Three World Records in Freediving on Ice!

The German-speaking media has been dominated in recent days by the news that Swiss freediver Petr Colat has set three new freediving world records last weekend in Weissensee!

The first result the Swiss decided to break was his own record from 2013. Back then, he managed to swim 152.4m under the ice in a mono fin. Peter’s next goal was to set a record without using fins and, as a grande finale, he was going to break a record for which he could not wear fins or… a wetsuit! At this point, it should be mentioned that each of the competitions was held in water with a temperature of just 2ºC!

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The player arrived on site with a team of 15 people as early as Wednesday. In the evening a meeting was held to discuss the plan and all the details. On Thursday, preparations started first thing in the morning with the help of Ernest Turnschek and his team from the diving centre “Tauchsport Yachtdiver Weissensee”.

The route was planned over a distance of 180 metres. There were also 8 ice holes, of which 2 were entry and exit holes, while the others served as emergency exits. All this in case there was an immediate need to get to the surface. A handrail was also laid and a dress rehearsal of all the equipment was carried out. At this time Peter Colat was conducting his final training dives.

International judge Christian Fötinger supervised all the formalities and the course of each trial. Finally comes Friday and the long awaited moment of the final countdown. Security divers equipped with DPV scooters take their places. The countdown is over and the Swiss disappear into the icy depths, setting off for their first record. On the surface, judge, team members, friends, photographers and spectators make their way from abyss to abyss together.

After crossing the 125-metre mark, everyone runs to the 155-metre gap. There is an uproar among the crowd and after a while the contestant himself appears. Smiling, he takes a deep breath and in a calm voice lets the judge know that everything is OK! The cheers intensify and the first record is officially confirmed – 155.4 metres in the mono fin.

Saturday is planned to be even more intense. On this day Peter intends to challenge the two remaining records. A test in the no-fin competition has been set for the morning. And the most demanding task, the no-fin and wetsuit test, has been announced for the afternoon.

There is complete calm all around and seemingly everyone is relaxed. However, the closer we get to zero hour, the more tension begins to creep into the air. This time, the TV crews have arrived at the venue and, along with everyone else, are waiting for the athlete to start. The Swiss appears on time at 10 a.m. and after a series of breathing exercises and a warm-up, he jumps under the water.

The task at hand is to break the record of 108 metres. The situation from the previous day is repeated, with everyone running from hole to hole, following the athlete’s route. At the 80 metre hole, the cheering increased and Peter continued his attempt with 110.2 metres. As with the first record, he appeared in the hole smiling and relaxed, giving the impression that he could easily push the record even further. The surface procedure goes without a hitch and the finless World Record becomes a reality!

More waiting hours pass and what everyone is waiting for inevitably approaches. The last, but also the most demanding competition of the three. A competitor, without fins and a wetsuit, wearing only swimming trunks, prepares for the start in 2ºC water. The tension in the audience reaches its zenith. The warm-up is shorter than before, which is understandable given the lack of a wetsuit. Now the time can’t be prolonged when the body is put to the frosty test. The referee starts the countdown, Peter disappears under the ice for the last time this weekend – this is the moment everyone has been waiting for!

The enthusiastic crowd follows the athlete’s route together, again waiting for him at each gap. Shouts of joy and enthusiastic words of encouragement increase with each hole passed, until finally Peter appears at the 80m mark, receiving a well-deserved ovation! The third World Record and entry into the Guinness Book of Records becomes a reality!

[blockquote style=”2″]”I am very happy and extremely proud of my team! It was a great, challenging project that was on a scale that surpassed anything we’ve seen so far in freediving competitions held under the ice. Three records in two days… that in itself is actually probably a fourth record? I would like to thank everyone who made this whole event possible. A lot of energy, time and effort has been put in so that we can celebrate this success today!” – said an emotional Peter Colat[/blockquote].

Source: freediving.ch, taucher.net, landbote.ch

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