A British diver has set a new world record for the longest warm water scuba dive by spending more than two days underwater.

Sean McGahern, 38, managed to eat, drink and sleep during his 49 hours and 56 minutes at the bottom of the Mediterranean in Malta.

He remained submerged despite enduring strong winds, currents, surge and one metre waves to complete his impressive feat.

Sean, originally from Brighton, East Sussex, kept himself busy by cleaning up the debris that had accumulated on the bottom of the seabed at St George’s Bay.

He spent hours removing rubble including bottles and deck chairs, which were brought up to the surface by the dive team from World Record Diving Malta team and the St. John’s Rescue Corp, who assisted him in his record breaking attempt.

His fiancee and fellow diver Mikaela Papagiorcopulo kept him company and offered kisses of encouragement to help him complete his dive.

He joked and smiled as he emerged from the waters exhausted but ecstatic at his feat and spent the day celebrating.

Sean managed to beat the previous record set by Will Goodman in 2010 which stood at 48 hours, 8 minutes and seven seconds by over an hour.