A week underwater

10:02am Friday 1st April 2005

A scuba diver from Borehamwood is preparing to take the plunge of his life in an attempt to break the world record for the longest-ever dive — staying under water for an entire week.

Qualified instructor, Will Goodman, 28, of Stapleton Road, is in Indonesia this week carrying out a number of practice dives in his bid to beat the current world-record holder, American Jerry Hall, who spent 120 hours underwater in September last year.

To complete the 168-hour challenge, he will have to learn to sleep, eat and go to the toilet under the water, as well as keeping his mind occupied.

"I know I can do it," he said."It's going to take a lot of hard work but I am determined to break the record."

Mr Goodman will be spending his time teaching lessons, reading books and even playing poker and scrabble underwater.

He added: "If I don't plan my activities properly I will go mad — I need to be kept busy at all times."

The preparation and training for such a stunt must be meticulously planned down to the last detail.

He will undergo a full medical examination and follow a strict dietary plan drawn up by a nutritionist to ensure he keeps his hydration levels up.

A personal trainer will also be on hand to help him through a regime of exercises to keep his body healthy.

And to fend off any extreme wrinkling, he will need to use special cream to protect his skin — a lesson learned by Mr Hall, whose hands were a lifeless grey-blue and badly shrivelled when he emerged from his record-breaking dive last year.

Mr Goodman plans to dive initially to a depth of about 30ft to meet Guinness World Records regulations, which require divers to stay at least 20ft underwater for more than 20 minutes, after which he will rise to about 12ft.

Cliff Newcomb, owner of Diver Training Services, said: "There is no doubt that this is one of the most risky dives he could do. Staying underwater for that length of time means that his entire body will be saturated.

"His main problem will be keeping his breathing regulated and maintaining his hydration levels. He is absolutely mad, but good luck to him."

Mr Goodman will be carrying out his dive for charity.

More details will follow in the coming months as he leads up to the world-breaking attempt.