Ages ago, when I worked at Weeki Wachee, I held a very short record of 4m:12s, doing a deep dive (this is considered a working breath-hold). I was in a tail for this part of the show, and remember that the announcer had to rewind the music background tape twice, which was 2 minutes long. I had company in the audience so I did my best for that show. Not realizing my grandfather was timing it! So it made sense to me when I heard the music tape twice... and then some blank time inbetween to rewind it. I held that record for only a few months when another Mermaid broke it doing the same routine, a deep dive. Her record was just under 5 minutes... I believe now the record is near 6 minutes. (BTW, a Deep Dive, can be as deep as 80 or 117 feet! We go down using an air hose, but it is removed (hauled up) so the audience can see the bubbles trailing from the hose, there is no supplemental air there, just alot of rocks to wedge yourself into against the water flow from the springhead. You can tell how deep a Mermaid goes by the size of the rising bubbles in the current from the outflow! The larger the bubble, the closer to the surface you are, so from the deepest stop, the bubbles coming up are really really tiny, and beautiful!... I digress... LOL!)

Currently, I can only hold my breath just under 2 minutes anymore (always stated as working, not static).... It seems dependent on water temperature (the warmer, the shorter time I get breath-holding), and if I prepared for it doing diaphramatic breathing, etc., similar to what freedivers do now, I could extend longer. I am working my way back up into the 3 minute working range, just because I know I can do it! (at the moment I am recovering from a concussion, and my neurologist would frown on any breath holding other than a quick 10-15 sec dive!... LOL What he doesn't know won't kill him, but might hurt me, so, I am trying to be good. I have several months of rehab to go, so I sort of have to behave! LOL)

Good luck to all increasing your breath-holding time. Just be safe doing it!
Hugz and Bubble 'z
Mermaid Marla