SOUTH BELOIT, Ill. — The ongoing battle to be the world’s oldest diver entered a new phase this month when 100-year-old Bill Lambert reclaimed his title.
Before Lambert came along and upended the field, the record was previously held by 97-year-old WWII veteran Ray Woolley, who set the achievement in both 2017 and 2018 and again in 2019.
Relatively new to diving, Lambert only started diving three years ago at age 98.
Danny Johnson, owner and head instructor at Loves Park Scuba, says that over the past three years Lambert’s been a great student and has been willing to work hard to achieve his goals. Together with Johnson, Lambert made the centennial dive, which lasted 27 minutes at an average depth of 40 feet (12 meters) in Illinois’ Pearl Lake.
“[Diving] makes him feel good,” Johnson says of his 100-year-old student. “The water’s good for us, and exercising underwater is really good for circulation.”
When asked about diving after setting his record, Lambert told a local news crew that more people “should try it, and if they like it, they should pursue it.”
The dive earlier this month is just the second phase of what Lambert hopes will become a three-year birthday tradition of setting the record for his birthday. After finishing his record dive, he told reporters that he plans to “live to 101 and break it again.”
“Every step of the way it was like: ‘What!?’ Lambert’s daughter, Deb Steinfeld, told a local news team. “It’s been pretty insane. And the fact that he’s still doing it and he’s still healthy enough to do it … he’s an amazing guy!
