You know how sometimes you watch a series or a doco that’s so fascinating that after it’s finished, you dive headfirst into the abyss of google with an insatiable desire to find out absolutely everything ever recorded or written about that topic?

Well, I’ve spent the past three days in that abyss and I’m only just emerging.

It all started when a friend told me to watch No Limits and The Deepest Breath - both doco’s about free diving. I’m nothing if not a suggestible gal and obedient friend, so I did as I was told and watched ‘em both over the weekend.

Thus began a free dive of my own - though mine was metaphorical and I was only freely diving into Google with my many questions, ‘cos if this weekend taught me anything, it’s that I have ZERO desire to EVER free dive.

Very un-gnarly of me, but there we go.

My main questions centred around a) the breath training required to be able to disappear to the depths of the ocean fuelled by nothin’ but a big bloody breath and b) what the fuck are the physiological limitations of the human lungs!?

In the course of my googling, I came across some facts that made my mouth hang open and my own breath catch, so I’ve taken the 5 I most enjoyed and turned them into this blog post for all you curious cats.

Let’s have a look, shall we?!

1: Humans can hold their breath for up to twice as long in cold water as they can on land

This is ‘cos of the ‘diving reflex’ - the bod’s physiological response to submersion in cold water, where heart rate and metabolism are slowed to conserve energy for survival.

2. Most people can hold their breath for 1-2 minutes underwater but the world record is - wait for it - 24 MINUTES 37 SECONDS!

Imagine - you could have watched a whole episode of Friends, or followed in Kylie Jenner’s (shameful) footsteps and travelled via private jet from California to - erm - California, in LESS time than Budimir Šobat was hangin’ out underwater.

3. There are actually TWO world record’s for longest breath hold

One is old mate Budimir, who spent up to 30 mins hyperventilating with pure oxygen before he swam away with the oxygen-aided static apnea record. The non-oxygen aided static apnea record comes in at 11 minutes 35 seconds which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is still outrageously impressive.

4. Overall, our breath-holding capacity as human beings is pretty lame compared to other mammals

Aquatic mammals are obvs the true champions here; the Cuvier’s beaked whale is recorded as holding its breath for 222 minutes - longer than the whole Titanic movie! In a shocking curve ball, the land mammal that takes the prize is none other than the SLOTH (!?), who can hold its breath for up to 40 mins.

5. Babies are better free divers than adults

They can easily hold their breath for up to 30 seconds, and instinctively breast stroke and open their eyes underwater - abilities that are all lost as soon as they learn how to walk. That last part feels a bit like a cruel joke. A la Ariel, to become a land-roaming creature you must first give up your mermaid tail - boo!

So there we have it - a few curious learnings about the breath and lungs.

Got another one for me? Leave it in the comments below!