Ice diving thread (who is doing it?)

[abnfrog]

im not sure , I had planned not to

 

[rhwestfall]

@abnfrog - any word from George or Kristine (?) of doing it?

 

[abnfrog]

no I haven't heard

 

[Dredgy]

I’m in Australia, so extremely hot here right now, but plan to do the PADI specialty in July.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I’m in Australia, so extremely hot here right now, but plan to do the PADI specialty in July.

Where exactly do you ice dive in Australia?

 

[Dredgy]

Where exactly do you ice dive in Australia?

I believe the only place cold enough is literally up our tallest mountain in midwinter.
The course is based in Jindabyne, which has a lake that doesn’t freeze over, and the ice diving itself is somewhere in Kosciusko national park,

 

[BenjaminF]

I believe the only place cold enough is literally up our tallest mountain in midwinter.
The course is based in Jindabyne, which has a lake that doesn’t freeze over, and the ice diving itself is somewhere in Kosciusko national park,

That sounds like my doing it here in Israel, and maybe doing the dives themselves in the Mediterranean sea with our 16 degree water... Although somebody in Egypt did something similar and still got the PADI certification for ice diving, so maybe there is quantum ice on the sea surface in this part of the Med?

 

[FinnMom]

Under the ice is relatively normal diving here, at least if you have a drysuit. High quality wetsuits are actually amazing fine underwater, but donning and esp. doffing (wet skin in cold air is not fun) is a dealbreaker IMHO. The visibility in inland sites is often hugely better in winter than at any other time of the year because no wind, rain, pollen or runoff has dirtied or disturbed the water in weeks or months. Local clubs often offer ice diving classes (1 day events) where the instruction is free but if you really want the CMAS card you can pay the cost of being issued one.

We have found that esp. for beginners it works best to cut a generously-sized hole in water about chest high because it feels a lot better to stand firmly on the ground, then kneel in the nice big open space to check your regs underwater and trade your 1st OK's before deciding to get underway. My first time required jumping in when I could see that the bottom was far below & it wasn't as stress-free as being able to stand firmly on the bottom. Having at least one opening with chest-high water also makes exiting from that opening pretty easy, but allows folks to practise how they would do it if they could not push off the bottom. Exiting over deeper water is a bigger challenge for those carrying doubles and the extra weight you carry when diving a drysuit and a nice warm undergarmet(s).

I've never had a hugely expensive undersuit, but of the ordinary-priced ones my experience has been that blanket-style insulation is more likely to bind uncomfortably at the knee and most esp. at the elbow. IMO a Michelin man-style suit fluffs up as much as it can (trapping warm air like a down sleeping bag) but crushes down at the joints much more comfortably.

Sunlight or moonlight from under the ice is an exceptionally beautiful sight.

 

[freename]

@abnfrog - any word from George or Kristine (?) of doing it?

I've made a few inquiries about potentially running one near Tobermory - or at the very least, going there with a bunch of already certified ice divers. Nothing is really figured out yet, though.

 

[shurite7]

For those that ice dive, what do you and other locals in your area dive?

The majority around here use a single AL80 and pony (AL13 or 19) attached to their back. Many now use a full face mask (ffm) which are rather nice. I use a single ST100 with an AL40 and ffm. I've seen one person use a rebreather. He liked it, but it was quite cumbersome when getting him out of the water.

Side-mount would be a nice option. One can hand the cylinders up prior to exiting, making it much easier for the top crew to pull the diver out of the water.