Ice diver's rope snapped - Cold Stream Pond, Maine

[rx7diver]

I became separated from my tether during an ice dive about a decade ago. The line did not fail, but I had clipped into a D-ring on my BCD which tore off with a strong pull from the surface. Entirely my fault for not recognizing that a sewn-in D-ring did not provide a sufficient anchor point and/or underestimating how much force might be applied. ...

And this is precisely why the "Traditional Approach" uses a safety harness worn under one's scuba kit, with the tether secured with an appropriate knot (rather than "clipped on").

rx7diver

 

[Whitrzac]

And this is precisely why the "Traditional Approach" uses a safety harness worn under one's scuba kit, with the tether secured with an appropriate knot (rather than "clipped on").

rx7diver

Most just use a secure attachment point on the bc. Something that wont rip off easily.
A seporate harness is probobly safer, but I haven't seen one used unless someone is diving a cheap BC without metal rings/etc.

 

[rhwestfall]

No harness, no dive... Even with a bp/w, the harness was on under it, and the tether connected to it (not your rig) with a LOCKING carbiner (actually 2 anchor points). Tether was, iirc, 3/8 poly, and we had lessons on how to make the end loops.

Fun as all heck diving if you follow the protocols.

 

[Trouts]

And this is precisely why the "Traditional Approach" uses a safety harness worn under one's scuba kit, with the tether secured with an appropriate knot (rather than "clipped on").

rx7diver

By clipped on, I meant with a locking carabiner. I personally wouldn't want to rely on a knot (especially in freezing temperatures), but our group now routinely uses dual-locking carabiners and separate harnesses as appropriate. Analyzing close calls for what went wrong (and right) is important. So is listening to divers and instructors you respect. If they are telling you that what you are doing is not in line with the established safety practices for the dive, you should listen.

 

[tursiops]

My ice-diving class was taught by Todd Smith, who wrote THE book. No corners were cut....

 

[happy-diver]

It's a pond, I don't see any rivers entering or leaving, and it's the wrong time of year for a deep lake current. There seems to be some outflow through Cold Stream 5 miles (8.0 km) south to reach the Passadumkeag River, but not enough to create a current that would break a good rope. I think it was a case of a faulty rope.

​

 

[eelpout]

My ice-diving class was taught by Todd Smith, who wrote THE book. No corners were cut....

What book did he write? Interested...

 

[ntlhui]

By clipped on, I meant with a locking carabiner. I personally wouldn't want to rely on a knot (especially in freezing temperatures), but our group now routinely uses dual-locking carabiners and separate harnesses as appropriate. Analyzing close calls for what went wrong (and right) is important. So is listening to divers and instructors you respect. If they are telling you that what you are doing is not in line with the established safety practices for the dive, you should listen.

Just curious, why not rely on a knot and instead rely on hardware? I don't have ice diving training, but in climbing (even in ice climbing), we prefer tying directly into our climbing line(s) from the harness as opposed to having a carabiner in between, primarily to reduce the probability that the carabiner will be cross-loaded or inadvertently opened (which can happen even with triple lockers). We typically use a figure-8 follow-through (or some people use a bowline on a bight, though it isn't as widely accepted).

 

[Tracy]

Just curious, why not rely on a knot and instead rely on hardware? I don't have ice diving training, but in climbing (even in ice climbing), we prefer tying directly into our climbing line(s) from the harness as opposed to having a carabiner in between, primarily to reduce the probability that the carabiner will be cross-loaded or inadvertently opened (which can happen even with triple lockers). We typically use a figure-8 follow-through (or some people use a bowline on a bight, though it isn't as widely accepted).

This is my preferred method for climbing as well.
I will use locking carabiners on divers anchored into a spliced end. I don't like tying in divers as we are using polypro and with no load on it. It slips. Polypro should be spliced to be a secure connection.

 

[boulderjohn]

What book did he write? Interested...

Beneath a Crystal Ceiling: the Complete Guide to Ice Diving by R. Todd Smith

You will have a hard time finding it. The only site I could find with it was a Chinese eBay site. It is going for $99.

There are newer books, but not many. Here's one.