A new world record in freediving under ice!

Croatian Valentina Caffola, 19, set a new world record in freediving under ice. The athlete from the Balkans covered a distance of 125 metres, swimming under the frozen surface of the Lago Di Anterselva lake, which was 70 centimetres thick! The trial took place in the Italian part of the Alps.

There is a branch of freediving that literally chills the blood in your veins. It is free diving under the ice. Unlike other breath-holding disciplines, this is not about depth, but about the distance the athlete is able to cover.

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Valentina Caffola with her result improved the previous record, which was set by a Turkish woman Denya Can. There was plenty of excitement as only the second and final attempt to break the record was successful.

[blockquote style=”2″]”Before the start I failed to take the perfect breath and I started to panic a bit. That’s why I had to stop my first attempt at 75 metres.” – said the newly crowned world record holder right after her successful attempt at 125 metres[/blockquote].

The whole thing took her 1 min and 27 sec. After ascending, Caffola had a bit of trouble, but managed to stay conscious, which is a protocol requirement for the attempt to be scored.

[blockquote style=”2″]”I am very happy that I succeeded. It is a great feeling when all the intense preparations pay off and you achieve success. I am also happy that next time I will be able to compete in warmer waters”- said the Croatian freediver at the end.[/blockquote]

Subal brand ambassador and world-renowned extreme sports photographer Predrag Vuckovic was responsible for all the photography during the record attempt. During the project he used a Nikod D5 camera with Subal ND5 housing and Nikon 16mm fisheye and 16.35mm lenses.

The water was perfect in terms of transparency, almost crystal clear, but its temperature was only 2ºC. The biggest problem from the photographer’s perspective was the small amount of light. All because of the ice cover, which was about 50-70 cm thick. In addition, there was a lot of snow on the surface, which did not make things easier. Fortunately, the day was very sunny and the final effect is amazing.

The day before, another World Record under ice was set. Arthur Guerin-Boeri a 32-year-old Frenchman swam 175 metres under the surface of Lake Sonnanen See in Finland.

Source: nauticalnewstoday.com Photo: Predrag Vuckovic/extreme-photographer.com