Turkish daredevil diver's 3 days underwater

?I told my team: ?I will complete 72 hours underwater? unless I die.?? ?I told my team: ?I will complete 72 hours underwater? unless I die.??

This was fighting talk from 43-year-old Turkish diving instructor Cem Karabay, but he was able to back it up by breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest open saltwater scuba dive by spending a mammoth 72 hours under the Mediterranean, emerging from the sea - tired but victorious - on July 20.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Karabay, a lifelong lover of the sea, talked about what he experienced underwater, which he described as a safer place for him than his mother?s womb.

?I was always dreaming of the moment I would break a record, by closing my eyes before the attempt. I was sure that I would make it,? he said self-assuredly.

The existing record had been held by 36-year-old Egyptian diver Walaa Hafez, who spent 51 hours and 20 minutes underwater near the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada last month.
 
Karabay decided to make his own attempt in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, on the country?s national day of July 20.

He generally prefers to make record attempts on important Turkish holidays and anniversaries.

But it is not the first time the adventurous Turk has carved his name into the record books. He held the 2011 Guinness World Record for the longest scuba dive in a controlled environment (in a pool in Istanbul), which lasted a titanic 192 hours, 19 minutes and 19 seconds.

Dubbed the ?Aquarium man,? Karabay stressed the importance of doing exercises underwater in order to emerge healthier.

?I pedaled on the first day in order not to lose the power of my leg muscles and lifted weights. I played football with my...