Underwater Mannequin Challenge

By Mark McConville

IS THIS the most incredible mannequin challenge yet?

Stunning footage has captured a group of freedivers frozen in time at the bottom of a 20-foot-deep pool without breathing equipment.

The amusing video shows one diver surfing on top of another, divers relaxing on the bottom of the pool and others who appear to be frozen mid-fight.

The clip also shows people closer to the surface of the pool as they cling to the side.

The footage was taken by Russian professional freediver Alexey Molchanov (29) from Moscow along with some of his students. He used a Sony a7S2 with a 16-35 Zeiss lens and Nauticam housing.

“I saw all those mannequin challenges on the internet and had friends who said we should do it,” he said.

“And I thought why not? Let’s do it on the bottom of 20-foot depth pool.

“It was done as always by holding my breath. That gives me great mobility and freedom to move any way I want underwater.

“Thanks to regular practice in freediving I can do for a few minutes without urge to breathe.”

Alexey runs a freediving instruction company called Freediving Federation education agency. He can hold his breath for a huge eight minutes and thirty-three seconds.

Staying completely still underwater was not the easiest of tasks but Alexey and his students managed it.

“We had some problems to keep everyone very still,” he said.

“Actually, my students did an amazing job. All together for practice and shooting it took 40 minutes.

“Everyone says it looks unbelievable. They cannot understand how it is possible but for trained freedivers, who are not even sportsmen, it is not a very hard thing to do.”

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