Cape Town - In a fitting commemoration ahead of Valentine’s Day, renowned freedivers and underwater filmmakers Beth Neale and partner, Miles Cloutier, recently broke the Guinness World Record for Longest Underwater Kiss.
Breaking the record has been on the couple’s bucket list for three years but their attempts were initially thwarted when, while filming a TV series, Neale discovered she was pregnant with their now 18-month-old baby girl, Neve.
“We felt that Valentine’s was the perfect day to share the new record with the world as it’s such a beautiful reflection of our love for the under-water world, and our love for each other in a place where we discovered I was going to be having a baby girl,” Neale said. “And what better way to make a moment last than a 4-minute 6-second kiss.”
Their love story started almost five years ago in Bermuda where Neale, a South African, was teaching ocean conservation and freediving to local children. Cloutier, of Canadian heritage with a background in finance, volunteered for the programme she was running, with the pair hitting it off immediately.
Their shared passion for the ocean, and love for underwater filmmaking, has seen them exploring and filming extensively.
In preparation for beating the 13-year record of 3 minutes 24 seconds, set by Italian couple, Michele Fucarino and Elisa Lazzarini, Cloutier and Neale spent two weeks training in their pool at home.
Neale explained that while holding your breath in the comfort of your home was one thing, officially attempting a Guinness World Record in front of a crowd with an adjudicator is another.
“Being so closely connected, feeling each other’s heart rate in tandem - as Miles describes as electronic music at 180 beats per minute – we would have preferred under 60 BPM but it was challenging getting in a relaxed position while staying together for the kiss and staying upright.
You can feel each other’s diaphragmatic contractions, which is the body’s response to rising C02 levels in the blood.
At the 3-minute mark, I also pressed play on my underwater audio to listen to Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ to keep my mind distracted,” said Neale.
While a certain amount of oxygen is required to keep consciousness, the effects of rising C02 kick in as the breath-hold ticks on, resulting in a ‘flight-or-fight’ response.
“We had to be completely relaxed, even when our bodies were experiencing something else,” said Cloutier.
“Beth has never focused on time, and completed all of her freediving records solo so it was an extra challenge for her.”
The aquatic duo smashed the record in front of a small crowd at the Maldives resort of LUX South Ari Atoll on February 4.
Guinness World Records adjudicator, Swapnil Dangarikar flew in from India to officiate the record on the spot, with two official witnesses and timekeepers present.
Cape Times