The Egyptian Whale, otherwise known as scuba diver Walaa Hafez, has been confirmed for a second time as a Guinness World Records underwater duration record-setter, after becoming the first quadriplegic man to remain in a controlled environment for 6hr 4min 45sec.
The feat was carried out at a depth of 5m in the Suez Canal Authority’s international pool in Ismailia. On the day Hafez remained submerged from 11am to 5.04pm with the assistance of a team of support divers, sipping fruit juice to stay hydrated.
An official adjudicator was able to confirm the record on the spot when the dive was completed on 11 August, although the GWR has only recently announced it.
The former Egyptian naval captain had been left paralysed from the neck down in a car crash in 2016, and the endurance dive was his first since the incident. His record is categorised according to GWR’s impairment classifications as ‘CI1’, referring to quadriplegia with consequent loss or lack of smooth body movements in all limbs.
The year before his accident, in 2015, Hafez had set a world record for longest open saltwater scuba dive (male) with a 51hr, 24min dive. The record has since been broken (another Egyptian, Saddam Killany, stayed down for more than 145 hours in Dahab in 2020) but it was this feat that had earned Hafez his “Egyptian Whale” nickname.
Aa an officer in the Egyptian Naval Special Forces, he had been renowned for his diving abilities. However, many were said to have considered his determination to return to scuba after his accident misguided, though his thinking was that: “If my body can’t move, the water will help me – water is my friend.”
Hafez now works on behalf of other Egyptians with disabilities as secretary of the Disabled Persons Secretariat of the centrist Homeland Defenders Party.
A large group of supporters were present to witness his record dive. “Walaa made everyone in the hall feel small,” commented Egyptian tourism minister Ahmed Issa afterwards. “The greatness of this person lies not only in his accomplishments, but also in the message he carried for us all.”
“I feel committed to prove that no challenge is too great when you have the will and preparation to inspire Egyptians and others to face obstacles,” said Hafef.
