Longest Freediving under the Ice

2020-10-22

Russian free diver Alexey Molchanov made a 180-meter-long subglacial free dive at a quarry in the Moscow region, breaking the previous record of 175 meters held by French freediver Arthur Guerin-Boeri under Finnish ice in 2017. He set the world record for the longest freediving under the ice.

 

Accompanied by members of Molchanov's team, they used diving equipment, ready to help Molchanov in case of an emergency.

"I know there are few athletes who participate in freediving under the ice, so it was especially interesting for me to try it here," Molchanov said. “I have found unusual training methods to expand the Molchanova International Training System in interesting and innovative ways."

Most freedivers use a system developed by Molchanova to train. His mother was the inspiration for Molchanovs. Molchanovs is a free diving school co-founded by his mother and based on her philosophy and approach to free diving.

 

Molchanov dedicated his feat to his mother, a freediving legendary figure Natalia Molchanova. She went missing while diving in Spain in 2015.

Molchanov said, "For me, this is not just a job or a hobby but a life's work, a tribute to my mother's boundless love and respect, and a memory of her invaluable contribution to our common cause".

 

Molchanov is also believed to have been a consultant on One Breath. It was reported that this had been the first documentary to be filmed in open water nearly 100 meters deep.

The film premiered on March 5th traces the legendary life of Molchanova, who set 42 world records of which she dived more than 100 meters under constant weight after diving to 101 meters (about 331 feet) in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, in 2009. She was also the first woman to dive to the Arch of Dahab Blue Hole in the Red Sea.