Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive is a documentary film directed by Ian Derry and is about Johanna Nordblad, as she attempts to break the world record for distance travelled under the ice in one breath. The film has a runtime of 40 minutes.
Netflix describes the documentary as:
Follow free diver Johanna Nordblad in this documentary as she attempts to break the world record for distance traveled under ice with one breath.
– Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive review does not contain spoilers –
Who is Johanna Nordblad?
46-year-old Johanna Nordblad is a Finnish designer, freediver and ice diver. She started freediving in 199 after spending years as a scuba diver. Nordblad specialises in dynamic freediving with fins that help her to swim as horizontally as possible in a single breath. Nordblad holds the women’s world record for swimming 158 meters horizontally in 2004 in Cyprus and is an inspiration to many who want to get into the sport.
Her life as an ice diver started after she met with a horrible bike accident in 2010 that left her legs shattered. After the doctors advised her to seek out cold water treatment to speed up the recovery process, she returned to competition in 2015 and set the women’s world record for ice diving, jumping from one ice hole to another at 103 meters. Interestingly, she was only wearing a bathing suit in such frigid temperatures!
Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive Review
Taking place in the depths of the icy waters, Nordblad’s story is inspiring as well as scary. Inspiring, because coming back from an injury such as hers to hold the women’s world record is just so hopeful. It proves that you can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it and there’s something new to learn in the worst scenarios. It’s also scary because diving under ice water is nothing short of nerve-wracking. To the viewers, diving into one hole and coming out of another without the option of an emergency exit in the middle might just be the worst thing ever.
However, Nordblad says that ice diving is more about preparing yourself mentally than anything else. In discussions with her and her sister, Elina Manninen, her sister, it is apparent that anything can happen at any time. It’s scary, but according to both of them, definitely worth it in the end. The documentary paints a sweet picture of the sisters and how close their bond is – the thought of losing her sister drives Elina to tears at one point.
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The Ice Dive brings forth the mental and physical training that Nordblad goes through before the record attempt. We learn of her life and her family – their thoughts on her choice of sport and how they cope with it. There are also mentions of how the warm weather can affect her record attempt as well as the significance of the changing weather in general. These different themes make watching this interesting and dynamic.
The short runtime makes it packed with information and experiences. Thus, the documentary is interesting and quite entertaining but also very calming and humbling. As COVID hits the world, we learn Nordblad’s own struggles. It’s not easy; in fact, she has a difficult time focusing after the heartbreaking incidents in the world. How does she get over her own inhibitions and snag the world record? That’s something that you will have to find you.
Summing up: Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive
Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive is a humbling, exciting and hopeful experience. It shows that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible. Your dreams are no less than anyone else and with the right training and mindset, even the most difficult task can be overcome. For audiences wanting some much-needed inspiration and hope – this one’s a must-watch.
Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive is streaming on Netflix.
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