Sure, ice anglers’ fingers may get cold. But for those who really want to earn their hot chocolate, there’s ice diving, wherein scuba fanatics explore the world beneath a body of water’s frozen surface. Few try it, says David Moravek, a scuba instructor at Colorado Springs’ Underwater Connection—which isn’t surprising, as the only things between them and hypothermia are a thermal layer and dry suit. From January to March, these hardy divers venture to Turquoise, Isabelle, and other alpine lakes, where they chainsaw a hole into an eight-inch layer of ice (the minimum thickness needed to safely support the team and equipment). A support person helps the divers out of the water after 15 to 45 minutes of exploring; an emergency diver stands by. Below, the icy ceiling reduces debris, resulting in clearer-than-usual water with a dramatic ray of light beaming through the entrance. “Three-quarters of our Earth is underwater,” Moravek says. “Once you start getting into ice diving, it’s another pinnacle of that beauty.”