Record mass dive in Indonesia: Guinness

JAKARTA (AFP) – Almost 2,500 scuba divers set a new world record Monday for the largest mass dive, Guinness World Records said.

A total of 2,486 divers were involved in the bid off the coast of North Sulawesi, Guinness adjudicator Lucia Sinigagliesi told AFP.

"This event was amazing and well-organized and made possible because of the people who came and participated," she said, after confirming that the group had broken the record for "Most People Scuba Diving Simultaneously."

The previous record was set in the Maldives in 2006, when 958 divers took part in a mass dive, Sinigagliesi said.

The challenge was part of the Sail Bunaken 2009 maritime event being held as part of Indonesia's efforts to establish the Sulawesi town of Manado as a world-class tourist spot, Navy spokesman Iskandar Sitompul said.

To mark Indonesia's 64th Independence Day, the participants unfurled the country's flag underwater.

"We've shown the world that as the world's largest archipelago, we can manage our waters well and there's a lot of tourism potential here," he added.