OK, everyone loves to travel to warm destinations with sandy, white beaches and tropical breezes. I love it and dream about it, but unfortunately, I'm living in the great white North — Minnesota. Don't get me wrong: The change of seasons is wonderful here in the land of 10,000 lakes. There is nothing like the beautiful fall colors along the bluffs of the Mississippi or the sound of the first robin in spring. But it does get somewhat tiresome to see all of those 10,000 lakes frozen from November to April. What is a scuba diver to do? Make the best of it, of course. Drill a hole in the ice at beautiful Square Lake (near Stillwater, Minnesota). Ice diving is something that I thought I would never do.

We Minnesotans are a strange breed; we love our lakes, frozen or otherwise.

It was a warm February day (20 degrees F) when we ventured out onto the ice of Square Lake. We carried our equipment on sleds to the perfect spot, right above a dive site that most of us had frequented during the previous summer. We set up an old military tent to store our equipment and began to drill a hole. We were not the only ones on the lake that day. Yes, we were the only divers, but there were also a number of ice fishermen around us. We got some curious looks, but hey, this is Minnesota. You can do a lot on the ice and not get questioned.

After quite a bit of preparation, the first team was ready to enter the water. Here is how the dive is completed: Four divers enter the water, attached to a guide rope. One person at the hole controls the slack of the rope. Two others assist the divers with gear and any miscellaneous problems. When the divers are down, they communicate to the surface crew by tugging on the rope.

I was to enter the water with the second team. Yes, I was nervous, but I really wanted to earn my Ice Diver certification. This was also my first experience in a drysuit. So much to think about: the cold, weights, rope signals, and body squeezes from the drysuit. But we were under the ice. It was great. The water was very clear, and there were so many fish! (No wonder people fish in the winter.)

We even did some inverted skiing. Don't know what that is? Come to Minnesota and find out. OK, I'll fill you in. Inverted skiing is turning yourself upside down so your fins are on the bottom side of the ice. You signal to the crew to pull you in, and bingo, you are skiing underwater, upside down!

Hopefully, this little story will entice some of you to experience diving in Minnesota. We can also take you to Square Lake in the summer if you prefer. It is still a great dive — just no skiing.