and Recovery for the County of San Bernardino in the late 60's or early 70's we would have to chop holes in the ice in order to drop down into the lakes to search for people who "tested it first" and walked out on it. I hope the tide was low enough to be able to stand back up if it let go. The really bad thing about lake ice is that once you fall through, it's not clear water. It's as murky and dark as it gets. I remember one time putting my finger on my mask and not being able to see it. So, if you go in, don't expect to be able to find the hole. Our searching was all done by feel. Chop a hole, drop a brick with a line on it into the hole, tie another line with a loop around the first line and jump in. The guy on the top would hold the brick line tight so you could swim around it holding onto the other line and do circles. You held onto the line with one hand and swept in front with the other. It was like "is this a head? No, it's a rock" and you kept going. I did it for about 5 years on a volunteer basis as a reserve Deputy Sheriff and I highly recommend that you don't fall through the ice! It was a cool picture though.