Natalia Avseenko, the champion Russian swimmer, claims to be haunted by
the legend who rules world's longest underwater cave in freezing Siberia, tried to
recreate King Arthur's Lady of the Lake in her flowing robes and long
hair swirling in the water around her.
She actually tried to recreate 'Lady of the Orda Cave', a spirit said to
inhabit the world's longest
underwater cave in freezing Siberia. The cave lies beneath Russia's
Ural Mountains and the waters are so clear you can see for 50 yards. She
spent two days in the icy water recreating the myth with the help of
other cave divers.
The 37-year-old held her breath for up to three minutes at a time at depths
of 17m while posing
in flowing robes on top of a wet suit. Despite the chill and the threat
of danger, she described her experience as 'incredible', mysterious and
beautiful'. She said: ‘It felt as if I was in Alice in Wonderland. I
was scared to enter the cave at the beginning but having squeezed
through the narrow entrance I entered a beautiful hall.'
She added: 'It felt as if I was in a natural cathedral. I thought it would be
dark and scary inside
but I had light and everything was visible. There is a feeling of being
in complete silence and harmony. There are no thoughts inside your
mind. I realised the greatness of nature and the universe. I was full of
joy and harmony. All the fears were disappearing one by one. I had no
inner battles and I just let all my inner-garbage go.’
Conditions were harsh with temperatures reaching -40C outside, while inside
the cave was slightly warmer at -23C and the water itself at a less-than-balmy +5C.
Yoga expert Ms Avseenko, who has previously held her breath underwater
for 10 minutes and 40 seconds, found the shoot physically demanding.
Diving without face equipment took its toll causing significant pain to
her exposed eyes and face.
The project was the brainchild of
award-winning photographer and filmmaker Victor Lyagushkin, 42, who has
led previous expeditions to capture the eerie beauty of the crystal
cave. He uses an underwater funnel to stop oxygen bubbles damaging the
delicate edges of the cave, which are made of gypsum - a soft calcium
mineral.
The project sprung into life after Mr Lyagushkin, from Moscow, came across
a legendary tale about
a spirit dwelling in the depths. Some divers will even decide not to
dive on a certain day they feel a presence or tiny glitches with their
equipment. One diver describes the feeling as an 'inquisitive, jealous
and purely female glance... like an elder sister'.
Despite this
slight foreboding, every risk was calculated to ensure maximum safety
for everyone involved. Mr Lyagushkin added: ‘Is it risky? The answer is
yes. You must be aware of each step or you will die. ‘There are hundreds
of ways to die in a cave, and many divers never come back. [none have
died in Orda Cave to date]. But the reward is the possibility to see
something beautiful - something that nobody has seen before.'
He
added: ‘For millions of years this amazing place existed, water formed
in the palace and no human was here. It is a special feeling. I think
the same feeling a cosmonaut would have on the moon.’
Republic's dense Dzanga-Sangha foresty area when she stumbled across this cloud of butterflies. 
six
times more powerful than that of an adult human. Western lowland
gorillas, found only in central Africa, are now classified as Critically
Endangered with their populations being decimated by habitat loss,
disease and hunting, according to London Zoo.
commonly
known as a ‘silverback’ because of a large strip of silver coloured
hair that covers his back. But the delicate butterflies need not have
feared Malui snapping them up as a snack - the gorillas typically have a
diet rich in fruit and also leaves, shoots, stalks, stems, vines and
bark.
