Overview
- On NBC's The Tonight Show, Smith said the dive turned dangerous moments after entry when he heard urgent calls to abort and tried to ascend only to hit the ice.
- He recounted being roughly 40 yards from the hole under ice as thick as 10 feet, grabbing his tether and accidentally pulling off his mask before someone topside hauled him back.
- Smith said that once he realized he was safe, the panic shifted to a serene moment as sunlight filtered through the ice.
- He noted that producers often keep him unaware of upcoming activities to capture genuine reactions, citing a storm at about -37°C that hit as he climbed a South Pole ice wall.
- He also described joining local guides on an Amazon anaconda hunt tied to conservation testing of the snake’s scales.