On a sunny day in August 2004, Jerry Hall emerged from Watauga Lake after spending over 120 hours underwater, and setting a new world record for the longest underwater submergence on scuba.
Jerry is no stranger to setting Guinness World Records. He held the previous endurance record for a full immersion underwater stay as well.
With his experience in tough mountain lake diving all year round, Jerry choose Zeagle equipment for critical life support functions. As a field tester for Zeagle Gear, Jerry knew what he wanted in diving gear to help get this job done. He specified and got, a highly modified Zeagle Ranger BCD with specially placed attachment points, harness and special pockets to keep him secured and supplied for the grueling 120-hour event. For his regulator, Jerry used the exact same unit he used to set his 2002 record. With just a standard annual inspection, it was ready to go and it served Jerry flawlessly during the dive. Jerry knows what he wants in dive gear, and he intends to keep his Zeagle ZX / 50-D as his primary breathing regulator for years to come. Performance and reliability seldom come together in one package, as they do with Zeagle Regulators and BCDs.
A record setting event takes a lot of preparation, and this one was no different. After gathering and testing all of the gear to be used in the attempt, Jerry's team had to organize schedules and travel so that Jerry had at least one safety diver and someone on surface support 24 hours a day. This was fairly easy during the day, but someone had to be with him in the water four times for the lonely 1 am to 5 am shift. It was definitely a team effort. In the picture above, Jerry's team readies him for the start of the record setting attempt.
One unforgettable lesson that Jerry learned during his first record setting endurance dive, was that the funny "prune skin" effect that we all get when we are in the water for extended periods of time is not nearly so funny after about 30 hours. Jerry was in extreme pain for hours after his first record dive in 2002, due to the effects of the water on his hands and feet. This time he improved things tremendously by putting his hands in gloves filled with a special hand cream. He feet went into boots filled with the same cream.
Jerry's Dive was hosted by Fish Springs Marina in Hampton Tennessee. They gave Jerry and his crew a slip with deep water under it. A platform was suspended from the dock above, to give Jerry a secure home base underwater. Between resting and eating, Jerry made several swimming excursions from the underwater platform to various locations in the lake. In the picture above, Jerry is entering the water with his support team leader. Jerry was lead to his underwater home for the next five days.
The water wasn't "gin-clear" but it was clear enough for Jerry to make his rounds and keep track of all of his support materials.
One of the questions that everyone asks is "What and HOW do you eat and drink underwater?". Well, it takes some practice, but Jerry was able to eat the snacks like the one his wife Vicky is holding in the picture above. You just have to be the type that likes his candy bars and fruit "moist". Jerry also learned to drink fluids from collapsible containers. Everything had that slight "Marina-Flavor" though.
On Sunday August 29, 2004, after 120 hours underwater, Jerry reached the surface again. His dive team began raising his dive platform at 5:00 am EST at the rate of one foot per hour. Hall was held at the six foot mark for about an hour and rapidly made his ascent from there. He was amazed at how weak his legs were when he first returned to the surface, but he quickly regained his strength.
The first order of business was a check-over by a doctor at the surface. His vital signs were checked and blood samples were drawn. Jerry passed with flying colors!
As pale and wrinkled as they looked, Jerry's hands and feet were in much better shape after 120 hours of this dive than they were after about 75 hours on his first record dive.
Another often asked question is "How do you rest down there?". Jerry's secret was his old favorite easy chair from home. The chair was bolted to the diving platform and attachment points were made that matched the custom fasteners on his modified Zeagle Ranger BCD. The chair was ceremoniously retired after the dive. Must have been that "Marina-Flavor" again.
The purpose of the dive is hard to categorize. Bonds of friendship and experiences that last a lifetime are made from efforts like this one. One proud observer of all of this was Jerry's son Seth. He is already an avid diver and proudly wears his own version of the Zeagle gear that he sees his dad use. A lifetime of bonding through Scuba is ahead for both of them. At Zeagle we congratulate Jerry and all of his friends who learned a lot about life, adventure and friend-ship from this great event. |
