Home / Latest / INTO THE COLD WITH WORLD RECORD ICE DIVER OLGA MARKINA
Monofin? Check. Wetsuit? Check. Dive computer? Check. To calm her mind, Russian freediver Olga Markina runs through her checklist. It’s a simple routine that helps her focus, because today, she’s determined to make history. Again.
It’s March 18, 2025, in Listvyanka, Russia. This day, on the outskirts of this small Siberian town on Lake Baikal, is destined to become legendary. Beneath a thick sheet of ice lies the world’s deepest and oldest lake. Around 20 freedivers from across the globe have gathered to participate in the second freediving festival Under the Ice of Lake Baikal. Olga has her sights set on a new Guinness World Record for depth diving under ice. Her goal: 71 meters — eight meters deeper than the existing record of 63 meters. A record she set just four years earlier.
But the 29-year-old Molchanovs athlete isn’t worried. She comfortably dives below 90 meters in warmer waters and has been competing for over eight years. She knows exactly what she’s capable of.
On this first competition day, the air is crisp. Temperatures hover just below freezing, and the sun shines brightly from a sapphire sky over the vast expanse of Lake Baikal. Usually, Olga isn’t fond of the cold, despite growing up in Siberia, one of the coldest inhabited regions on Earth. “Where I grew up, the land was frozen. In winter, temperatures drop below minus 50 degrees Celsius,” she says. “I don’t like winter. I don’t like snow. But I was very curious about what it would be like to dive under the ice.” And Olga has never been someone to back down from a challenge.
Since 2021, the Russian pro-diver has held the record for Constant Weight (CWT) under ice. She’s proud of her achievement, not just for being the deepest woman under ice, but also for inspiring a new freediving scene around Lake Baikal. “The first Under the Ice Festival, which I organized myself in 2021, was the beginning of a new freediving community,” she explains. “People started coming here to try freediving under the ice. Lake Baikal is the perfect destination. The ice is beautiful — very thick, but clear — and the visibility is great. We started the festival to create something for people who wanted to try ice diving and for those who wanted to compete.”
The exceptional visibility beneath Lake Baikal’s ice makes it ideal for competition. “Safety is always a priority,” says Olga. “As a competitor, I’m connected to the rope, but the safety divers are not. So, good visibility is vital. At Lake Baikal, visibility under the ice is up to 30 meters — you won’t disappear.”
Olga has been looking forward to the second festival at Lake Baikal. Her day started well, and she feels confident. As she prepares for her record dive, Olga is calm. If it doesn’t happen today, there’s still another chance tomorrow. She closes her eyes, gets in the zone, takes one final breath, and begins her descent.
She passes through the hole in the 80-centimeter-thick layer of ice with her monofin. The bottom layer of ice is so clear, it’s nearly transparent. The deeper she goes, the darker it gets. At around 60 meters, the rope disappears from view. Still, she feels good.
Finally, the record is in her reach: She grabs the white tag at 71 meters and begins her ascent. When she breaks the surface, she’s beaming. She’s done it — broken her own record and set a new Guinness World Record, with ease. “It’s all about curiosity,” Olga says proudly. “I wanted to know how it would feel to break my own record. So I did.”
Curiosity has always been Olga’s driving force. Though she has years of experience as a competitive freediver, she became one of the best ice divers almost by accident, and very quickly. “I saw a video of a fellow Russian freediver ice diving. It was fascinating. I decided to try it. And after I tried it the first time, I decided to go for the world record,” she recalls. “That was in 2021. The record back then was 56 meters. I knew I could dive at least 60, so I said, ‘Let’s apply.’”
The rest is history: Guinness World Records approved Olga’s application, and just a few months later, she achieved her goal and set a new record in under-ice diving, despite her limited experience. “That was pretty funny,” she says, laughing. “This year, though, I had much more practice, and I didn’t have the stress of organizing the festival. I could concentrate on the dive.”
Stylish Quote
I’m always curious about how deep I can go
Even though Olga thrives in ice diving, it remains a challenge. The cold is exhausting. The extreme environment takes a toll on the body, and recovery takes longer. “If you want to start ice diving, you need to get used to diving in cold water,” Olga advises. “It’s harder to relax and stay calm in the cold. And if you wear a 10mm wetsuit, it’ll keep you warm, but it’s less flexible and harder to move in. So you have to choose.”
Olga is confident there are more records out there for her to chase. “I’m always curious about how deep I can go,” she says. “And I think I can go deeper than 71 meters under ice because this dive was super easy and smooth. I enjoyed it.” Setting new records, however, takes resources: time, training, and money. But even if it’s a while before Olga dives for her next record, we’ll be here to cheer her on when she does.
For her ice diving record, Olga Markina wore a 7mm hoodie and 5mm pants. However, she is convinced that ice diving in a full 5mm suit would work just fine. If you are looking for the perfect suit for low temperatures, check out Molchanovs selection of wetsuits here.
Want to discover more inspiring female freedivers or stay updated on the latest gear launches from the Molchanovs Shop? Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news.
INTO THE COLD WITH WORLD RECORD ICE DIVER OLGA MARKINA
Trailblazer. World Record Freediver. Power Woman. Molchanovs athlete Olga Markina is as cool as her greatest triumph. Read on to discover how she set a record in diving under ice — twice!By: Bianca Klement
Proud moment: Freediver Olga Markina celebrates her world record in CWT. Photo © Anton Kimov and Alexander Akivis
Monofin? Check. Wetsuit? Check. Dive computer? Check. To calm her mind, Russian freediver Olga Markina runs through her checklist. It’s a simple routine that helps her focus, because today, she’s determined to make history. Again.
It’s March 18, 2025, in Listvyanka, Russia. This day, on the outskirts of this small Siberian town on Lake Baikal, is destined to become legendary. Beneath a thick sheet of ice lies the world’s deepest and oldest lake. Around 20 freedivers from across the globe have gathered to participate in the second freediving festival Under the Ice of Lake Baikal. Olga has her sights set on a new Guinness World Record for depth diving under ice. Her goal: 71 meters — eight meters deeper than the existing record of 63 meters. A record she set just four years earlier.
But the 29-year-old Molchanovs athlete isn’t worried. She comfortably dives below 90 meters in warmer waters and has been competing for over eight years. She knows exactly what she’s capable of.
On this first competition day, the air is crisp. Temperatures hover just below freezing, and the sun shines brightly from a sapphire sky over the vast expanse of Lake Baikal. Usually, Olga isn’t fond of the cold, despite growing up in Siberia, one of the coldest inhabited regions on Earth. “Where I grew up, the land was frozen. In winter, temperatures drop below minus 50 degrees Celsius,” she says. “I don’t like winter. I don’t like snow. But I was very curious about what it would be like to dive under the ice.” And Olga has never been someone to back down from a challenge.
“Every dive gets me closer to myself”, says Olga Markina. Photo © Anton Kimov and Alexander Akivis
Since 2021, the Russian pro-diver has held the record for Constant Weight (CWT) under ice. She’s proud of her achievement, not just for being the deepest woman under ice, but also for inspiring a new freediving scene around Lake Baikal. “The first Under the Ice Festival, which I organized myself in 2021, was the beginning of a new freediving community,” she explains. “People started coming here to try freediving under the ice. Lake Baikal is the perfect destination. The ice is beautiful — very thick, but clear — and the visibility is great. We started the festival to create something for people who wanted to try ice diving and for those who wanted to compete.”
The exceptional visibility beneath Lake Baikal’s ice makes it ideal for competition. “Safety is always a priority,” says Olga. “As a competitor, I’m connected to the rope, but the safety divers are not. So, good visibility is vital. At Lake Baikal, visibility under the ice is up to 30 meters — you won’t disappear.”
Sunny skies and calm water: Perfect conditions at the Under the Ice of Lake Baikal festival. Photo © Anton Kimov and Alexander Akivis
Olga has been looking forward to the second festival at Lake Baikal. Her day started well, and she feels confident. As she prepares for her record dive, Olga is calm. If it doesn’t happen today, there’s still another chance tomorrow. She closes her eyes, gets in the zone, takes one final breath, and begins her descent.
She passes through the hole in the 80-centimeter-thick layer of ice with her monofin. The bottom layer of ice is so clear, it’s nearly transparent. The deeper she goes, the darker it gets. At around 60 meters, the rope disappears from view. Still, she feels good.
Olga wore a 7mm hood and 5mm wetsuit pants from Molchanovs. © Anton Kimov and Alexander Akivis
Finally, the record is in her reach: She grabs the white tag at 71 meters and begins her ascent. When she breaks the surface, she’s beaming. She’s done it — broken her own record and set a new Guinness World Record, with ease. “It’s all about curiosity,” Olga says proudly. “I wanted to know how it would feel to break my own record. So I did.”
Triumph! Molchanovs athlete Olga Markina is relieved and happy after setting a new Guinness World Record for diving under ice. © Anton Kimov and Alexander Akivis
Curiosity has always been Olga’s driving force. Though she has years of experience as a competitive freediver, she became one of the best ice divers almost by accident, and very quickly. “I saw a video of a fellow Russian freediver ice diving. It was fascinating. I decided to try it. And after I tried it the first time, I decided to go for the world record,” she recalls. “That was in 2021. The record back then was 56 meters. I knew I could dive at least 60, so I said, ‘Let’s apply.’”
The rest is history: Guinness World Records approved Olga’s application, and just a few months later, she achieved her goal and set a new record in under-ice diving, despite her limited experience. “That was pretty funny,” she says, laughing. “This year, though, I had much more practice, and I didn’t have the stress of organizing the festival. I could concentrate on the dive.”
Even though Olga thrives in ice diving, it remains a challenge. The cold is exhausting. The extreme environment takes a toll on the body, and recovery takes longer. “If you want to start ice diving, you need to get used to diving in cold water,” Olga advises. “It’s harder to relax and stay calm in the cold. And if you wear a 10mm wetsuit, it’ll keep you warm, but it’s less flexible and harder to move in. So you have to choose.”
Olga is confident there are more records out there for her to chase. “I’m always curious about how deep I can go,” she says. “And I think I can go deeper than 71 meters under ice because this dive was super easy and smooth. I enjoyed it.” Setting new records, however, takes resources: time, training, and money. But even if it’s a while before Olga dives for her next record, we’ll be here to cheer her on when she does.
Read all about Olga Markina’s first World Record in 2021 here. © Anton Kimov and Alexander Akivis
For her ice diving record, Olga Markina wore a 7mm hoodie and 5mm pants. However, she is convinced that ice diving in a full 5mm suit would work just fine. If you are looking for the perfect suit for low temperatures, check out Molchanovs selection of wetsuits here.
Want to discover more inspiring female freedivers or stay updated on the latest gear launches from the Molchanovs Shop? Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news.