Horrifying footage shows last moments of man who asked wife to film him jumping into frozen river
Topics: Social Media, Ukraine, Viral, World News, Health
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: East2West News
Topics: Social Media, Ukraine, Viral, World News, Health
A video of a man passing away after plunging into a frozen lake acts as a stark warning to cold water swimmers and ice divers.
Footage has resurfaced on social media of a 38-year-old man called Alexander, hopping into an ice pool on Chortomlyk River located near the village of Kapulivka in Ukraine.
Alas, the video is the last clip his wife would ever take of him ever again.
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In the clip, a friend can be seen using a chainsaw to cut into the ice to make a hole for Alexander to jump through.
Alexander's wife asks him whether he's 'scared', however, he reassures her he's 'not'. Despite the frozen lake and his friend being pictured wrapped in a large coat and hat - temperatures reported as having hit -5°C - Alexander even maintains he's not even cold, although he's only wearing swimming trunks with his bare feet on the ice.
His wife adds: "Oh my god, I can't stand it, it's so cold. It's cold. Oh god, I hope you won't get sick."
And then, Alexander leaps in.
He hops into the cut-out square into the icy water below, his arms tucked by his side and hitting the water feet first.
Alexander ends up completely submerged below, with his wife heard saying: "Oh God, so worrying..."
And when he doesn't emerge in the nail-biting seconds that follow, she says: "Oh dear, where is he? Where is he? Oh God! Where is he?"
Realizing he isn't anywhere to be seen, Alexander's wife turns to those around her questioning: "Oh dear God, I don't know what to do. Shall I call the rescuers?"
The man with the chainsaw attempts to cut another hole in the ice in a bid to see where Alexander has gone or help him out and divers were later sent into the river, but devastatingly, it was too late.
Alexander's body was discovered at a depth of 13ft the next day, 70ft from the shore having been carried away by the current.
A rescuer said: “The body of the deceased man, born in 1983, was taken to the shore and handed over to a police officer.”
Blog Wild Big Swim offers advice and warnings about how to approach cold water - or icy water - swimming or dives.
The blog explains it's best to try and get yourself used to lower temperatures, particularly if they go below freezing.
The experienced swimmer explains with 'regular exposure to very cold stimuli' their 'habituation simply improved', which helped prevent their body's nervous system from going into shock from the extreme temperature.
Rather than plunging your whole body straight into cold water, it's important to splash yourself with some of the water first to reduce the risk of you suffering a cardiac arrhythmia - the shock of the temperature causing your heart to beat irregularly.
The blog notes cold shock can result in hyperventilation, a gasping reflex and peripheral vasoconstriction - when the blood vessels narrow, reducing blood flow to the skin, causing an elevated heart rate.
Those who experience the gasping reflex could be more at risk of drowning if they're fully submerged underwater, the swimmer advising you to keep your head above water, while getting in to let the shock pass.