On March 16, Alexey Molchanov (world record holder in free diving) plunged 80 metres under a thick sheet of ice and swam all the way back up on one single breath. Molchanov broke a new world record that day for the deepest free dive under ice with fins. He was attached to a long rope to keep him on track during the dive and had other divers stationed along the route in case of an emergency.
Diving 80 metres deep is a very long distance. Staying under water that is -10 C is extremely cold. But I cannot stop thinking about how Molchanov did it all on one single breath. Most people can hold their breath for about 30 seconds. In total, Molchanov’s free dive took two minutes and 53 seconds. That’s the exact length of the song “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” by the Arctic Monkeys.
I’m glad to know that there are people in this world who enjoy diving deep into the almost freezing ocean water with no air tank just for the hell of it. The world needs people who like these terrifying things because someday there might be a dying baby sea otter trapped under an ice block, and the only ones who can rescue the adorable sea otter will be the free divers who enjoy plunging into ice.
(Xavier Balderas Cejudo / Unsplash)
