The blue whale might be one of the most enigmatic creatures on the planet, but the true megastars of the diving world are Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris). They are capable of reaching depths of almost 3000 m, and calculations suggest that these relatively diminutive whales should only remain submerged for about 33 minutes before their oxygen is depleted and they resort to anaerobic respiration. Yet experience told Nicola Quick and colleagues from Duke University that the shy mammals were capable of diving for far longer. Wondering how often the animals embark on these epic dives and how long it takes them to recover after returning to the surface, William Cioffi, Jeanne Shearer, Andrew Read, Daniel Webster (from the Cascadia Research Collective) and Quick went in search of the elusive animals in the abundant waters off Cape Hatteras, U.S.