant
Environmentalist; explorer; film producer; lead cinematographer for multiple Cousteau Society films; pilot; dove for the first time in 1945 at the age of four using a miniature version of the [...]
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CLARK, Russell
By Jeffrey Gallant
Filmmaker; Co-Director of Seaproof.TV with partner Trisha Stovel; Editor and Art Director of DIVER Magazine; brand art director; dive industry media consultant; took the world's [...]
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FRAZIER, Dottie May
By Jeffrey Gallant
First female scuba instructor; first female commercial (hard-hat) diver; first female dive shop owner (Penguin); wetsuit and drysuit designer; charter member of the Long Beach Neptunes [...]
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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!
By Jeffrey Gallant
These legendary figures left such a mark in their respective fields that they would change the world of diving forever [...]
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By Jeffrey Gallant
From true to life nature scenes to the surreal, these amazing underwater artists will make you dream of diving [...]
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By Jeffrey Gallant
These trailblazing underwater women have inspired so many divers to follow their passion and make a difference [...]
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Our Timeline of Man Underwater, which chronicles over 6,000 years of exploration and innovation, is the most thorough history of diving available online.
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 [...]
Read More
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 [...]
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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 habitat by [...]
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The bathyscaphe Trieste is designed
By Jeffrey Gallant
[ 1950 ] Dr. Auguste Piccard and his son Jacques design the bathyscaphe Trieste, which is launched in 1953. The bathyscaphe consists of [...]
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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 [...]
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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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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 [...]
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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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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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Antikythera Shipwreck found
By Jeffrey Gallant
[ 1900 ] Greek sponge divers discover the Antikythera Shipwreck and recover artifacts, including the oldest known analog computer. The [...]
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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.