UPDATE: A reader has pointed out that the distance from the nearest point on Catalina Island to San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach is approximately 18 miles, as the crow flies. Another reader has explained how the 30 mile distance was approximated in the comments.

30miledive.com is reporting that undersea explorer Scott Cassell completed his dive from Catalina island to San Pedro, California this past Saturday (September 17). Cassell was attempting to break a world record for a continuous dive, but equipment issues required Cassell to surface mid-way through the journey.

According to 30miledive.com, Cassell continued on with the dive after a brief surface interval on a support boat and completed the underwater trek in approximately 12 hours.

According to Cassell, his motivation for the dive was to “raise awareness about our shark populations.” He goes on to say that he remembers seeing many blue sharks (Prionace glauca) 20 years ago in the same waters he recently completed the distance dive. However, during his dive on Saturday, Cassell states that he did not see a single shark.