Leatherback turtle dives deeper than a Navy sub, smashing world record in the process

Earlier this year, the Western Pacific leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) left a nesting site in the Solomon Islands and dove 4,409 feet (1,344 meters) beneath the ocean surface, according to the environmental organization The Nature Conservancy. 

At that depth, the leatherback swam deeper than the current Guinness World Record for the deepest turtle dive — 4,199 feet (1,280 m) — set by another leatherback, the deepest-diving reptile species. For context, Navy submarines have reportedly gone to depths of around 2,950 feet (900 m), while the deepest human scuba dive was 1,090 feet (332 m). 

Researchers recorded the dive as part of an ongoing and as-yet-unpublished satellite tracking study to help protect leatherbacks. Another of their tagged turtles swam across the entire Pacific Ocean. Peter Waldie, a marine scientist who leads The Nature Conservancy’s Solomon Islands Program, described the deep dive and epic migration as "truly spectacular."

"Leatherbacks are just an incredible creature to have in the world," Waldie told Live Science. "The ability to swim non-stop all the way across the Pacific, to dive as deep as a Navy submarine on a single breath, it absolutely blows my mind."

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Live Science approached Guinness World Records about the new claim for the deepest reptile dive. A spokesperson for the company said that the deepest dive by a turtle is one of their "consultant records," which they work with specialist experts to verify — usually after a scientific publication.

"For data-driven science and nature records such as this case, we would generally wait for the findings to be reviewed and published in a peer-reviewed journal before we consider it," the spokesperson said.