Nuno Gomes (diver)
Encyclopedia
Nuno Gomes is a South Africa
n SCUBA diver
(of Portuguese
descent) who holds the official current (2011) world record deep dive
(independently verified and approved by Guinness World Records (see the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Guinness World Record books)). He used self contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) to dive to a depth of 1,044 feet (318.25 m). This depth excludes the rope stretch of 11.68 feet (3.56 m). The dive was done in the Red Sea (Dahab), off the coast of Egypt, in June 2005. Nuno's total dive time was 12 hours and 20 minutes, the descent took only 14 minutes.
He is one of only two men verified by Guinness World Records to have dived on SCUBA equipment (using trimix) below 1,000 feet (the other diver being the late John Bennett
), Pascal Bernabé
claims to have dived to 1,083 feet (330 m), including a rope stretch of 32.81 feet (10 m), in July 2005. His dive was never approved by Guinness World Records.
Gomes is also a renowned cave diver
and holds the official current (2011) Guinness World Record for the deepest cave dive, done in Boesmansgat
cave (South Africa), to a depth of 927 feet (282.6 m), in 1996. The cave is located at an altitude of 5000 feet (1550 m) above sea level, which resulted in Nuno having to decompress for an equivalent sea level dive of 1112 feet (339 m) to prevent decompression sickness
("the bends"). The total dive time was 12 hours and 15 minutes, while the descent took 15 minutes.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n SCUBA diver
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
(of Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
descent) who holds the official current (2011) world record deep dive
Deep diving
The meaning of the term deep diving is a form of technical diving. It is defined by the level of the diver's diver training, diving equipment, breathing gas, and surface support:...
(independently verified and approved by Guinness World Records (see the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Guinness World Record books)). He used self contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) to dive to a depth of 1,044 feet (318.25 m). This depth excludes the rope stretch of 11.68 feet (3.56 m). The dive was done in the Red Sea (Dahab), off the coast of Egypt, in June 2005. Nuno's total dive time was 12 hours and 20 minutes, the descent took only 14 minutes.
He is one of only two men verified by Guinness World Records to have dived on SCUBA equipment (using trimix) below 1,000 feet (the other diver being the late John Bennett
John Bennett (diver)
John Bennett was a British SCUBA diver who is best known for setting a world record by becoming the first person to deep dive below a depth of 1,000 feet on self contained breathing apparatus on 6 November 2001....
), Pascal Bernabé
Pascal Bernabé
Pascal Bernabé is a French SCUBA diver who lays claim to the world best for depth on a deep dive using self-contained breathing apparatus. Bernabé used trimix to dive to 330 meters 5 June 2005 near Propriano, Corsica. This is actually deeper than the official deepest scuba dive recognized by...
claims to have dived to 1,083 feet (330 m), including a rope stretch of 32.81 feet (10 m), in July 2005. His dive was never approved by Guinness World Records.
Gomes is also a renowned cave diver
Cave diving
Cave diving is a type of technical diving in which specialized equipment is used to enable the exploration of caves which are at least partially filled with water. In the United Kingdom it is an extension of the more common sport of caving, and in the United States an extension of the more common...
and holds the official current (2011) Guinness World Record for the deepest cave dive, done in Boesmansgat
Boesmansgat
Boesmansgat, also known in English as "Bushman's Hole", is believed to be the third-deepest submerged freshwater cave in the world, approximately 270 metres deep...
cave (South Africa), to a depth of 927 feet (282.6 m), in 1996. The cave is located at an altitude of 5000 feet (1550 m) above sea level, which resulted in Nuno having to decompress for an equivalent sea level dive of 1112 feet (339 m) to prevent decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
("the bends"). The total dive time was 12 hours and 15 minutes, while the descent took 15 minutes.