How Did a Croatian Freediver Hold His Breath 60 Times Longer Than Most?

Most of us can hold our breath for between 30 and 90 seconds .

A few minutes without oxygen can be fatal, so we have an involuntary reflex to breathe.

But freediver Vitomir Maričić recently held his breath for a new world record of 29 minutes and three seconds, lying on the bottom of a 3-metre-deep pool in Croatia .

This is about five minutes longer than the previous world record set in 2021 by another Croatian freediver, Budimir Šobat.

Interestingly, all world records for breath-holds are by freedivers , who are essentially professional breath-holders. They do extensive physical and mental training to hold their breath under water for long periods of time.

So how do freedivers delay a basic human survival response, and how was Maričić able to hold his breath about 6