Ice diving in a wetsuit... crazy?

[j yaeger]

we routinely ice dive wet,but as was said,have a place for shelter between and after dives
padi requires advance diver cert before ice diving
smart folks...
go to cardinal,and dive the connie on the weekends!!!!
stays ice free,and you can change out in the wind break
and also see how your equip deals with the cold!
last winter i got a 31* temp on my computer there-good thing the water was moving!!!!
enjoy it all!
have fun
yaeg
(not sure what 31*f is in C (anadian)

 

[RonFrank]

I think it's a waste of time and money. If you were at a location were you would see cool stuff then maybe. if you had a drysuit maybe. Freezing you arse off, maybe catching a cold, to see not much and you are going to pay $100+ for this? According to PADI you're suppose to be AOW certified, but they likely won't enforce that.

I recommend a drysuit class first. There is a valuable skill were you live. Then if you want to ice dive at least you can enjoy the dive even if dives below 40f are a bit less enjoyable due to 5mm full hoods and cumbersome gloves. Dives underneath ice are also restricted by your teather.

I would save my money and do a long weekend in FL!

 

[oreocookie]

I would save my money and do a long weekend in FL!

I like your thinking.... turns out my buddy's probably not going to be able to do the course this winter anyway, so it might all be a moot point. Maybe I'll do a drysuit class in the spring and start my season early.

As far as there being stuff to see, I know one of the shops around here does the ice class in a quarry with a bunch of sunken planes and cars and stuff in it, not sure about the other shops though.

For the AOW requirement, not entirely sure why that came up since drysuit isn't required for that, but I've got that covered. (could start DM tomorrow if I really wanted to)

 

[rongoodman]

The other thing to consider is that tethered or not, it's an overhead environment and you'll no longer have direct access to the surface. It would not be my first choice for an overhead course, although I might do it now(dry, and diving in my sidemount rig.)

 

[covediver]

from the diversity of response you can see there are a range of opinions on the subject of dry versus wet. It does come down for individual preferences and an ability to tolerate the discomfort of cold. I dived in 40 degree water in BC many years ago. I was the only one on board with a wetsuit, but it was an industrial suit so it worked ok. but, I was more tired than the other divers and had to work hard at staying warm between dives.

I would not do an overhead environmnet until I had some experience with the drysuit. I was dry suit certified but did not ever dive in a drysuit until moving to Alaska. It took me about 10 dives before I really felt competent with a drysuit. It does swim differently than a wetsuit. so if you are going to do the drysuit class, get some expereince with it before ice diving would be my advice.

I do like your enthusiasm for diving and ability to synthesize different perspectives on your question. These are good qualities in a diver. Figure out what works for you and build on it.

 

[tadawson]

I did slush (not ice penetration - no overhead, but likely colder due to swells keeping the water column mixed) years ago, in a 1/4" full farmer john wetsuit, and other than my face, it was not too bad at all. If the suit is appropriate and fits well, it can be quite warm once it fills. Regarding my face, since it needs to be exposed either we or dry, I doubt a dry suit would have changed that much.

- Tim

 

[fjpatrum]

I haven't done ice diving (and don't plan to) but I have a few pics of myself similar to what cloudflint posted. Air temps, low 20s water temps, low 40s (so probably a good 5 or 6 degrees warmer than you will encounter ice diving) and I was a-okay in a very thick wetsuit. Several wetsuits, actually. I get cold very easily so I had on a 5/3 hooded vest, 4/3 full suit, and 7mm step in jacket plus the obvious gloves and booties. My buddies were wearing single piece hooded 7mm suits and were also comfortable but they have significantly more natural insulation than I do. I did two 30-40 minute dives. Between dives, the key for me was to use warm/hot water on my suit (carried in thermos containers) and drink hot water also. I also keep a "space blanket", which I wrap myself in to reflect my own body heat back on me. Some space heaters strategically placed are nice too if you can get a decent power source. Or a fire.

Only you can really know whether a wetsuit will be sufficient for you. If you have the opportunity to get a dry suit and course in the interim, you'll be much more comfortable in it than a wetsuit so that's the right choice. If not, you'll survive and probably even enjoy your ice dives in a wetsuit. I bet you'll get a dry suit shortly afterward though.

 

[cloudflint]

2 days in a wetsuit!? Uh.....afraid to ask but, how did you doody?

Just held it in was sleeping in a field in the middle of nowhere at the time so don't think there was anywhere to go anyway

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I happen to think all ice diving is crazy, but that's just me. Our local shop offers the course and does an annual outing for all ice divers in conjunction with the class, in which all the polar bears usually participate. It is done at a high, clear mountain lake that is at about 8400 feet elevation. Most use dry suits, but some have dove in 7 mil farmer john wet suit (7 mil over 7 mil, with hood gloves boots, etc.) Everyone says they get cold, but have fun. And everyone I asked said that it was VERY important to have a shelter at hand for changing into dry clothes, as the air temperature was in single digits F. So if that is your idea of fun, go for it, but be very careful, and have a competent support team as well as instructor(s) on hand.
DivemasterDennis

 

[FinnMom]

It's real doable, used to be downright common when drysuits were a lot more expensive. That said, a drysuit is just A WHOLE LOT nicer experience.
You'll be fine underwater if you have a good suit, esp. 5-9mm gloves, boots & hood. Suit should be at least 7mm and fit you well, strongly recommend a 5mm short over the main suit. Just like above the water, the key is to keep your core warm. I suggest pouring really warm water into the suit before you go in the water. Getting out of the water and undressing is the really cold part. You'll be colder than a witch's left t**. On the other hand you'll probably feel absolutely wonderful and energized after getting dry, getting some clothes on and having something warm to drink.
If you can borrow a drysuit and have someone who can teach you how to use it you can get by with a couple pool sesssions and someone keeping an eye on you underwater. That too used to be the normal way to learn. My 1st open water drysuit dive was also my 1st ice dive (no formal training). I did plowed the bottom a bit because I wanted to be extra sure I didn't bounce up and hit the ice. No pblms then and the next 10 dives were all ice dives. The view down there can be just fabulous, esp. with the sunlight or moonlight shining through the ice.
Whichever way you decide to go, be careful and have fun. Stay in well within your comfort zone (underwater, getting undressed won't be in your comfort zone ;-) but that's OK.
W/in the comfort zone is safer and a lot more fun.