This weekend, while David Blaine was submerged in Lincoln Center for his own gain, 6 Aussie divers were submerged in Australia's Chowder Bay for charity. In an event called 20,000 Steps Under The Sea, not only were the divers underwater, but they broke the World Record for walking underwater. I admit, this is kind of a weird record, but apparently 5 men and 1 woman trudged in shifts continuously for 48 hours. My guess: no fins.
The end result? The half-dozen divers walked over 60 miles -- in 300-foot increments, following a rope -- while wearing open-circuit scuba gear. Aside from the glory of having completed the task, they were trying to raise money for CareFlight, a rapid-response emergency helicopter and medical retrieval service that provides, among other things, emergency evacuation services for injured divers. The website doesn't indicate how much money the group raised, but I DO know one thing: as someone who has tried to walk underwater in the past, I know how amazingly difficult...and...slow...it...can...be. I'm sure that when they finished they were aching to break the world's record for longest sleep. That might be tough, though, as I believe my dog currently holds that title, which he attempts to re-break every day.
If you want to learn more about the event, check out the blog of Sven -- who was a support diver during the event -- visit Dive Oz's forums, or check out the photo set on Flickr. Looked fun.
