Italians break underwater kiss 'world record'
Two Italians claim to have broken the world record for the deepest underwater kiss. The Local spoke to diver Paolo Pedrinazzi to find out how it was done.
Pedrinazzi and his diving partner Elena Colombo kissed for 35 seconds, 30m below the surface of Lake Garda at the weekend, a world record according to diving organization A.s.d. Apnea Italia. Guinness World Records told The Local it has not yet verified the record.
In September 2012, the pair kissed underwater for three minutes and 45 seconds, La Stampa reported, and this year decided to challenge themselves further with a greater depth.
“The most difficult thing was to coordinate. It’s difficult to both be ready at the same time and take the last breath together,” Pedrinazzi told The Local.
The challenge was all the greater due to the cold and darkness in the lake, he added.
But they were well prepared: “We don’t live very close so we trained separately for the most part in swimming pools, holding our breath at the bottom and then doing some training at the bottom of a lake.”
Once resurfacing at the lake, Pedrinazzi said the pair “savoured our little moment of glory” before racing to have a hot shower.
The duo’s aim was to raise awareness for the sport of holding ones breath underwater, which Pedrinazzi described as a “great passion”.
After briefly basking in the record-breaking glory, the diver said he and Colombo are already back in training.