The World’s Deepest Ice Dive
Divers Maxim Astakhov and Alexander Gubin of the Russian Geographical Society made the world’s deepest ice dive to 335 feet (102 m) below the sea ice on Saturday, the society told Interfax news agency. The purpose of the dive was to test Russian-made dive equipment and to help elaborate on basic standards for safe Arctic-Circle diving.
The dive lasted 80 minutes, with the water temperature being only around 29 F (-1.5 C) in the White Sea, most of which is just outside the Arctic Circle near the northern Russian port of Arkhangelsk. The water, although below freezing temperature, does not freeze solid because of its high salt content.
Serbian Bozana Ostojic, a member of the World Underwater Federation and a logistics expert from the late Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s team, was present at the dive and confirmed the record.
Previously the team from the Russian Geographical Society’s underwater research division completed the first dive of a lake near Oymyakon, the coldest inhabited place on Earth. They also made the deepest-ever dive in Antarctica, reaching a depth of 364 feet (111 m).
