Congrats to swimmer Valentina Cafolla who just broke the world record for ice diving after setting it in 2017! This time, the 27-year-old plunged 459 feet beneath the ice into the freezing waters of Lago di Anterselva in Italy. Of course, this incredible freediving display wasn’t just for fun. Valentina’s first record was broken by Japanese diver Yasuko Ozeki, who reached a depth of 413 feet. It only took about 36 hours for the Italian swimmer to get back in the water and defend her title, according to UPI!
Valentina Cafolla beat the Guinness World Record for ice diving wearing a monofin and no oxygen tank. ABC News tells us that she managed to slow down her own heartbeat to 50 beats per minute. Commenters on Facebook were impressed by the athletic feat, if a little disturbed by the prospect of diving that far down without oxygen!
“I can honestly say that this is something I would never want to try, but it does take some incredible training and dedication to achieve something like this, congratulations,” wrote one user.
“A real life mermaid!” said another.
Way to go, Valentina Cafolla! That’s going to be one tough ice diving world record to beat.
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