Freedivers Unite for a Guinness World Record for Rainbow Club
In November 2025, nine elite freedivers from across Australia, New Zealand, and Europe will come together for an extraordinary challenge in support of Rainbow Club Australia. Their mission: attempt a new Guinness World Record by swimming more than 81 km underwater, without fins, in a continuous 24-hour relay.
From 9am Saturday 22 November to 9am Sunday 23 November 2025, the group will take over the historic Tattersalls Club pool in Sydney. Across 24 hours, they aim to complete 3,240 underwater laps of the 25-metre pool — with at least one athlete underwater at every moment.
This highly technical discipline, known as Dynamic No Fins, uses no equipment or propulsion. It relies entirely on body movement, rhythm, breath-hold and trust. And that trust is at the heart of this challenge.
A Team United by Breath and Purpose
The group includes world champions, working parents, newcomers, seasoned competitors, and ocean lovers aged 32 to 61. Each brings a unique story but they share a commitment to pushing boundaries, discovering inner calm, and using their skills to create meaningful impact.
Event organiser and current Guinness World Record holder Michaela Werner describes it best:
“Freediving can feel like the most individual sport in the world. But a 24-hour relay demands trust — in your body, in your breath, and in the person taking the next lap at 3 a.m.”
Alongside Michaela are athletes from Sydney, Melbourne, Queenstown, Slovakia and beyond, including former world champions, national record holders, freediving instructors, ocean conservation advocates and even a high-school teacher. Collectively, they represent decades of experience — and a shared belief in the healing power of water.
Why They’re Diving: Supporting Children With Disabilities
Although the record attempt is an incredible feat of endurance, the team is motivated by something far greater than numbers on a scoreboard.
Every dollar raised will support Rainbow Club Australia, helping children with disabilities access personalised, safe, joyful swimming lessons. For many of our children, the water is a place of calm, confidence, and connection and this event celebrates that beautifully.
As Michaela says:
“The record is just the vessel. The real victory is helping more kids experience the freedom, confidence, and healing power of water.”
Among the team is Sydney athlete Bill Cotis, a 61-year-old software consultant, father, and accidental freediver who only discovered the sport five years ago — and is now the 2023 Australian Masters DNF Champion. Bill shared:
“I’ve only been freediving for five years, however it’s become absolutely central to my journey of personal development and self-discovery — a journey not for me, but for the people around me who matter most.
This event challenges the expectations of what is possible as we age. To do this for an amazing cause like Rainbow Club Australia makes it special on a whole other level.”
Bill’s words capture the heart of this challenge: a blend of personal growth, collective endurance, and deep purpose.
Why Rainbow Club?
Although the record attempt is an incredible feat, the athletes are motivated by something far greater than distance. Every dollar raised will support Rainbow Club Australia, helping children with disabilities access personalised, safe, and joyful swimming lessons.
As Michaela explains:
“The record is just the vessel. The real victory is helping more kids experience the freedom, confidence, and healing power of water.”
For our members, water is so often a place of calm, connection, and possibility — and the freedivers are honouring that beautifully.
What the Challenge Represents
Across 24 hours, these freedivers will showcase:
- Endurance — physical and mental
- Teamwork — one diver surfacing as another takes their place
- Resilience — pushing limits through the quiet hours of the night
- Connection — to the water, to each other, and to the children they’re supporting
This event shines a light on what freediving truly represents: not adrenaline, but awareness, breath, and extraordinary self-control. It also highlights the way water brings us together — from elite athletes to the children learning to swim with us each week.
Event Snapshot
This 24-hour relay is far more than a world-record attempt. It is a celebration of human potential, teamwork, and the healing connection we all share with water. We are deeply grateful to the freediving team for choosing Rainbow Club as their charity partner — and for diving with purpose to help more children experience confidence, safety and joy in the water.
Follow our channels for updates as the event approaches!
How You Can Support
By backing this world-record attempt, you’re helping us provide more lessons, open more clubs, and welcome more children into the water. Every contribution makes a meaningful difference.
