Monday, April 7, 2008

Pressed For Success

A group of 72 Australian scuba divers has flattened the world record for ironing under water, taking the plunge off a pier near the southern city of Melbourne with ironing boards and irons, and their linen.

So-called 'extreme ironing' has spawned a cult following in recent years. The Web site extremeironing.com espouses it as being the 'latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt'. The Australian group, who pipped the previous mark of 70, are seeking entry to the Guinness book of world records after taking their linen into murky, 3-metre-deep ocean on Saturday. 'It was cold and I think they were bloody crazy,' local councillor Tom O'Connor, who with police helped authenticate the new record, told Reuters on Tuesday. Event organiser Debbie Azzopardi said the group eclipsed a 2005 record set in a swimming pool at nearby Geelong, which in turn beat a world mark set in New Zealand. The irons all had their electrical cords removed for the attempt, which took place in chilly pre-winter seas. 'I was having a chardonnay a few years ago with a girlfriend and I thought I'm going to beat that. We had a few fish going by and a sting ray. It was great,' Azzopardi said.

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