To some, an icy landscape is a thing of fear, restriction and danger, where very few things can exist and thrive


“I think nerves in a situation like this are absolutely vital,” he admits. “You cannot go into something like this with arrogance, or a belief that you will succeed without any challenges along the way. At the same time, being able to relax, breathe slowly, centre yourself and embrace calmness through the challenge is the only thing that will enable you to succeed; so the technique for success is somewhere in between those two places.


“The actual swim itself was faster than I expected,” he continues. “I think that’s quite natural, because in the training runs your focus is oxygen conservation, building familiarity with the route and holding something back to know you have part of you, physically, left in reserve. On the actual run itself, your focus is entirely on the distance and completing it, you simply embrace the challenge, chase it down and get it done; and I was very pleased how that played itself out.”


With water temperatures of around 37 degrees, a temperature regarded as relatively cool for the wintry north-west of the Czech Republic, Vencl admits the conditions were on his side. Things might have been very different had the original location for the attempt – a glacial lake in Austria – become unworkable. Instead, a former quarry in Lahost, which is around 60 miles from Prague, was chosen.


“We had a situation with Covid and the prospect of being able to get in and out of Austria, so it became obvious quite quickly that we’d need to move the attempt to somewhere else,” he says. “Sometimes these are the things that set you back; on other occasions they make life a little easier. We will never know which it is, but what I will say is I don’t think I could have imagined a better result, so I guess we will take the change as a positive thing that happened.”


Vencl had to wait almost eight months for the world record to be ratified, given that the free-dive representative present wasn’t


able to see the adventurer swimming under the ice. “That was a bit crazy – you set a world record but the person verifying it can’t actually witness it! Luckily it was just a case of reviewing the video footage and filling out some forms. Obviously I had no doubt that we had achieved it.”


Vencl has continued on with his fascination of ice. His Instagram feed is a glowing, albeit frosty tribute to a wanderlust wonderland that captivates and challenges in equal measure. “To some, an icy landscape is a thing of fear, restriction and danger, where very few things can exist and thrive. For me though, I look on it as a place where human endeavour can bring about incredible results. It is where we can test ourselves in one of the most inhospitable environments – one that has to be respected, and where survival is earned.”


As for his free diving exploits, Vencl says the pursuit represents for him a return to freedom of movement and nature. “It is a way to know oneself in harmony with nature and the creator. Achieving performance in life is achievable in this unconventional way as well as all the normal things people do to present themselves with purpose and satisfaction.”


Vencl, a vegetarian who is fuelled purely on plant power, has accepted an offer to write a book on his experiences. Entitled Začni Ted, which translates as ‘Start now’, it also documents his recent fascination with deep water diving. He has regularly entered competitions at DeepSpot, the swimming pool and Scuba diving centre near Poland’s capital, Warsaw, that, until June 2021 held the title of being the deepest swimming pool in the world, boasting a maximum depth of 60 metres.


“I have no death wish, but I do have a passion for water and human interaction with it. The fact I can explore this and can give pleasure and, perhaps, inspiration, to other people, is a great thing.”


42 | SPRING 2022 | ONBOARD


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