Free-Diver Plunges to Record Depth Beneath Frozen Swiss Lake

Czech freed-iver David Vencl prepares for his attempt to dive 50 meters under the ice of Lake Sils in one breath and wearing only a swimsuit in Sils near St. Moritz, Switzerland, on March 14, 2023. Denis Balibouse/Reuters

LAKE SILS, Switzerland—David Vencl emerged from the depths of Switzerland’s Lake Sils on Tuesday after a record dive beneath the ice to a depth of more than 50 meters without a wetsuit.

The 40-year-old Czech diver’s record vertical plunge to 52.1 meters in a single breath follows his entry into the Guinness World Records book for swimming the length of a frozen Czech lake in 2021.