German Diver Sets Breath-Holding Record: 22 Minutes, 22 Seconds. That's basically an entire episode of 'Two and a Half Men'. Related. Let’s start with a bit of a disclaimer: German Tom Sietas, 35, has a lung capacity 20 percent larger than average for a person his size. But still, if you added 20 percent to the longest time you’ve held your breath under water would you reach 22 minutes and 22 seconds?