Water speed record

Not to be confused with Underwater speed record.

The actual Spirit of Australia in which Ken Warby set the world water speed record in 1978 on Blowering Dam, New South Wales, Australia, on display in the Australian Maritime Museum in Sydney

The world unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle, irrespective of propulsion method. The current unlimited record is 511.11 km/h (317.59 mph), achieved by Australian Ken Warby in the Spirit of Australia on 8 October 1978. Warby's record was still standing more than 45 years later.[1]

The record is one of the sporting world's most hazardous competitions. Seven of the thirteen people who have attempted the record since June 1930 have died. Two official attempts to beat Ken Warby's 1978 record resulted in the pilot's death, with Lee Taylor in 1980 and Craig Arfons in 1989.[1] Despite this, there are several teams currently working to make further attempts.

The record is ratified by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM).

  1. ^ a b "The deadly history of the water speed world record", by Sanj Atwal, GuinnessWorldRecords.com, February 7, 2024