Ontario Freedivers
Andrew Ryzebol- Andrew Ryzebol is a professional ice diver from Canada who tells PEOPLE exclusively about his frigid adventures deep beneath the frozen surfaces of the Great Lakes he explores.
- The athlete shares the key to surviving swims in such extreme wintery conditions without an oxygen tank, including the shocking amount of time he's able to hold his breath underwater.
- Ryzebol details some of the most fascinating discoveries he's uncovered during his deep dive excursions over the years, recalling some of his earliest finds from over one decade ago.
Remember as a kid when you'd try to swim across a 25-yard pool without taking a breath, or you'd take a big gulp of air in an attempt to touch the 12-foot bottom? While those were likely innocent summer pastimes with friends, Andrew Ryzebol has made it his career, only colder and more extreme.
Imagine the aforementioned scenarios, but with a wintery — and potentially treacherous — twist. The Ontario native carves a hole into a thick sheet of ice that's formed atop Great Lake and dives down 200-plus feet into uncharted, freezing waters with nothing but a mask and fins.
A wetsuit, too, is worn — but at times, he opts not to. At this point in the story, you're probably wondering why someone would voluntarily put themselves in a daunting environment that's both physically and mentally taxing upwards of 20 times per year during Canada's coldest months?
"I had a lot of fun doing it," says professional ice diver Ryzebol, 36, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE about his niche hobby that's conveniently evolved into a career since his first-ever underwater exploration in 2010 at age 21. Unsurprisingly, it spawned from a dare.
Related: Cave Diver Survives Getting Sucked Through an Iceberg. Here’s What Almost Killed Her (Exclusive)
Ontario Freedivers
Ice diver Andrew Ryzebol float beneath a bed of ice on the surface of a Great LakeWhile on a camping trip in Canada at the time, Ryzebol reacted to a challenge posed by his best friend who introduced him to free diving "completely by accident." Bored, the duo turned to Google for activity inspiration and found shipwrecks in the area.
"When we were on this one wreck, my friend, being a 21-year-old young male, dared me, 'I bet you can't touch the bottom,'" he remembers. Confidently, Ryzebol countered.
In an attempt to prove his buddy wrong, he took a "big breath" and swam down with the little diving knowledge he possessed at the time. "I didn't blow my ears out, thankfully, and touched the bottom," he says, proudly recounting his accomplished mission.
"I came on up and he's high-fiving me. We couldn't believe how deep I went," Ryzebol looks back with a laugh. In hindsight, he playfully deems the celebratory reaction of his then naive self "really embarrassing" compared to his unimaginable, yet remarkable ...
