Andrew Budziak: Ice Diving for Science

About this episode

Richard Wiese interviews ice diver Andrew Budziak about his conservation project studying ecosystems beneath frozen lakes.

In this episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers are Tougher, Richard Wiese speaks with filmmaker, explorer, and ice diver Andrew Budziak about his project Freeze the Future — a conservation initiative studying the hidden ecosystems beneath frozen lakes. Andrew explains how scientists recently discovered productive algae communities growing underneath lake ice, reshaping assumptions about winter freshwater ecosystems. Through dangerous under-ice diving expeditions across Canada, his team is gatheri...

People in this episode

Host: Richard Wiese

Guest: Andrew Budziak

Topics covered

• ice diving
• conservation
• ecosystems
• freshwater
• exploration

Keywords

• ice diving
• conservation
• algae communities
• frozen lakes
• under-ice diving

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Freeze the Future

Places: Canada

More episodes of Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!

• Serena McCalla: Educator Who Built a Science Empire · May 20, 2026 · 31 min
• Hugues de Kerdrel: Mission to Save Whale Sharks · May 6, 2026 · 31 min
• Bertrand Piccard: Life is the Ultimate Exploration · April 22, 2026 · 42 min
• In Memory of Birute Galdikas - 53 Years of Studying Orangutans · April 8, 2026 · 23 min
• Alex More on Pandemics, Climate, and Human Survival · March 25, 2026 · 22 min
• Dr. Martin Nweeia and the Real Unicorn of the Sea · March 11, 2026 · 35 min