Ice diving course?

[rjack321]

udt diving inc .......we use a FIXED 100 foot line safety line is 200 feet . we teach a circular search pattern

do you teach them to hunt for a stick on the bottom to anchor the line?

 

[Tracy]

the saw is called a 'fisking saw ' best way to cut ice ive found

Close. It is a Fish's ice saw. Sold by Fish's sporting goods.

 

[lowviz]

udt diving inc .......we use a FIXED 100 foot line safety line is 200 feet . we teach a circular search pattern

(bolding mine)

Maybe just a bit of clarification for those who are trying to follow this thread: Many types of searching are in play in this thread:

1) Disconnected diver searching for line, or not.
2) Safety diver searching for disconnected diver.
3) Safety diver searching for disconnected line attached to diver.
4) Some kind of weird scenario with two divers, one laying line from a reel.

Please note that there are several "It depends" for 1-3 that are not addressed here. Take a good course and "Biggie Size" your AOW to beginning overhead, which is technically, 'Tech'...

 

[Erich S]

Many feel including Naui that ice is a form of tech diving.

 

[rhwestfall]

It is a very blurred line....

 

[M-Cameron]

im Ice certified....working on Advanced Wreck (limited penetration)....and otherwise SSI AOW......i certainly dont feel like a "tech" diver.

i have no qualms in calling Ice diving an advanced form of diving...and it definitely requires more training and a different mindset than a 30' reef dive in 80* water....

but im not doing deco, im not doing gas switching, or otherwise diving beyond recreational limits...

it definitely has elements of technical diving....but in my opinion, its not quite the same thing.

 

[tech_diver]

It always seemed strange to me that ice diving never earned the rep that cave diving has. You know, the most dangerous sport on earth, etc... It is an overhead environment.

In caves and wrecks, I have my spool and back-up spools so I'm managing my own line. In ice diving, you are tied to the end of a rope and someone else is managing the line. Feels a little freaky...

Ice dives are like short cave dives with the added danger of your air system freezing.

Here's a dive video I did years ago. low res, low tech.

 

[grf88]

The biggest difference between Ice Diving and other recreational specialties is the amount of work involved in setting up the site.

 

[rjack321]

It always seemed strange to me that ice diving never earned the rep that cave diving has. You know, the most dangerous sport on earth, etc... It is an overhead environment.

In caves and wrecks, I have my spool and back-up spools so I'm managing my own line. In ice diving, you are tied to the end of a rope and someone else is managing the line. Feels a little freaky...

Ice dives are like short cave dives with the added danger of your air system freezing.

Here's a dive video I did years ago. low res, low tech.

Having a big 1/4" rope back to the exit which is only 100-200ft away at its absolute maximum might have something to do with the relative safety compared to being (sometimes) radically deeper and (nearly always) vastly further from a cave exit. Not to mention there are no restrictions in lakes like there are in caves.

 

[lowviz]

The biggest difference between Ice Diving and other recreational specialties is the amount of work involved in setting up the site.

Annnnnd being able to experience a truly unique overhead environment with only an AOW cert.

...//... it definitely has elements of technical diving....but in my opinion, its not quite the same thing.

True enough, but...

It is a very blurred line....

And it gets blurrier: