Show Spout of a Transient Killer Whale. Photo by Captain Yves, image taken with zoom lens How long can a whale hold its breath?Who holds the record?A Cuvier’s Beaked Whale holds the current record for the longest dive standing at a whopping 138 minute long dive. This was recorded back in 2014 and broke the record for diving mammals. That’s the equivalent of holding your breath while watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens… This takes them down about 2000 meters below the waters surface. Comparatively, the longest breath held by a human underwater is 22 minutes and 22 seconds recorded in 2012 and, held by German free-diver Tom Sieta.  What about other whales?Sperm whales are well known for being the deep diving whales, they travel to depths of over 1000 meters to reach their prey of giant squid. They are able to hold their breath for an impressive 90 minutes. The whales we see in our waters don’t hold their breath for quite as long as this. Humpback whales have been known to hold their breath for up to an hour-but we are sure glad they don’t this very often! On average we find on our tours that a Humpback will go down for a dive ranging between 4-7 minutes and then come up again for about 6-8 breaths and repeat the process. Killer Whales don’t hold there breath for anywhere near as long. Their maximum is about 15 minuets but on average we see them surface at least once a minute while moving quickly or every 3-5 minutes when travelling. How can they hold their breath for so long?You might be quick to say ” It’s because they have bigger lungs, right?” but, in most cases this isn’t strictly true. While obviously their lungs are bigger than ours, their lung to body size ratio is the same if not smaller and that’s the important part to remember. So how do they do it?!To start they have a very efficient respiratory system. Whales exhale first, getting rid of all the stale air in their lungs before taking in a fresh, clean breath. Humans, on the other hand, breathe in first and then exhale, leaving a lot of stale air in our lungs. For perspective, humans only absorb 5% of the oxygen in a single breath. Compare this to a whale who can absorb as much as 90% of the oxygen in each breath. This means that a whale acquires much more oxygen than a human in a single breath to start with. The oxygen is taken in quickly, attaches itself to the high levels of hemoglobin found in the blood, of which whales have twice the number we do and also to the myoglobin found in muscles, whales having 30% more of these proteins in their bodies as human. Then, right before diving, these mammals exhale 90% of the air in their lungs. This reduces their buoyancy, making it easier to dive. As the animals is less buoyant and there for more “heavy” the animal doesn’t need to swim down as they can simply sink. This sinking means less movement and therefore less oxygen use. Additionally, to stop using so much oxygen, diving mammals can shunt blood flow from their extremities and push it to the brain, heart, and muscles. They also shut down digestion to lesser organs; kidney and liver function. Finally, they lower their heart rate. Most mammals can do this when they dive, even humans. But in marine mammals the slowdown can be extreme. Scientists have measured the heart rate of diving Weddell seals at a mere four beats per minute. Izzy David Onboard Naturalist/Biologist for SpringTide Whale Watching & Eco Tours Read More Articles, News The Positive Impact of Removing the Elwha Damn Each year millions of salmon navigate their way from open ocean to Why do whales migrate? Whales undertake some of the longest migrations on earth, often swimming many thousands of miles, over There were no humpbacks off southwest B.C. 25 years ago, but now as many as 500 have been identified What do whales eat? Whales can be classified by whether they have teeth or baleen. This determines how and what Why Do Whales Jump? A common and inquisitive question that is often asked aboard our tours. Of course to get Whales, or to use the scientific word 'Cetaceans ' can spend much of their life below the surface. But once Humpback whales: why are they so lumpy and bumpy? Pectoral fins, head, throat and tail, all covered in bumps! Just Tl’uk The White W’orca Forget white walkers, it’s all about this white w’orca -Tl’uk! This juvenile killer whale, first spotted Humpback Season It may be Spooky Season for many of you, but here in the Salish Sea, it is also More information at: BBC Earth Whale and Dolphin Conservation National Geographic How long can sperm whales go without breathing?Other whales can also hold their breath for a very long time. A sperm whale can spend around 90 minutes hunting underwater before it has to come back to the surface to breathe. In 1969, a male sperm whale was killed off the coast of South Africa after surfacing from a dive lasting 117 minutes.
How do whales sleep without drowning?Their brains do not trigger a breathing response until the levels of CO2 are much higher than what humans can tolerate. These mechanisms, part of the marine mammal diving response, are adaptations to living in an aquatic environment and help during the process of sleeping.
How often does a sperm whale need to breathe?Dolphins are able to hold their breath for several minutes but typically they breathe about 4 or 5 times every minute. Deep-diving whales such as sperm whales or Cuvier's beaked whales may go well over an hour between breathes.
How do sperm whales sleep and breathe?Other larger Cetaceans, such as Sperm Whales are able to hold their breath long enough to remain stationary underwater while sleeping. These animals are equipped with a much larger lung system than Orca, which allows them to exchange more air with each breath, and have a higher tolerance for carbon dioxide.
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How long can sperm whales hold their breath while sleeping?
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