Freediver's record walk underwater as she holds breath for length of football field

An Australian freediver took a record-breaking walk along the bottom of a swimming pool.

Amber Bourke, from Queensland, walked further than the length of an American football field to bag the record for the longest underwater walk with one breath (female).

The 35-year-old’s impressive record stands at 112.83 m (370 ft 2 in).

For context, an American football field is 109.7 m (360 ft) long.

Her walk, on 11 August 2024, was also equivalent to the height of around 22 double-decker buses stacked on top of each other.

Amber said: “I am a freediving instructor and have been freediving for over 10 years. I wanted to do this both for my own sense of achievement - it has always been a dream of mine to hold a Guinness World Records title - and also to raise money for the Australian Marine Conservation Society in the process.”

In this incredible footage, she’s seen walking along the bottom of the pool with her hips bent so she was at a 90-degree angle.

Her torso was flat, as if she was swimming, but it was her feet doing all the work, with her walking her way across the floor while holding her breath.

Amber stumbled at a couple of moments, but quickly found her feet and kept going.

When she reached the end of the pool, she tapped her feet and hands against the wall, turned around and headed back in the other direction.

Amber, who previously set 17 Australian freediving records and one AIDA world record for swimming underwater, completed two full lengths and a bit more before swimming up for air.

While she was still in the pool and holding on to the side to catch her breath, someone measured the distance she’d walked and announced it was “a new world record”, causing a smile to spread across her face.

Evolution of the longest underwater walk with one breath (female):

• 20 May 2017 - Bilge Cingigiray Aydın (Türkiye) - 67.16 metres (220.34 ft)
• 27 October 2017 - Marina Kazankova (Italy) - 69.40 metres (227.69 ft)
• 25 March 2019 - Bilge Cingigiray (Türkiye) - 81.60 m (267.71 ft)
• 28 November 2021 - Amber Fillary (South Africa) - 109.60 m (359 ft 6 in)
• 11 August 2024 - Amber Bourke (Australia) - 112.83 m (370 ft 2 in)