Inside the glacier: Astonishing underwater pictures from a maze carved in the ice

These breath-taking images were taken of an underwater maze inside a glacier by an intrepid explorer.
Photographer Franco Banfi braved sub-zero temperatures to dive under thick ice and capture these remarkable pictures at Sassolo Lake, Switzerland, at considerable risk to his life.
The glaciers create extraordinary underwater caves and passages due to changes in temperature between the summer and winter months.

And the make the perfect project for Mr Banfi, 52, who explores even the smallest passages within the icy maze.

He said: 'In temperatures of just 2-3C or below it can be dangerous if you don't know the place and if you don't have experience in an ice environment.
'It gets quite dark depending on how much ice there is above your head at the surface - so in some places with thicker ice it gets dangerously dark.
'The underwater tunnels form when ice compacts in the winter months and in spring when it starts melting creating cracks and tunnels like in these pictures.
'Usually for ice diving it's mandatory to use a rope but here the lake is not completely closed. But you must know the place to go without.
'The experience is like no other and the surroundings are out of this world.'
Mr Banfi, from Cadro, Switzerland, took these snaps last summer while on a dive with his partner Sabrina.

 He added: 'I'm a professional photographer so I have experience in ice diving in places like Antarctica, the Arctic, White Sea and dozens of mountain lakes.
'I do risk my life but I have years of experience including around 100 dives under the ice. It's the passion which drives me to get the perfect picture.'

By Wil Longbottom