logo
Swiss Freediver Sets New Guinness World Record Under Ice

Swiss Freediver Sets New Guinness World Record Under Ice

EINPresswire.com / -- On February 27, 2025, Swiss freediver Waldemar Bruderer set a remarkable new Guinness World Record for the deepest freedive under ice, without a wetsuit or fins. In a single breath that lasted 2 minutes and 47 seconds, he descended to a depth of over 56 meters and returned safely to the surface. This extraordinary achievement took place in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Sils/Plaun da Lej, situated at more than 1,800 meters above sea level in the Swiss Alps. The high altitude added to the difficulty of the endeavor by reducing the available oxygen, while the water temperature measured below 1 degree Celsius, and the air temperature hovered just above 0 degrees. Despite these extreme conditions, Bruderer completed his dive unharmed and later warmed up in his beloved mobile sauna.
In reflecting on this accomplishment, Bruderer emphasized the profound mental and spiritual aspects of his freediving practice. 'It was above all a journey into my innermost being as a human being,' he said, 'to consciously face my fears and doubts in order to go through life stronger and more consciously.' The challenging nature of ice diving at high altitude demands rigorous preparation, years of training, and intense mental conditioning. Freedivers must adapt their bodies to low temperatures and reduced oxygen levels, all while maintaining steady focus and control over their breathing. Bruderer's feat represents the culmination of long-term dedication and an unwavering commitment to pushing personal limits responsibly.
Freediving, sometimes known as breathhold diving, or in some other parts of the world apnea, is a discipline that combines physical skill with psychological fortitude. Practitioners train to extend the time they can hold their breath, enabling them to explore underwater realms without relying on external breathing apparatus. The sport continues to grow in popularity, with schools and instructors emphasizing safe diving practices and mindful self-awareness. Bruderer's new record under the ice exemplifies the heights - or depths - that can be reached through disciplined training and respect for nature's boundaries.
By successfully setting this Guinness World Record in one of Switzerland's most picturesque and demanding environments, Bruderer has garnered global attention for both his personal achievement and the broader practice of freediving. He hopes that his accomplishment will inspire others to engage with the sport safely, challenge themselves to transcend perceived limitations, and discover the transformative power of facing one's fears head-on.
For more information about Bruderer's personal journey and achievements, please visit https://www.wbruderer.ch/.
About Freediver Waldemar Bruderer
Waldemar (Val) Bruderer is a dedicated freediver from Zurich, Switzerland, with years of experience in high-altitude and cold-water diving. He collaborates closely with Kaluna Freediving, an organization committed to promoting safe freediving practices, offering courses, and cultivating a deeper appreciation for underwater exploration.
Waldemar Bruderer
Freediver Waldemar Bruderer

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

USMNT vs. Switzerland player ratings: Nightmare in Nashville
USMNT vs. Switzerland player ratings: Nightmare in Nashville

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

USMNT vs. Switzerland player ratings: Nightmare in Nashville

USMNT vs. Switzerland player ratings: Nightmare in Nashville Show Caption Hide Caption Weston McKennie discusses the state of the USMNT ahead of World Cup Soccer standout Weston McKennie discusses the state of the USMNT and how Mauricio Pochettino is getting the squad ready ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Sports Seriously The U.S. men's national team is in a tailspin heading into the Gold Cup. In its final tune-up friendly before the Concacaf tournament kicks off, the USMNT was humiliated 4-0 by Switzerland in Nashville on Tuesday. Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer, Breel Embolo and Johan Manzambi gave the Swiss a four-goal lead within the first 36 minutes. Though the USMNT at least stopped the bleeding from there, that will be cold comfort to a team that looks lost and out of ideas. The USMNT was out-played, out-competed and out-thought en route to its first four-game losing streak since 2007. Things will have to improve in a hurry ahead of the Gold Cup opener on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. Here are our ratings for the USMNT's nightmare in Nashville against the Swiss. As a reminder, here's the Pro Soccer Wire player rating scale: 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of our staff would have been been able to play at this level. 6: Adequate. This is our base score. 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Carli Lloyd vs. Japan in the 2015 World Cup final. GK: Matt Turner - 4.5 It's hard to see Turner starting in the Gold Cup after another brutal error led to a goal. The soon-to-be Lyon goalkeeper coughed up an easy rebound from Ricardo Rodriguez's shot from distance, which Embolo gratefully deposited into the net. Turner improved in the second half and couldn't be faulted for any of the other goals, but will that even matter? LB: Max Arfsten - 3 The Crew defender will be seeing Manzambi in his nightmares. Arfsten was brutally skinned by the winger in the lead-up to Switzerland's second, which wasn't the only time the Freiburg teenager made him look silly. Arfsten also failed to get goal-side on Embolo on Switzerland's third goal, leading to a simple tap-in. Taken off at halftime. CB: Mark McKenzie - 4.5 Manzambi dribbled past McKenzie too easily for Switzerland's fourth goal, and the center back had a poor giveaway that nearly led to another goal in the second half. On the plus side, McKenzie did go 66-for-68 passing and had a game-high five clearances. CB: Walker Zimmerman - 5 Zimmerman didn't have any glaring errors, but failed to sort out the chaotic mess that was the game's opening 36 minutes. Playing on his home field, Zimmerman was too much of a bystander in a team that needed more leadership. RB: Nathan Harriel - 3.5 It was, unfortunately, a nightmare for Harriel against the Swiss. The Union right back completely lost Ndoye on Switzerland's opener, letting the winger easily sneak behind him. Harriel was also exposed on Switzerland's second, as he gave Aebischer a criminal amount of space for a tap-in on the doorstep. CM: Johnny Cardoso - 5.5 It was at least a better performance for Cardoso than against Turkey, when he was at fault for a comical goal. The Real Betis man was 52-for-54 passing, including three of four on long balls. Cardoso popped up with some vital defensive interventions too, but was also unable to organize the midfield effectively during the first-half onslaught. CM: Sebastian Berhalter - 5 Berhalter was eager to impress in his first USMNT cap, which worked against him at times as he missed tackles and was bypassed in central midfield. He looked a bit more comfortable in the second half after Diego Luna and Malik Tillman entered, which pushed him out to a position more wide right. LW: Paxten Aaronson - 4 Aaronson was a non-factor in his first USMNT appearance since January 2023, and only his second ever. The midfielder played a bit higher up than he did during a hugely successful loan at Utrecht this season, and was part of a midfield that couldn't gain any control of the game. CAM: Brenden Aaronson - 4.5 Had some promising attacking moments in an active start to the match, but saw his influence completely wane over the course of the first half. Only managed 18 touches and seven of eight passes before he was withdrawn at halftime. RW: Quinn Sullivan - 3.5 Making his first USMNT start, Sullivan was hesitant and inefficient during the rare occasions he got on the ball in Switzerland's half. In his own half, he had a poor giveaway that led to directly to Switzerland's fourth. Sullivan was hooked at the break. ST: Brian White - 3.5 White managed just 19 touches before being withdrawn at halftime. He didn't impress with those minimal chances, either, with some poor hold-up play and a particularly soft pass to kill a U.S. chance to run at the defense. Sub: John Tolkin - 5 Coming on at the break, Tolkin was at least an improvement on Arfsten, but didn't connect with teammates on his runs forward. He was solid defensively, though he wasn't asked to do as much as Arfsten after the USMNT switched to a three center back formation. Sub: Tim Ream - 5 Ream helped restore some calm on the back line after coming on at halftime. The veteran still wasn't at his best, as he misplaced some passes and showed his physical limitations when Ndoye blew past him in open space. Sub: Malik Tillman - 6 Tillman provided some attacking onus after his halftime introduction, combining well with teammates and playing a game-high three key passes. Flailed wildly at a volley, though, on his one decent look at goal. Sub: Diego Luna - 5.5 Luna should be a lock for this XI because he simply tries hard. The Real Salt Lake man didn't have much joy in the final third, but he at least raised the level of competitiveness in the midfield. Sub: Patrick Agyemang - 6.5 Agyemang was lively after coming on at halftime, drawing four fouls including two yellow cards that resulted from his physical hold-up play. A clear upgrade on White on the evening. Sub: Damion Downs - N/R A quiet first cap for Downs after coming on in the 75th minute.

The USMNT needs to get over itself before it wastes a World Cup
The USMNT needs to get over itself before it wastes a World Cup

NBC Sports

time4 hours ago

  • NBC Sports

The USMNT needs to get over itself before it wastes a World Cup

Even taking into account the long list of big names absent from the United States men's national team's Gold Cup roster, there's enough talent around that the Yanks shouldn't look as poor as they did in conceding four first-half goals in a 4-0 home friendly loss to Switzerland at Geodis Park in Nashville on Tuesday. They did just that, though, and the showing was bad enough that a first-ever Gold Cup group stage exit doesn't seem impossible right now. Yes, really. The Yanks' poor 2023 Gold Cup saw them bow out in the semifinals after squeaking past Canada in penalties during the quarterfinals. These things happens at the Gold Cup, a tournament in which the Yanks treat like an 'also' with weakened and/or young rosters. But this edition was set to be different, where a not-quite full-powered but still-inspired team uses a last pre-World Cup opportunity to make a run in a tourney. MORE — USMNT 0-4 Switzerland recap | USMNT player ratings This USMNT roster is extremely shallow, and that's where Mauricio Pochettino deserves his fair share of shade. The ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach entered the summer knowing he wouldn't have Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Ricardo Pepi, and Giovanni Reyna. He then saw Folarin Balogun and Sergino Dest depart from camp before Tyler Adams became unavailable for Tuesday. Pochettino bet that a veteran set of center backs and midfielders would do enough to offset fullbacks with very little experience and a heaping helping of youth — a stage USMNT fans felt they'd passed as the aforementioned group got cap after cap under Gregg Berhalter. The depth has been so disappointing over these two friendlies that it begs whether changes are somehow an option prior to the group stage despite the final roster's submission last week. Pochettino left Cameron Carter-Vickers, Josh Sargent, Joe Scally, Tanner Tessmann, and others off his final list. Those could prove awful decisions. Now they'll have to beat out two of Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia, and Haiti to reach the knockout rounds of this month's Gold Cup. It really shouldn't be an issue, but suddenly it feels simply improbable instead of nearly impossible. Yes, Saudi Arabia have recently drawn Japan and Australia and took a point off Argentina at the last World Cup, but T&T is no longer anywhere near the peak of their powers and Haiti should, quite frankly, be outclassed by even this U.S. squad. But where the USMNT's A-team has looked entitled at times, this team — whatever you want to call it — looked way out of its depth against the Swiss. The old fad that was worrying the U.S. could underachieve when hosting a World Cup is nothing like the new hotness that is worrying the U.S. could flop when hosting a continental tournaments it's won seven times including a near-perfect run in 2021. A team can have a good World Cup even with a poor run-up, sure, but it's incumbent upon the Yanks to not waste their chance to deliver a memorable tournament on home soil. That's surely one of the reasons they swung big with Pochettino. The perfect storm is still there — an elite set of USMNT talents playing as the underdogs they are while being pushed by periphery players all the way. Yet right now the tournament's hopes seem to ride on Tillman, Luna, and Cardoso staying healthy while running up name-making performances during big in-form minutes in front of a some veteran center backs and goalkeeper Matt Turner. It can work, but it almost certainly won't be the Gold Cup-dominating run envisioned just months ago. And now it's also not even an extreme likelihood that Pochettino's men will get to the semis. It's time for Pochettino to flex his tactical acumen, get a feel-good win over Trinidad and Tobago, and ease the tension while ending a four-game losing skid. Surely that's not asking too much. Yet at the moment, you can't guarantee they won't show up thinking their jersey's enough to beat a hungry team who'd like nothing more than the upset them at home. Johan Manzambi weaves and hammers in a goal past Matt Turner to put Switzerland up 4-0 against the USMNT. Michel Aebischer receives Johan Manzambi's pass through traffic and taps it in to give Switzerland a 2-0 lead against the USMNT.

USMNT overwhelmed by Switzerland in tune-up match for Concacaf Gold Cup
USMNT overwhelmed by Switzerland in tune-up match for Concacaf Gold Cup

USA Today

time5 hours ago

  • USA Today

USMNT overwhelmed by Switzerland in tune-up match for Concacaf Gold Cup

USMNT overwhelmed by Switzerland in tune-up match for Concacaf Gold Cup Show Caption Hide Caption Weston McKennie: Landon Donovan's dig at Christian Pulisic was sad U.S. Men's National Team standout Weston McKennie reacts to Landon Donovan's comments regarding Christian Pulisic. Sports Seriously The U.S. men's national team had one of its worst performances in recent memory, coughing up four goals in a hapless, helpless first half en route to a 4-0 loss to Switzerland on Tuesday, June 10. In what is the final tune-up match for Mauricio Pochettino's side before the start of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, things went as badly as it sounds. Dan Ndoye's 13th-minute goal required some slick play from the Swiss, but from there the USMNT cratered. Michel Aebischer, Breel Embolo, and Johan Manzambi scored three times in a 13-minute span as the U.S. couldn't find the effort level required for international soccer. USMNT PLAYER RATINGS: Nightmare in Nashville vs. Switzerland The loss comes on the heels of a merely adequate performance on June 7 that ended with a 2-1 loss to Turkey, and saw Pochettino switch to a back five while trying to find any sort of solution without Tyler Adams (who missed out with a foot injury. MORE: Weston McKennie defends Christian Pulisic after Landon Donovan's dig against USMNT star Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter — the son of the USMNT's previous head coach, Gregg Berhalter — and Köln forward Damion Downs made their senior-team debuts on a night that was otherwise a miserable one for the U.S. heading into its final major tournament before the 2026 World Cup. USMNT vs. Switzerland highlights 36'—USA 0-4 Switzerland 💀 Watch the game on TNT, truTV, and Max 📺 — B/R Football (@brfootball) June 11, 2025 🫠🫠🫠 Watch the game on TNT, truTV, and Max 📺 — B/R Football (@brfootball) June 11, 2025 Switzerland are making it look easy 😎 Watch the game on TNT, truTV, and Max 📺 — B/R Football (@brfootball) June 11, 2025 Switzerland cut through the USMNT's defense for an early lead 😬 Watch the game on TNT, truTV, and Max 📺 — B/R Football (@brfootball) June 11, 2025 The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store