Meet an insect with an amazing ability—it can surround itself in a bubble of air and dive underwater. The alkali fly lives in California’s Lake Mono, whose super-salty water keeps most creatures away. But not these hardy insects, which dive right in to eat algae and lay their eggs.

Floris van Breugel, a biologist at the University of Washington, recently discovered the key to alkali flies’ scuba trick. They have hydrophobic, or water repellent, hairs covering their bodies. Pockets of air catch on the hairs as the bugs submerge themselves. The bubble provides the flies with air to breathe and also protects them from the lake’s harsh environment.