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[wind whooshing]
[intriguing music playing]
[man] One minute.
Thirty seconds.
[sucking air]
[man] Five, four, three, two, one. Top time.
[music continues]
[in Finnish] For as long as I can remember,
I've really enjoyed being in water.
[nostalgic music playing]
When I was little, we had five-meter-deep swimming pool in our town.
I used to go to the bottom of that pool
and watch the people swimming above me.
When you look at people from below, they look like animals.
You feel this deep sense of acceptance,
free from any negativity or irritations.
It is just this natural feeling of goodness. [laughs]
[music continues]
The ice hole is a bit like a gateway
to a beautiful, quiet place
where time stands still.
Down there, I feel like I am part of nature.
One might imagine that you would panic and scramble for the surface.
But instead, my body calms down. My heart beats more slowly.
When I dive, my mind is completely relaxed.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
I wanted to know how far I could dive from one ice hole to another
on a single breath.
I wanted to dive under ice further than any other person.
My record, the women's world record, is 50 meters.
It's been three years and nobody has broken it,
but I could dive further.
Maybe I could break the men's world record of 80 meters.
[water sloshing]
[grunts]
You have to divide it. I split it into three parts,
which means I have three phases in the dive.
It's like when I taught you as a kid to write essays.
[in English] I'm the older one. She's the baby sister.
We called her a monkey. [laughs]
I always remember her doing something weird.
She always says, "Girls can do anything men can do."
Just if I think, "I'm a girl. I shouldn't do that."
She's like, "What? What do you mean?" [chuckles]
"Just let's go and do it."
Kayaking, motorbiking, and downhill biking.
-[indistinct chatter] -And she always has to push it further.
So, it wasn't a surprise when something went wrong.
[Johanna in Finnish] I fell down a slope on my downhill bike
and broke my leg badly.
It nearly became gangrenous, and they had to perform a fasciotomy.
That caused really bad neuralgia, which left me in constant pain.
Still three years later, the nerve pain continued.
It was an unbearable pain.
I couldn't sleep at all,
and the doctors couldn't help.
I thought I might go mad.
Then I heard about cold treatment.
In the treatment, the foot is immersed in freezing water.
At first, the treatment itself was painful.
So much so that it made me cry.
[solemn music playing]
But as I began to get used to the cold water,
I noticed that it was not only good for the injury,
but it created a state of deep relaxation for my whole body.
That feeling can be really addictive.
The nerve pain eased, so I put the other leg in too.
Eventually, I sank completely into the water.
The injury had opened up a whole new world for me.
[bubbles popping]
If I want to set a new record, I'll have to train intensively for the dive.
If I am not properly prepared, an attempt like this could be really dangerous.
In the worst-case scenario, the cold water could cause me to have a cardiac arrest.
If I am unable to surface in time, I could lose consciousness.
[tense music playing]
[exhales sharply]
So I never train under the ice without my sister Elina being with me.
[exhales]
-[Elina] Okay? -[Johanna] Okay.
[exhaling]
[inhaling]
In freediving, the worst mistakes are most often mental.
If I get nervous, my body's messages can be impossible to read,
and I won't know when to come back to the surface.
So it's a matter of mental training.
[grunts]
-[spits, exhales] -[exhales]
[both laughing]
That was so cold! I'm leaking.
There's water coming in from here somewhere.
-Where is the hole? -[Elina] Here, there it is. [laughs]
[exhales, sniffles]
[inspirational music playing]
[exhaling]
[Elina in English] This next one, 80 meters in cold water,
it's a long… long dive.
If I could choose, I… I might say, "Don't do it."
But she has it in her mind.
[Johanna in Finnish] It's a learning process for us both.
As I have to deal with my fears,
in that same moment, Elina has to face her fears as well.
[Elina in English] I do worry. I don't want to see her in trouble.
I don't want to see her blackout.
Sometimes I think, what if something happens
and then I just drive home by myself and she's not here.
[music continues]
We talk about the worst-case scenario
because we have to know what that is.
I'm sort of prepared for that.
I wouldn't want to see it, but I would be there.
[man] Would you rather she didn't do this?
[sniffles]
[grunts gently]
No. [sniffles]
No, I definitely think… I think she should be doing this.
[sniffles]
She loves it. [laughs] What can I say?
Ah.
[inspirational music continues]
[ice crackling]
[Johanna in Finnish] The record is dived only in a swimming suit,
so it has two big challenges:
Can I hold my breath for such a long distance
and still remain relaxed in icy water throughout?
When relaxed, cold just feels cold.
Even if the feeling is intense, it is not pain.
[Elina] Okay.
[Johanna] Okay.
When not relaxed, the cold feels freezing.
[exhaling]
My head hurts, and the pain spreads to my brain so I can't think.
[tense music playing]
The feeling disappears from my face.
The pain penetrates deeper and deeper through my skin.
Every muscle in my body wants to tense.
My joints try to protect themselves by cramping.
[Elina] How does this feel?
How does it feel?
[Johanna] It is very cold!
[Elina laughs]
[Johanna] My breathing is stifled.
My skin stings,
hurts, and burns everywhere.
Okay.
The dive can take up to three minutes.
The only option is to accept that water is cold.
[Elina] Okay?
Okay. The time?
[Elina] Over two minutes.
[tense music continues]
[Johanna chuckles] My fingers are freezing.
[Elina in English] Johanna's training has been going well.
It's getting colder, and we have ice,
but less than what we would normally have
this time of the year.
And that's concerning because we need to have way more ice
to do a record attempt in March.
But it was a nice time with Johanna training and…
[ice crackling]
The ice is talking to us. [laughs]
-[inspirational music playing] -[birds calling]
[water sloshing]
I have always taken pictures of Johanna.
We started when we were about ten.
I bought my first camera, and she had to be my model.
And I would say, "Yeah, let's go take some pictures and put these on
and we can put some makeup on you." [laughs]
Usually, we take quiet artistic pictures.
Because she's kind of an artist and I'm an artist,
so somehow we mix all these things together.
All that is training for her,
she says it's even more difficult than just diving a straight line.
[in Finnish] You were pulling a silly face.
-[laughs] I knew it! -It's in the picture now.
[both laughing]
That one's actually really nice. There's maybe…
[Elina in English] We have kids, and bills like any other people to pay,
and we're both working.
[indistinct chatter]
[Elina in English] So, to be able to do this,
we have to think of all of those things.
[speaking Finnish]
[Johanna] First bone I broke, how old was I?
-[girl] Five? Three? -[Johanna] I was four when I had…
[man in English] Ever since I was very young,
she's always been doing very extreme things.
I don't really stress about it or feel worried about it.
She's always been that way.
I think I would prefer her over a mum that just doesn't do anything.
It'll be really cool if she does beat the record,
but I just hope nothing bad really happens.
[solemn music playing]
[Johanna in Finnish] Even just five more centimeters of ice.
[Elina] If the temperature falls below zero, it might still freeze.
[Johanna] There's no point trying to walk on it as it's so thin.
[Elina] Yes, look it went through already.
[Johanna] Oh, it's that thin?
[Elina] Let's not panic.
[Johanna] We've been here six years, I think.
And it's never been like this.
[Elina] Let's see if I manage.
[Elina panting]
[man on phone] How much ice do you have there?
Under ten centimeters and very flexible ice.
-[Antero] How much water is on the ice? -10 to 12 centimeters.
-Yeah. -[Antero] A lot.
[Johanna] There's a chance we will have ice,
but there's also a chance we won't.
[Antero] Two hundred kilometers up north, they already have 30 centimeters.
-Yeah, right. So then we have to… -In the worst-case scenario…
One option is to find another place at the end of February.
Lake Valkia could be a good place.
[Johanna] At least it's a beautiful place.
[Antero] The next four weeks will tell us where we're heading.
-[Johanna] Right. We will keep in touch. -[Elina] Yeah.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-Bye-bye -Bye-bye.
[Johanna] Usually at this time of year, there is already frost, snow, and ice.
But not this year.
This year it just rains.
According to the rules, the ice should be at least 30 centimeters thick.
We don't have that here.
[ice crackling]
It's a bleak situation, only about one centimeter of ice.
It's been a really strange year in general.
It's been such a warm winter. I don't even remember a winter this warm.
Of course the record attempt can be moved further north,
but a warmer climate will affect more than just my record attempt.
My problems seem so insignificant compared to the state of our environment.
[intriguing music playing]
Because the water hasn't frozen in the south,
we've changed the location to northern Finland.
We've chosen a very clear lake located in Hossa National Park.
I don't want to change the place.
I want to dive in a familiar place.
I want to know how many steps to breakfast,
from there to the sauna, and from the sauna to the opening.
I want to know when is the last moment to put on my swimsuit.
[intriguing music continues]
For others, this is just a change of place.
For me, this changes everything.
[engine stops]
-[Johanna] Hi. -Hello.
[Johanna] Well, hello!
-Nice to see you, finally. -[women chuckle]
-I've seen a picture of you. Johanna. -[Elina] Elina.
-Yeah, Tapsa. Hello. -[Elina] Hi.
[Tapsa] This is Öllöri Lake.
[Johanna] Yeah.
[Tapsa] It's beautiful.
[Elina] Beautiful.
[Tapsa] I received drawings of what you want.
-[Johanna] Yes. -[Elina] Yes.
[Tapani in English] My name is Tapani Launonen.
Normally when we are working on the top of the frozen lake or so
my main job is the safety and keep the people alive.
So, I try to avoid going under the water.
You can see from the ice and the snow, what kind of a winter we have had.
[grunting]
It has been an unusually warm winter in Finland.
-[thudding] -Whew!
Some people say that it's a normal cycle, but I'm not so sure anymore.
It has been so many winters. They are not normal.
[clearing throat] So here you can see the still ice.
This is like the date zero when the lake has been frozen.
So, if you want to drive a vehicle in here,
this is the effective area that you are counting on.
But it's still dangerous,
so you have to observe the nature all the time,
otherwise you get killed on your home pitch
in a place that you have gone 56 years.
And one morning you go down.
I don't know the numbers, but…
how many people go through the ice every year, but it's too many.
-[Elina] Should we walk the whole thing? -Let's go have a look.
Let's count 81 meters from here.
-[Elina] You do it. I'll just follow. -[Johanna] One.
[Tapani] Two, three, four, five.
[Johanna] Your steps are too long! [laughs]
[Elina in English] Johanna is not feeling too well.
She's had some chest problems.
Some infection or something.
Even in warm water, if you're sick, you don't go.
In cold water, it's even more critical to be in good shape.
[Tapani in Finnish] Thirty-nine, 40.
-[Johanna] And then one more. -[Tapani] Oh yes.
[all laugh]
-[Johanna] Just to be safe. -[Elina] Sure.
Yeah. Right.
[Johanna] There it is.
-[Tapani] There. -[Elina] Yeah.
[Tapani] Eighty-one.
[Johanna] Eighty-one meters.
[Tapani] Yeah.
It looks so far from here, but does it feel far?
I don't know. If you think that there is halfway.
If the ice is thick, I can push off the edge.
That's already ten meters and then I'm near the end already!
[all laugh]
[Elina] Today, it doesn't look far.
But when you see the ice holes, it will look far.
We had wanted a familiar lake, where we'd know every detail.
-[Tapani] Yeah. -[Johanna] Yeah.
[Elina] But this seems nice.
These places are…
[phone ringing]
When you change places--
[Johanna] I have to see if it's--
[Tapani in English] Production stop.
[ringing continues]
[Elina in Finnish] Could be a call from the doctor.
[Johanna] Yes?
Okay… [clears throat]
Because I have a strange cough.
[doctor speaking indistinctly on phone]
[Johanna] So, what is that?
[somber music playing]
What could that come from?
What do you think? Should I panic about dying?
I don't understand.
Who do I contact? I guess I should see a lung specialist?
[music continues]
[clearing throat]
Yes. I don't really understand.
[somber music continues]
[in English] They couldn't say anything on the blood test.
And they said, 'Friday, you will see the doctor,
and he will make… she will make the plan of what is the next step'.
[Elina] A new place is a big change to the original plan.
[in Finnish] I could come and just test this ice hole.
[in English] And now, to get sick on top of that?
Yeah.
If there is something going on with the chest, then there's no diving.
We'll see the doctor and go through the X-ray, but I'm worried.
[intriguing music playing]
[clanking]
[Johanna in Finnish] The X-ray showed darkening of the lung area,
and the doctor ordered further examinations.
Darkening can be caused by inflammation.
Fortunately, however, nothing life-threatening,
but this needs to be examined further.
[fire crackling]
Sometimes it feels like once one problem is solved, another comes immediately.
We solved the location problem, but then my own health issues arose.
Before we could solve that, a bigger problem spread throughout the world.
[reporter 1 in English] China says the number of people infected
by a mysterious respiratory virus
has more than tripled over the weekend.
[reporter 2] The World Health Organization has officially called it "COVID-19."
[reporter 3] Public gatherings, including sports events, are banned,
and schools and universities are closed, being advised simply to stay at home.
[Johanna in Finnish] Everything has been canceled,
including my record attempt.
[Elina] It's still beautiful.
[Johanna] What did you pack this time?
All my camera gear.
-All of it? -[laughing] Yes!
Because I thought that it could…
It's been a challenging year, and my priorities have changed completely now.
When there are "real things" to deal with,
like COVID and everything else that happened this year.
It's a humbling experience that brings you back down to earth
and reminds you what's really important.
I'm lucky that I've been given a second chance to attempt this.
[intense music playing]
[chainsaw whirring]
Last year, I practiced a lot, and I was very confident about my record attempt.
But during the COVID pandemic, the swimming halls have been closed.
I feel that, in all honesty, I have practiced too little.
[tense music playing]
Fortunately, nothing serious was found in the lung images,
and the doctor gave permission to keep training.
But, during this winter's training, I haven't been able to enjoy the cold.
I couldn't relax. I didn't want to train.
I've tried to remember how the cold water felt when it felt good,
but I couldn't bring it back to my mind.
But at this point, it wouldn't make sense to give up,
so I have to stop and think again why I originally wanted to set a record.
[man in English] When you see Johanna swimming, it seems to be so easy
because she is a very efficient and fast swimmer.
But when you want to take some equipment
to follow with the camera, everything is more complicated.
We cannot use conventional diving equipment
because it will freeze.
The water temperature is about two degrees,
and, uh, we wear a very thick suit, so we don't feel much cold,
but the worst part is the finger. That hurts a lot.
We decided to be kind of disconnected to that environment,
and that involves a lot of equipment, a lot of energy,
but what Johanna is doing is she accepts the cold,
and that makes everything very, very pure.
[Johanna in Finnish] It's such a magical night.
[Elina] It's so beautiful.
[Johanna] A year ago, my plan was to dive 80 meters,
knowing that anything over 50 meters would have been a new women's world record.
But now there's a new women's record of 70 meters
and an unofficial dive of 102 meters.
[laughs]
-It's quite far. [laughs] -[Elina] A lot of cold water. [laughs]
[thudding, cracking]
[Johanna] The people around me are focusing
on these new records and distances.
It's easy to let my mind wander, "Could I break all these new records too?"
But I can't focus on this or a target of 103 meters.
I just have to dive as well as I can.
[meditative music playing]
[Elina in English] For two years, it's been in her head,
"I have to do this dive."
It is scary for her.
But it is scary for me too.
There's a reason nobody has dived this far before.
I know during the dive if I see her go past 82 and she keeps going,
then I will be nervous.
To be honest now, I just want it to be over.
[music continues]
[Johanna in Finnish] Let's go to sleep.
[wind whistling]
[tense music playing]
[Antero in English] Okay, the track. First hole, 20 meters.
Next one, 40 meters, and then 60.
Seventy-one, 82, 93, and 103 will be the last hole.
As soon as Johanna surfaces, everybody should stay quiet.
She has to show the "okay" sign by herself in 20 seconds.
After that, I will give my judgment by showing the card.
-Okay, and then it's done. -[Antero] Then it's done.
[Elina] Yeah.
[music continues]
[Johanna breathes deeply]
[woman] This distance she's planning to swim,
it's already that she's hypothermic,
which means that your normal body temperature
goes below 35, 34.
The really, really worst-case scenario would be that she has a cardiac arrest.
PARAMEDIC
Then, of course, we have to treat her in the ambulance
and bring her as fast as possible to the hospital.
Five minutes.
[wind whooshing]
[Johanna inhales deeply]
[exhales]
[wind whooshing]
[exhales]
[Antero] One minute.
Thirty seconds.
[Johanna breathing deeply]
[Antero] Ten.
Five, four, three, two, one. Top time.
[sucking air]
Twenty meters.
[tense music playing]
Forty meters.
Fifty meters.
Seventy-one.
Eighty-two.
[tense music continues]
Ninety-three.
[music continues]
[gasps]
[exhales]
[exhales sharply]
[Antero] One hundred three!
-White card! -[all cheering]
[water splashing]
[cheering continues]
[in Finnish] White card!
[muffled laughter]
[uplifting music playing]
[Jean-Charles in English] She was unbelievable.
At the end, you know, I was a little bit doubting, a little bit,
because she was going very, very slowly.
I was like, I really hope that she won't black out
before the end, but the dive was so clean.
[man] I think it's really her place here.
Water's high and she's in the middle, and this is just beautiful.
There is no question. This is beautiful.
It was a long way. [laughs]
[Elina] Oh. Now, you never have to dive again. [laughs]
-That was the last one. -Elina!
[man laughing]
[Elina in Finnish] She never has to dive ever again. It's over. [laughs]
I never have to worry again.
[Johanna] This year has reminded me of what is really important:
to spend time with my loved ones and do things together.
If I had done this alone, I could not have succeeded.
And it doesn't matter whose record I broke.
By learning something new and pushing those kinds of boundaries,
they became a new reality for me.
Just because something is difficult
doesn't mean we should not try to achieve it.
This is the only way we can learn something new about ourselves.
[inspirational music playing]