A British Freediver pushed the human body to its limit as she took on the ultimate test of endurance of holding her breath underwater – with the small catch of being surrounded by sharks at SEA Life London Aquarium.

Alice Hickson, who lives in Cornwall, showed incredible focus and stamina as she held her breath for an astonishing 4 minutes 55 seconds whilst being nose to fin with 8ft long Sand Tiger sharks Bungle and Zippy.

The challenge took place ahead of Alice competing in the World Static Apnea Championships in Bulgaria later this month and coincides with SEA LIFE London Aquarium’s current Shark Awareness campaign which aims to raise awareness of shark conservation.

Speaking about the attempt, a breathless Alice said: “It’s not every day that you hold your breath whilst underwater and surrounded by sharks, but what an experience it was and something I’ll never forget.

“It’s been great working with SEA LIFE London Aquarium on this breath hold. Sharks are beautiful creatures and I wanted to take on this static apnea challenge in the shark tank to help debunk the bad guy reputation that they have. Yes, sharks are predators and can be dangerous but in actual fact, more people are killed by vending machines than they are sharks!

“With the risk of shark extinction possible due to issues including overfishing and shark finning, it’s now more important than ever to raise awareness of how important they are to the oceanic ecosystem and how we shouldn’t believe everything we see and read about them.”

Sharks serve as an indicator for ocean health and play a vital role in maintaining control of the food chain as one of the most important apex predators. Unfortunately, every year tens of millions of sharks are killed for their fins and they are regularly caught in fishing nets as unintentional bycatch alongside other vulnerable species like dolphins and turtles.

Aquarists at SEA LIFE London Aquarium hope that inviting Alice to complete a challenge that requires immense focus and a sustained period of stillness within the snorkelling with sharks cage will help demonstrate to the public that sharks are not as scary as is widely believed.

Catherine Pritchard, General Manager at SEA LIFE London Aquarium, said: “We were thrilled to welcome Alice Hickson to SEA LIFE London Aquarium as she took on this momentous challenge. We hope Alice’s achievement will show our guests that sharks are in fact some of the most important creatures in our oceans and not the villains that they are often portrayed as.

“We have a great selection of sharks at the attraction and we welcome members of the public to visit us to learn more about them from our team of expert aquarists.”

Guests can catch a glimpse of a number of sharks at SEA LIFE London Aquarium including Betty the Bowmouth Guitarfish as well as Nurse Sharks and Black Tip Reef Sharks.

SEA LIFE London Aquarium, situated on the South Bank, is open seven days a week. For the latest opening times, feeding times, prices and more, please visit http://www.visitsealife.com/london/