A Czech man who had previously broken an ice-swimming record in 2021 has broken another record for the deepest-ever plunge beneath ice.
David Vencl, 40, dove 52.1 meters, nearly 171 feet, without a wetsuit in Switzerland, Reuters reported:
Vencl dived through a hole in the ice then retrieved a sticker from a depth of 50 meters to prove his feat before re-emerging through the same hole. He spat some blood, sat down for a minute and then opened a bottle of champagne. A later visit to the hospital confirmed there was nothing serious.
In a video posted by the Guardian, Vencl can be seen following a yellow line down to the market before returning towards the surface.
The outlet noted Vencl was submerged for a minute and 54 seconds in water between one to three degrees Celsius, roughly 33 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit.
Vencl’s promoter, Pavel Kalous, told Reuters that while the diver is used to swimming in cold water and holding his breath for extended periods, the pressure one experiences at greater depths made this feat especially challenging.
“There is nothing difficult for him to be in cold water… Lack of oxygen is something normal for him. But this was completely different because it’s really difficult to work with the pressure in your ears in cold water,” he said. “If you combine all these three things: cold water, lack of oxygen and the problem with working with pressure, it’s something very unique.”
In 2021, David Vencl swam 80.9 meters, or 265 feet, under at least 11.8 inches of ice in Prague, breaking the previous record of 250 feet, the Associated Press reported.
“It was faster than I expected, I felt great,” Vencl said, per the AP. “I knew for sure that I will swim the 80 meters but, of course, that weight of the moment was the only thing that was tiring me down a little bit.”