‘ONE BREATH’: Russian free-diver swims record-breaking 181m under ice in memory of famed mother (VIDEO)

Russian diver Alexey Molchanov made a death-defying dive, swimming 181 meters under frozen waters in Moscow and setting a new Guinness world record, to pay tribute to his famed mother who vanished while diving in Spain in 2015.

Molchanov held his breath for more than two minutes as he covered a distance of 181 meters beneath the ice of Ameryev quarry, beating the previous record set by French diver Arthur Guerin-Boeri, who managed to swim 175 meters in 2017.

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The daredevil diver swam between triangular holes cut in the quarry’s ice, wearing a monofin and wetsuit which allowed him to work effectively in the cold water.

The son of Russia’s renowned free-diving champion Natalia Molchanova – known as the ‘queen of diving’ – dedicated the newly set record to his mother, who mysteriously disappeared while descending to a depth of about 130 feet in Spain.

Molchanov’s record-breaking feat coincided with the premiere of a Russian feature film based on his mother's life, ‘One Breath’. The quarry where he performed the jaw-dropping record dive was also used as a location in the movie.

“I dove 181 meter and it was my first under ice Guinness record. I timed it right before ‘One Breath’ movie launch in Russia and dove in the same location where under ice scenes were shot,” Molchanov wrote.

The record was officially registered by a representative from the world free-diving body, the International Association for the Development of Apnea (AIDA), and will be added to the Guinness Book of World Records.