This is for anyone who has experienced Ice diving or Cold water diving and for people wishing to learn more about it. So please post any experiences, gear recommendations and techniques.
Ice Diving
- Thread starter Dive Antarctica
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Hey!!
CHeck out our forum here....
http://www.mossmanscuba.com/forum/index.php
(hope this works) or
just check out the website.....
http://www.mossmanscubaventures.com/
Ice diving and cold water diving is great! I hope you can try it.
If you ask more direct questions, I think you'll get more posts. (Everything is jsut different than warm. Is warm water your only experience?
CHeck out our forum here....
http://www.mossmanscuba.com/forum/index.php
(hope this works) or
just check out the website.....
http://www.mossmanscubaventures.com/
Ice diving and cold water diving is great! I hope you can try it.
If you ask more direct questions, I think you'll get more posts. (Everything is jsut different than warm. Is warm water your only experience?
Some basic things -
Redundancy of valves - at least have a tank with Y valves if not doubles - the last prefered.
DIN rather than yoke.
Cold water regulators - SP or Apeks are I think the best
If ice diving - do not try your regulator on the surface - that in almost 100% will result in freeezing it....
Get warm - dry suit or (I know quite a few guys), semidry or 7+7mm wet suit (yeah, here they do ice diving in wetsuits.....)
Some quick tips. Any other questions?
Mania
PS. Most of the dives in Poland are cold water and durign the winter of course ice ones. Even in summer in lakes water is not warmer (under the thermocline) that 4 - 7 Centigrades (39 - 44 F). And this is a standard temperature of the Baltic Sea (of course not on the surface...).
Redundancy of valves - at least have a tank with Y valves if not doubles - the last prefered.
DIN rather than yoke.
Cold water regulators - SP or Apeks are I think the best
If ice diving - do not try your regulator on the surface - that in almost 100% will result in freeezing it....
Get warm - dry suit or (I know quite a few guys), semidry or 7+7mm wet suit (yeah, here they do ice diving in wetsuits.....)
Some quick tips. Any other questions?
Mania
PS. Most of the dives in Poland are cold water and durign the winter of course ice ones. Even in summer in lakes water is not warmer (under the thermocline) that 4 - 7 Centigrades (39 - 44 F). And this is a standard temperature of the Baltic Sea (of course not on the surface...).
Either get an ice diving cert or at a minimum learnunder an experienced person.
Triangular holes are easier to get out of (sharper angle at the corner) a little sand or gravel around the edge prevents the tenders and by standers from going for a swim.
I think doubles are a bit of a pain to exit with so I will use a 30 cu ft pony slung like a deco bottle for redundancy.
When you are ready to end the dive, swim to the limit of the rope, invert yourself, stand "up" on the ice upside down (and let your brain adjust to this for a few seconds) and then give the pre arranged signal for the tender to grab the rope and run as fast as they can away from the hole. You can then ski along the surface back to the hole.
Triangular holes are easier to get out of (sharper angle at the corner) a little sand or gravel around the edge prevents the tenders and by standers from going for a swim.
I think doubles are a bit of a pain to exit with so I will use a 30 cu ft pony slung like a deco bottle for redundancy.
When you are ready to end the dive, swim to the limit of the rope, invert yourself, stand "up" on the ice upside down (and let your brain adjust to this for a few seconds) and then give the pre arranged signal for the tender to grab the rope and run as fast as they can away from the hole. You can then ski along the surface back to the hole.
I've always wanted to Ice dive. So far the coldest I've gone diving is in the Puget Sound. Half my dives are there. For a while I intend to build experience and get a few specialties I want to have, but then I want to train for ice diving. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best route for the training - agency, location or experience?
Here in Calgary, Alberta we have a PADI course that runs. As well, there are some DIR divers who have their own hole... PM me if you're interested in either.
jpedwards
Contributor
Don't forget to PLUG THE HOLE when you're done playing with it. Mark it with yellow warning tape, too. Don't want any little skaters going for a swim ...
OP
I am setting up a dive trip to Antarctica departing January 2006. I am taking a group or divers (maximum 7) and sailing from South America. The trip only requires drysuit diving as we are not cutting holes in the ice to dive. I personally am doing several trips to get my ice diving cert etc. however it is extremely hard to get this type of training in the Southern Hemisphere.
Does anyone have any training drills which you think I should include in the pre dive training for the other members of the trip?
www.diveantarctica.com
Does anyone have any training drills which you think I should include in the pre dive training for the other members of the trip?
www.diveantarctica.com
Try sitting in a big chest freezer naked with the lid closed. When you can't take it anymore have someone pour near frozen water over your head. This will simulate a dry suit leak....Im thinking about taking a job in AA just so I can dive there. Good luck!
tjsmith1979
Registered
Dive Antarctica:
That sounds fanastic... pm me the details.
I am orginally from Sydney, Australia and have travelled to Canada for 12 Months to do some travel and some diving. While over here I completed my PADI Ice Diver Speciality Course and my NAUI Ice Diver Speciality Course. There are different rope signals with the tender "person on the surface" so it is always good to check the signals before doing any ice diving. It is usually about 3 or 4 dives to complete the Ice Diver course. I would suggest a warm insulation underneath your drysuit and some great ice diving performance regs as we used Apeks which had no problem at all even with depth. The tempurate was 34oF degrees which was about 2oC and it is snowing also on the surface.
Keep well hydrated with lots of warm drinks and suggest a thick insulated jacket for in between dives, but I wouldnt have changed a thing... Ice Diving is absolutely fanastic experience and wanted to take advantage of it while here in Canada as we get nothing like this back in Australia.
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