Olavi Paananen Breaks No-Fins, Under-Ice World Record

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May 29, 2025

Olavi Paananen Breaks No-Fins, Under-Ice World Record (Image credit: Ari Linna)

Finnish freediver Olavi Paananen recently broke the Guinness World Record for the longest under-ice swim without fins or a wetsuit.

On March 8, he swam 107 meters/351 feet under a frozen lake in Siikajärvi, Finland, surpassing the previous record of 106.25 meters/348.6 feet.

Paananen is a member of the Finnish national freediving team and has competed in the AIDA Freediving World Championships. He trained for seven months in extreme cold conditions to achieve this record.

Check out some photos from the event as well as a video below.

Olavi Paananen Breaks No-Fins, Under-Ice World Record (Image credit: Kimmo Lahtinen)

Olavi Paananen Breaks No-Fins, Under-Ice World Record (Image credit: Pentti Leinonen)

Olavi Paananen Breaks No-Fins, Under-Ice World Record (Image credit: Pentti Leinonen)

Olavi Paananen Breaks No-Fins, Under-Ice World Record (Image credit: Pentti Leinonen)

Olavi Paananen Breaks No-Fins, Under-Ice World Record (Image credit: Pentti Leinonen)

Olavi Paananen Breaks No-Fins, Under-Ice World Record (Image credit: Ari Linna)

John Liang https://www.deeperblue.com/

John Liang is the News Editor at DeeperBlue.com. He first got the diving bug while in High School in Cairo, Egypt, where he earned his PADI Open Water Diver certification in the Red Sea off the Sinai Peninsula. Since then, John has dived in a volcanic lake in Guatemala, among white-tipped sharks off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, and other places including a pool in Las Vegas helping to break the world record for the largest underwater press conference.

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