Ice Diving Adventure

[bio guy]

I hear you Joelw. There was a nice thin layer of ice forming along the shore the other day, only to melt in the rain.

 

[Lost Yooper]

A white Christmas is looking kinda grim up here this year. We'll get some ice diving in, but who knows when. I'm not in a rush to see winter anyway -- I'm ready for a vacation.

A numb face while ice diving is part of the fun dontcha know!

Take care.

Mike

 

[Omni Dive]

Frozen:
Just a question tho. How do you handle the shock to your face when it hits that cold of water. I would suck a tank dry right there on the surface.

You get use to it pretty quick


And do your lips get numb?

and anything that is left exposed around your mask

Frozen Iquana Don

Omni Dive

 

[jmsdiver]

Originally posted by JoelW
If the weather doesn't turn for the better in the near future, ice diving here in Minnesota is going to be a pretty short season. I was out over the weekend and the air temp was 42F. The water temp was 37F though. According to the weather forecast it sounds like I will be able to crawl into open water over the holidays.

JoelW

I hear you: what, it's nearly Christmas and no snow and it's "warm" relatively speaking. A 180 degree turn from last year at this time where it was blustry and waist deep in snow. It's going to be a really short Ice Diving season if it doesn't shape up soon

For all of you that are worried about numb lips and the shock of the cold, you need to do some cold water diving. It's warmer under the ice than on the surface. The water temp isn't much colder than that in the summer months, ranging anywhere between 33 and 55 degrees F. Your lips and cheeks are no more numb ice diving that diving in Superior in the summer (where it was 36-39 this summer). Yes, drysuits and FFMs do make the dive more comfy, but they make any dive more comfy in the GWN:cold:

So, come on in, the water's fine

 

[The Chairman]

Grousing that the temp outside is 49 degrees!!! &$#*($*&%#!!! The 72 degree spring is soooooooooo inviting, but the kids are hearing nothing of it. BTW, the only ice in my dives are in the margueritas afterwards...

 

[Norm]

I enjoyed the pics. My first two ice dives were made in a wetsuit up in Racine. (Windchill was -34 degrees F) Then, I do a couple here at home and I wear a drysuit. Go figure.
Anyway, what intrigued me most about my first couple of ice dives was the constant cracking. It was an eerie sound I will never forget. Thin ice doesn't seem to do it. )Have you noticed how your bubbles eventually work their way up through the ice?)
Thanks for the report,
Norm