Free-Diver Sets New World Record After Plunging 170 Feet Under Frozen Swiss Lake

The mountain Piz La Margna is reflected in water and ice of the frozen Lake Sils near the village of Sils Baselgia in the Valley of Engadin, eastern Switzerland, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007. InternationalIndiaAfricaMary ManleyThe 40-year-old Czech diver set a Guinness World Record on Tuesday after he plunged 170 feet (52.1 meters) into Lake Sils and spent nearly two minutes under the icy water without a wetsuit. Free-diver David Vencl now holds the world record after jumping 170 feet below the surface of a frozen lake in Switzerland. The “motivation speaker and coach,” according to his social media, spent 1 minute and 54 seconds in water that was between 33.8 and 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit.The diver took one breath before plunging into a hole to retrieve a marker left at the 170-foot point of his dive, when he emerged he spat up some blood, and then opened a bottle of champagne.A visit to the hospital later confirmed that Vencl did not experience any serious health concerns.