Underwater cha-cha record still stands nearly 20 years after unique dance class
The cha-cha is a timeless ballroom classic, and these people who danced it underwater set a world record that’s stood the test of time too.
The largest underwater dance class took place at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre in Sydney, NSW, Australia, on 27 October 2006.
A group of 74 students, as seen in these amazing pictures, sunk down to the bottom of a swimming pool, armed with oxygen tanks and scuba gear, to dance for 13 minutes and 30 seconds.
Nobody has managed to break the record since.
All these years later, we caught up with the man behind it all - Jason Feddersen.
“I am in shock but not surprised as it took a serious amount of organization, coordination and stress,” he said when asked about his record still standing almost 20 years on.
I am delighted that the record still stands, a testament to all those who participated and sacrificed their time to do it. Very proud I am, the record is still on my wall today.
The Aussie salesman, who has since relocated to the UK, was working weekends as an assistant scuba dive instructor at Abyss Scuba Diving, in Ramsgate, at the time.
Breaking a record was something he’d always wanted to do, and since shows like Dancing with the Stars and Dancing On Ice were all the rage at the time, he came up with the idea to combine them with his love for scuba.
Jason was also volunteering for Canteen, an Australian charity that provides free and tailored support to young people impacted by cancer, and figured his attempt could help raise some much-needed funding and awareness for the cause.
The keen fundraiser also approached a dance school in Ramsgate to nail down the dance routine, Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre for use of their pool, and even got Aussie TV presenter Grant Denyer on board to give his event some star power.
He explained: “There were so many moving parts to organize, from learning the dance routine out of the water, getting all the volunteers from Abyss who wanted to be part of the day to give up their time outside of work, all the gear, safety requirements, live TV crosses, stands to demonstrate and teach underwater, the music etc.
“It was quite a feat and mission to get all the moving parts in one place to attempt. Abyss Scuba Diving were amazing support, without them the record could never have happened.”
Jason and his group raised an incredible $15,000 AUS for Canteen.
In today’s money, that’s more like $24,200 AUS (£12,268; $15,191).
He said: “I coordinated the record but there were many more who gave up their time for this to be a Guinness World Records title and I couldn’t have achieved it without all the pieces coming together, especially the help of Abyss Scuba Diving and staff.
“Everyone involved came from Abyss Scuba Diving, where we taught new divers to those very experienced.
“74 people in total volunteered their time, exceeding my target of 50 and were all excited to participate on the day and donate to a worthy cause at the same time.”