Last weekend, three Apnoe Athletes from three different countries said goodbye from icediving. Also present was Nik Linder from Freiburg, who is diving under ice since three years without any diving equipment.
Last weekend met Peter Colat from Switzerland, Andreas Pap from Serbia and Nik Linder with their teams at „Weissensee“ in Austria. This lake and the local institution „Yachtdivers“ are grown up to the eldorado the Apnoe sequence for ice diving.
Peter Colat’s target was a new world record in wide-diving under ice with fins. Andreas Pap was fighting for his title as „Deepest human under ice“ and Nik Linder tried a new record for „wide diving under ice without fins“.
The athletes , security divers, referees, medical adviser and reporter arrived already last Wednesday. At first the condition of ice surface had to be approved together with the security divers and athletes, to find the best place for any record trial. The planned training at Thursday was canceled, because the ice surface was to splashy and the terms were to bad.
Already on Friday at 11:30 o’clock it starts. Nik Linder from the apnoe-team of Freiburg Divingcenter planned his first trial of world record. Hi would like to outbid the present record a little bit – therefor he had to dive 75 m under the ice without fins. After deep-breathing exercises he dumped down into the 2 degree cold water and dived within 1:26 the distance of 77 m. Arised in leakage – for the official record – he had only to take off his diving mask, forming with his fingers an o.k. and he had to tell clearly “I’ m o.k”. Only somebody, who does this record within 15 sec., gets a white card for the valid trial.
30 sec. after arising Nik Linder mays to cheer, the record was broken. For the following day a second record trial was planned for Nik Linder and also the first trials for Peter Colat and Andreas Pap.
With the first world record in his pocket, Nik Linder could start his second trial relaxed. After 1:39 min. he arised in the last leakage. With 84m he outbids the record mark again effectual. Also Peter Colat coulds cheer after his dive with fins – with 150m under ice he brakes the world record in the category „with fins“. The security plays a major role. Both, Nik Linder and also Peter Colat were attended by experienced divers with Bonex Scooters.
Andreas Pap dives 65 m in the deepness of the Weissensee and he gets the „deepest human under ice“.
For the event all three athlets have already declared, that it will be their last trial under ice.
Diving under ice associates over and over again danger, the mental demand, the mountain air, the low temperatures and the darkness make diving under ice to a big challenge.
Pictures made by Holger Hambrecht.
