No other primate would choose to do this. In involuntary situations, especially in colder waters, the body can shut down, and people have survived over thirty minutes of submersion without physical or mental damage. Studies on dolphins, seals, and sea lions demonstrates that they can willfully hold their breath for long periods, but when forced to submerge without knowing when they will resurface, heart rates plummet to as low as eight beats a minute from the forty of a normal dive, and they can remain submerged for three to four times as long as they would voluntarily. It is interesting that the diving reflex of an ex-aquatic, the pig, when trained to dive is equal to that of an untrained human being. Although we share the ability to communicate through body language and facial expressions with other primates, we depend upon complex vocalization as our primary method of communication-just as whales and dolphins do.
Complex speech is dependent upon the ability to hold and control breath.
Other primates are unable to voluntarily hold their breath. Additionally, the more advanced range of sounds that humans can emit is due to a descended larynx. In humans, the larynx is deep in the throat, and unlike other apes, is no longer in contact with the uvula. This allows humans to take in air not only through the nose but also through the mouth. The larynx descended so that we could take in air through our mouths.