Skip to main content

Watch this man jump into ice-cold water to rescue his iPhone

Roman Czarnomski is one brave guy. Or just plain crazy.

The resident of British Columbia earlier this week jumped into a freezing cold harbor in Victoria on the west coast of Canada to rescue his beloved iPhone XS.

Recommended Videos

A video (below) of the precarious salvage effort begins with Czarnomski stripped down to his underpants as he ponders whether he really is going to submerge himself in ice-cold water for the sake of a handset.

With snow falling in what looks to be frigid temperatures, one of the onlookers tries to persuade Czarnomski to abandon his rescue effort, telling him, “Your phone’s ruined, don’t jump in there, it’s a bad idea … it’s not worth it.”

But the guy recording the video, evidently keen for Czarnomski to bring his iPhone to the surface (or simply desperate to catch some wacky footage), eggs him on, calling out, “It’s not that deep,” before adding, “It’s not that far, you can swim.”

Next, we see Czarnomski carefully lowering himself down the harbor wall to dip a foot into the water to test the temperature, though it could only have been either “frickin’ cold” or “really frickin’ cold.” Probably the latter.

Having made his decision, the daring phone rescuer launches himself into the water, briefly disappearing beneath the surface before emerging with his Apple-made device, and possibly double pneumonia.

Victoria man jumps into the freezing inner harbour to rescue his iPhone. 🥶 Wondering if it worked afterwards?

We have the answer here: https://t.co/K9jRSKLvca#victoriabuzz #yyj pic.twitter.com/ANBbubFAQT

— Victoria Buzz (@victoriabuzzes) February 16, 2021

Incredibly, despite the phone being submerged for several hours, it still worked.

Apple says the iPhone XS, which launched in 2018 before being discontinued a year later, is designed to withstand up to two meters of water for up to 30 minutes, though Czarnomski’s handset remained in the icy depths for far longer.

“I had a feeling it would work,” he told local news site Victoria Buzz, adding, “I wasn’t really sure though until it buzzed in my pocket when the guy who took the videos sent them to me after I got out.”

Czarnomski explained that the camera had slipped out of his hand when he was taking photos of the harbor, but at the time the water was too deep to retrieve it. So he decided to return a few hours later at low tide to get it back.

While swimming in extremely cold temperatures is an enjoyable pastime for some people, it can present health risks for others, so do think twice about doing what Czarnomski did if you’re ever faced with a similar dilemma.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Here’s one fella who can’t wait to get his hands on the iPhone Air
Alleged concept render of the iPhone 17 Air in black.

The so-called “iPhone Air” is apparently on the way, despite Apple remaining characteristically tight-lipped about such a device. 

Numerous leaks have suggested that the iPhone Air, which is expected to launch this fall along with the iPhone 17, will be just 5.5mm thick, making it easily Apple’s slimmest handset yet. 

Read more
The foldable iPhone could become a yearly staple for Apple
Semi-open state of a foldable iPhone concept

South Korean tech site ET News has released a report suggesting the foldable iPhone will get an annual refresh starting in 2026. It would replace the Pro Max as the top-of-the-line iPhone model and get updated every year just like the rest of the core lineup.

The launch date for the "iPhone Fold" is still up in the air -- so while ET News is betting on 2026, we don't know if that will turn out to be accurate or not. Either way, the hype around this rumored new model is continuing to build with every new leak we get.

Read more
Latest iPhone Fold leak adds weight to previously rumored design feature
Concept render of a foldable iPhone.

There are plenty of rumors surrounding Apple's next iPhone models, with the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models expected to be revealed later this year, likely in September. A super slim iPhone – dubbed the iPhone 17 Air in most rumors – has also been heavily speculated to arrive this year, competing with the recent Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, but next year could see an even more exciting iPhone launch. 

It's long been rumored that 2026 could be the year Apple finally joins the folding phone market, with its offering going up against devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, or what will likely be the Galaxy Z Fold 7 by the time Apple's model arrives. There have already been a number of reports suggesting what the iPhone Fold might feature, but the latest talks about the screen ratios of both the main and cover displays, as well as the front camera design. 

Read more