Quadriplegic Egyptian naval officer sets third world record

Captain Walaa Hafez – also known as the ‘Egyptian Whale‘ has made history by becoming the first ever quadriplegic man to set the World Record for Longest Scuba Dive (CI1) in a Controlled Environment.

CI1 is a classification used by the Guinness Book of World Records (GWR) to denote a record-breaker’s physical impairments, in this case, the loss of movement in all limbs.

‘I feel committed to proving that no challenge is too great when you have the will and preparation to inspire Egyptians and others to face obstacles,’ said Hafez, commenting on the announcement.

Hafez remained in a pool at a depth of five metres for six hours, four minutes and 45 seconds to break the record, which was set in Ismailia, Egypt, on 11 August, and announced by FWR on 23 September.

Hafez had previously held the world record for the longest open saltwater scuba dive, which he set in 2015 as an able-bodied diver with a time of 51 hours, 24 minutes and 13 seconds.

The record earned him the moniker ‘Egyptian Whale’, but his dive career was brutally cut short following a car accident in 2016, which left him paralysed from the neck down.

The endurance record was broken in 2020 by Saddam Killany, also from Egypt, who remained underwater for 145 hours, 25 minutes and 25 seconds in Dahab, but Hafez would set a separate world record that same year for the ‘largest lifejacket word‘, in which he spelt out the word ‘peace’ using 501 life jackets.

The new record was Hafez’s first endurance dive since the accident, and was monitored by GWR Adjudicator Raafat Tawfik, who was present to observe the record and monitor the record and hand Hafez his certificate.

‘Respect and passion are two main values in our dictionary at Guinness World Records, and today this record showed passion more than anything else, said Raafat.

‘I am amazed by the amount of resilience and persistence Walaa displayed as well as the passion, dedication and collaboration from the team helping him.’

‘Walaa is a role model in having a willpower which we all should be learning from.’

Hafez, who holds the title of Captain and serves as Secretary for the Disabled Persons Secretariat of the Homeland Defenders Party in Ismailia, was also honoured by Admiral Osama Rabie, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman, in whose pool the record was set.

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