March 25, 2021

Take a Deep Breath and Go Diving with Alexei Molchanov


Take a Deep Breath and Go Diving with Alexei Molchanov
We imagine Russian freedivers have especially thick skin. Unsplash user Marcus Assmann.

Diving is cool. But freediving is next-level.

The world's best freediver, 34-year-old Russian Alexei Molchanov, is in the spotlight after Men's Health published a long feature on the talented Russian diver.

Freedivers do what scuba divers do but in much less time and with almost no equipment. They descend on their own breath without the seemingly vital pressure regulation provided by the scuba kit.

Depending on the competition, Molchanov also shuns the weights that typically plunge divers into the deep, forcing him to work against the body's floating instinct. Under pressure, his lungs shrink to a third of their normal size. Wearing no googles, he cannot see anything and stays on track by attaching to a dive line.

Molchanov followed in the... ahem, fin kicks... of his mother. Natalya Molchanova was a major contributor to the advancement of the sport despite starting freediving later in life. She broke a world record on her 50th birthday: the no-fin 66-meter freedive.

At age 53, however, during a routine lesson, she went to a depth of about 100 feet and never resurfacedIn competitions, freedivers have safety divers following them, but Molchanova was the expert instructor performing a routine, shallow (for her!) maneuver when she disappeared.

Despite the loss of his mother, Molchanov is an evangelist for the sport, and uses his Instagram account to inspire young divers to get down there and test their limits. Continuing to dive is a way to "continue her legacy," Molchanov said.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955