Ice diving...in wetsuits????

[tparrent]

I was up in my new hometown of Minneapolis the other day and had a few hours to kill so I stopped by a couple diveshops to check out the local conditions.

In the shop In Eagan they told me that they go ice diving in 7mm wetsuits! I don't mind cold but that seems out of control! These were not well insulated individuals either.

Has anyone gone under the ice in a wetsuit?

Is ice diving worth the chill?

I have a dream of diving in Antarctica someday (probably open water) so I suppose I should get ready for the cold. Thought I would get drysuit trained so I was surprised when they told me about the wetsuits.

 

[spectrum]

Have I done it no.

Is it worth it, probably to some. I wanted to do ice diving last winter but we had inadequate ice around here. I would have been doing it dry.

Can it be done, yes, I have met many who have. Usually divers startng out who had not gone dry yet. I can't say I hear of anyone making a habit of ice diving wet.

Pete

 

[Green_Manelishi]

I did my first underice dive in a wetsuit in the mid 1970s. Man, was it cold.

 

[texdiveguy]

Yes sure it can and is done by 'some'. Most folks dive ice in drysuits. We are diving Jan. in northern Iowa and you would be welcome to join in on an ice diving class.

 

[Mike Newman]

I was up in my new hometown of Minneapolis the other day and had a few hours to kill so I stopped by a couple diveshops to check out the local conditions.

In the shop In Eagan they told me that they go ice diving in 7mm wetsuits! I don't mind cold but that seems out of control! These were not well insulated individuals either.

Has anyone gone under the ice in a wetsuit?

Is ice diving worth the chill?

I have a dream of diving in Antarctica someday (probably open water) so I suppose I should get ready for the cold. Thought I would get drysuit trained so I was surprised when they told me about the wetsuits.

Can't see any reason why it can't be done.. Strikes me though that the dives would be on the short side compared to diving dry - and considering all the preparation involved in ice diving and the sensational viz you usually enjoy - that seems a shame.

Bigger concern - ensuring the right reg set to avoid free flows from first stage freezes. If you're saving on the drysuit to guarantee appropriate regs that makes complete sense to me.

But I dive dry under the ice ... No question...

 

[IceDiverInCA]

I've seen people ice diving wet. The trick is to have someone dump warm water in your suit right before going in. I've only gone under ice dry so I don't know how well it works.

 

[tparrent]

Sacred Bovine! That's a bunch of replies in a short time

So you ice divers, assumming drysuit diving, was it fun? Do you see much?

 

[JungleJoe]

I have dove ice alot, I have dove in wet and dry, I dove wet when I did not own a drysuit. You have to realize something, that in the lakes around here (midwest) once you get below the thermocline, you are typically near the same temp as you would be while ice diving. The only difference in winter and ice diving is the thermocline is at the surface, and oftentimes, the water is warmer than the air !

Diving Wet is not a problem, and nice 1/4 or 7mm suit will work great. One thing though, getting in you just do the SCREAM thing while the water enters and be done with it. Then once the water warms up to your body, your fine !. Dive is enjoyable, only thing that gets cold are anything that is not covered ex: your lips (which is why I switched to a full face mask).

Then when you have the money, you buy a drysuit, and wonder why you never bought one sooner (usually it's cost that is the reason). and the best part... you get DRY GLOVES !!!!!

Then getting in, no scream anymore, getting out, no probs because you are nice and warm in your undies and drysuit.

We usually have a pop up camper near the hole, for changing and warm up of the topside crew during their shifts on the rope boxes.

Under the ice is nice, alot of times you don't even need a light, the vis is alot better vs summer times, and there are alot of fun games to play. fill your bc up and stand (upside down) and then (dive) into the hole.... that or you can (ski), you have to pre-arrange it, but you go on a solo rope, to the end, at the surface you get on your fins with enough lift on your bc, and then have the top guys pull you so you are sliding along the ice underneath, it's a blast. You can also do evil things like putting strange things on ppl's tip up's that are ice fishing too


But again I repeat, under the ice, temp wise is pretty much the same as hitting the thermocline and staying below it. Only real difference is that with ice, your roped up (i hope) and have a top crew keeping an eye on the time etc. And when you get out, it's usually really cold !!!!

 

[texdiveguy]

I have dove ice alot, JJ

JJ....can you tell me some of the better places in WI. for ice dips?? Thanks AK

 

[skinerd]

The key as was said above is that hot water in the suit pre-dive. A thermos works, but the best solution is a small camping stove (propane wont work, has to be liquid gas). It works wonders, and it's all worth it, very worth it.