Ananova:

The world's largest underwater dinner party has been held in a London swimming pool.

A total of 500 people dived underwater at the pool, in Acton, for the world record bid, reports the Daily Telegraph.

They were aiming to get into the Book of Guinness World Records and raise thousands of pounds for charity.

There was also the chance of a free, three-course gourmet lunch. Diners enjoyed smoked salmon and candied lemon starters, a main course of crab with asparagus, followed by wafer-thin mints.

However, because of the practical difficulties of eating underwater, each course consisted of just one mouthful of food.

Tim Slater, 40, organiser of the record attempt, had experimented with scientific solutions.

"We got space food from NASA through the international space school in Cardiff," he said. "It did say just add water, but perhaps a whole swimming pool was too much."

Instead, he decided on sealing each course, or mouthful, in a waterproof coating of jelly to keep them from disintegrating or floating away.

Divers wore heavy diving belts to keep themselves in their seats and briefly removed the air regulators from their mouths to swallow their 'meals'.