How deep they go
Dive Depths
Penguins are among the most accomplished divers in the bird world. A Little Blue hunts in the top ten metres; an Emperor can plunge past half a kilometre, holding its breath for more than twenty minutes. Scroll through this column and watch how the species stack up against the ocean itself.
Sunlight zone · 0–200 m
Twilight zone · 200 m →
Recreational scuba limit · 30 m
Sunlight zone ends · 200 m
Free-dive world record (Nitsch) · 214 m
US Navy submarine test depth · 535 m
66 m
90 m
130 m
200 m
343 m
565 m
565m
Deepest recorded Emperor dive
27min
Longest Emperor breath-hold
8.5kph
Gentoo underwater top speed
~60%
Of a penguin's life is spent at sea