Ice diving in a wetsuit... crazy?

[shoredivr]

I have friends that winter dive and ice dive in wetsuits, but not many. The other factor besides what's been mentioned is wind chill. A moderate breeze can really drop the perceived temperature, so getting out of the wind into a tent or ice hut is important.

Gear can freeze on you, also. Warm water is useful to get clips and buckles undone.

 

[CuNanoTube]

I've done it. It was not particularly fun, but in general if you are going under the ice you are not going as deep (obviously there are exceptions) so the suit should keep you warm. The only time I was cold (including sitting on the hole for 40 minutes) was after I got out. My zipper froze shut almost instantly so having hot water around is a must.

Of course I now have a drysuit so that is not a concern any more. I bought my DUI CNSE with TPS Thinsulate Extreme undergarments on Saturday. I cannot wait to dive it.

 

[RonFrank]

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)

PADI shows that you must have AOW as a prerequisite to ICE diving class.... but you are covered.

 

[oreocookie]

Ron, I realize that. Just not entirely sure why it came up based on the question I asked, guess it was just someone (can't remember who) reminding me of that requirement just in case.

Based on everybody's responses, I'll be going the drysuit route first. I hadn't really considered the getting out of the water part, which seems to be one of the major differences for wet vs dry in this case.

 

[nimoh]

when we ice dive, our signal for getting out of the water at the end of the dive is 2 (or more) tugs on the rope, and the tender will treat it as an emergency (even though it is most likely not). He/She will put the rope over their shoulder and start running. The rescue diver will normally tell them when to stop running (i.e. the diver is close to the hole). The diver will be positively buoyant, and standing on the underside of the ice facing the rope (i.e. facing the hole).

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the diver will basically ski on the underside of the ice all the way back to the hole, this is one of my favorite things to do ice diving. One time I was moving so fast, by hood came off my head

I of course recommend discussing the details of this with other team members though (they are likely already familiar with the practice anyway).

I hope you have a great time!!

 

[oreocookie]

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the diver will basically ski on the underside of the ice all the way back to the hole, this is one of my favorite things to do ice diving. One time I was moving so fast, by hood came off my head ... I hope you have a great time!!

Well that sounds ridiculously fun.