Knot for ice diving rig

[Paco]

It has been a couple years since I did my ice diving cert., and I hope to get out this winter to renew those skills. When I did the class, I was very well cared for and the instructor and crew tied my safety line to my harness for me. Now I am wondering what knot was used. Or is there more than one knot type recommended?

Ice divers, what knot do YOU use to tie your line to your harness?

Thanks.
Mike

 

[Diver0001]

Well...... the easiest one to tie one handed and/or with thick gloves on is a bowline. It's also a knot that you can get open again if the rope is frozen.

R..

 

[knotical]

For your safety line, consider a splice or other permanent method.

If using a knot consider the water bowline, a more secure knot than the bowline in modern synthetic lines. See: http://www.geocities.com/roo_two/waterbowline.html

 

[UWupnorth]

Having experience with ropes in the mountaineering field I would personally go with the figure eight. It is the only knot we trust to tie in with.

 

[Diver0001]

Having experience with ropes in the mountaineering field I would personally go with the figure eight. It is the only knot we trust to tie in with.

That's a good knot too but I bet it would be a PITA to get undone if the rope froze.

R..

 

[Diver Dennis]

Thanks for the link knotical.

 

[Gary D.]

"Figure eight" and a locking beaner thats it. Do not use a bowline for life support applications.

Gary D.

 

[captndale]

Having experience with ropes in the mountaineering field I would personally go with the figure eight. It is the only knot we trust to tie in with.

Remember that the main consideration is that the knot not come undone. The second is that it be relatively easy to untie when needed. Unlike in a climbing application, we are not calling upon the line to support much weight. The reason we use large line is for ease in handling underwater and for avoidance of entanglement. If I have to use a knot, I will generally use a bowline. However, I prefer to splice a large brass ring into the end of the tether line and attach with a locking carabiner.

 

[bradshsi]

Do not use a bowline for life support applications.

Can you explain why you wouldn't use a bowline ?

I can't (and am not qualified to), comment on ice diving, so please don't take my comment as advice. I'm only curious about why a bowline would be a no-no for life support applications.

For working at height (at the top of 60 ft sailboat masts), we would commonly use a bowline. For extra security I tie two locking half hitches after the bowline.

The only time I have ever seen a bowline fail is when the knot was not snugged tight, there was an insufficient tail left in the rope and it was in a load cycling environment (i.e. tied to the corner of a very big carbon/kevlar sail in 40 kts of breeze).

 

[dmmike]

When I did my ice diving class the rope was clipped to me. The clip as attched to the rope by a method called "back-splice". It looks like the rope was re-woven back onto it self.