Russian military divers successfully carried out a dive to a depth of 416 meters Pacific Fleet spokesman Capt. 2nd Rank Nikolai Voskresensky reported Tuesday. The deep-water dive set a record for the Russian Navy.

The divers were able to descend to the incredible depth, the pressure of which would normally crush an unprepared human body, by using a special Navy pressure chamber, part of the GvK-450 deep-water diving rescue system, designed to allow divers to conquer depths of up to 450 meters. The level of pressure exerted 416 meters beneath the water's surface is equivalent to over 41 times the Earth's atmospheric pressure at sea level.

The GvK-450 was specially developed by the Navy's Research Institute for Rescue and Submarine Technologies, and aimed at expanding the Navy's capabilities to carry out search and rescue operations specifically for submarines in distress.

A US Navy diver set the absolute diving world record in 2006, descending to a depth of 610 meters wearing an atmospheric diving system (ADS) suit.