A TikTok influencer came ‘close to dying’ after diving beneath the ice in a frozen lake and becoming disorientated in the water.
Jason Clark attempted the extremely dangerous stunt in Utah, USA, where his girlfriend, Abby Mcdonald, filmed him plunging into the freezing water as she watched from the ice.
The influencer can be seen swimming away from the hole in the ice in an attempt to find a another hole through which to exit, but he got lost under the ice and struggled to figure out his path.
He shared the video on TikTok as well as Instagram, where he wrote:
I have never been this close to dying. I didn’t think my eyeballs would freeze so quick. The surface of the water where the hole was didn’t look any different than the bottom of the ice.
Warning: Do Not Try This At Home. Or At Your Local Frozen Lake. Or At Any Lake. Ever. Seriously, don’t do this:
After realising he couldn’t find the exit he’d created in the ice, Jason decided to turn around and attempt to follow the dust he’d kicked up while swimming to find the hole he’d entered through.
However, the dust in the water had drifted and only made Jason more disorientated. He became desperate and attempted to break the ice with his back, to no avail.
The influencer’s lack of oxygen left him struggling to see and breath, and he ‘accepted… [he] wasn’t going to make it’. Finally, he managed to identify a ‘lighter spot of ice’ and pushed his hand up to find the entrance hole he’d made.
He continued:
I then got a ton of energy to stand up. It took 2-3 breaths to regain my vision after resurfacing.
Jason’s girlfriend had apparently failed to recognise the ‘severity of the situation’ and believed Jason was joking as he struggled under the ice. In another post, Jason told his followers he ‘wouldn’t have made it’ if he’d been under the ice for ‘another second or two’.
He claimed the situation gave him a ‘reality check’, but then, for some completely baffling reason, he decided to disregard his near-death experience and have another go at swimming under the ice.
This time, Jason created a much bigger exit hole to ensure ‘more safety’ and managed to make it there without incident, explaining he had to ‘try it twice’.
In spite of his success, however, the influencer’s actions should definitely, definitely not be imitated. The dangers of swimming under ice are evident, and Jason was very lucky to make it out.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.