Line tender

[syntaxerrorsix]

What are the responsibilities of a line tender during Ice diving? I'll admit, I'm spoiled with warm water and hope I NEVER have to adapt to that environment.

I am interested however in techniques and what all is involved.

 

[nadwidny]

What are the responsibilities of a line tender during Ice diving? I'll admit, I'm spoiled with warm water and hope I NEVER have to adapt to that environment.

I am interested however in techniques and what all is involved.

For ice diving run in a technical manner there should be no tender. The "dope on a rope" style of ice diving should be limited to the recreational realm.

 

[Cave Diver]

For ice diving run in a technical manner there should be no tender. The "dope on a rope" style of ice diving should be limited to the recreational realm.

Care to add a little info on proper techniques? I'd be interested in hearing some of the nuances as well.

 

[nadwidny]

Care to add a little info on proper techniques? I'd be interested in hearing some of the nuances as well.

Same as cave but just be aware of things like no side walls. And cold water. There is a group in Ontario that has a set of protocols for their ice diving that includes not hooking up the inflator to the BC power inflator. I believe they also carry a stage for another level of gas redundancy because 2 regs freezing up and going into freeflow on a dive is not unheard of.

 

[Cave Diver]

Any protocol for safety diver or one team up, one team down?

 

[UCFKnightDiver]

Same as cave but just be aware of things like no side walls. And cold water. There is a group in Ontario that has a set of protocols for their ice diving that includes not hooking up the inflator to the BC power inflator. I believe they also carry a stage for another level of gas redundancy because 2 regs freezing up and going into freeflow on a dive is not unheard of.

Not that I ice dive, but that's one of the things that always seemed a little ridiculous to me when reading about ice diving procedures, people overhead diving on a single tank without redundancy in an environment with a much greater chance of reg failures.

 

[nadwidny]

Any protocol for safety diver or one team up, one team down?

Nothing you wouldn't do for a cave dive. It's basically a cave dive in cold water with no side walls. And you have to have a chain saw to cut your entrance.

Not that I ice dive, but that's one of the things that always seemed a little ridiculous to me when reading about ice diving procedures, people overhead diving on a single tank without redundancy in an environment with a much greater chance of reg failures.

I agree but in rec classes they usually don't go far from the hole (the ones around here are about 100 linear feet from the hole), 2 people are tied together so that an air share is just a reach away and a free flow should get the divers yanked out in about 20 seconds. There is not a lot of wandering going on.

I wish the ice diving course was taught more along the lines of a intro to cave or something but for many reasons (money, money, money) that ain't gonna happen.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

Nothing you wouldn't do for a cave dive. It's basically a cave dive in cold water with no side walls. And you have to have a chain saw to cut your entrance.



I agree but in rec classes they usually don't go far from the hole (the ones around here are about 100 linear feet from the hole), 2 people are tied together so that an air share is just a reach away and a free flow should get the divers yanked out in about 20 seconds. There is not a lot of wandering going on.

I wish the ice diving course was taught more along the lines of a intro to cave or something but for many reasons (money, money, money) that ain't gonna happen.

So no concerns with the entrance hole freezing over?

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I wish the ice diving course was taught more along the lines of a intro to cave or something but for many reasons (money, money, money) that ain't gonna happen.

Are ice diving classes more or less thorough than intro to cave? How does the money part play a role?

 

[nadwidny]

So no concerns with the entrance hole freezing over?

The smart people go out when air temps are near freezing, not significantly below otherwise the chance of gear problems greatly increase. It takes water a while to freeze when the air is warm(ish).

Also because of the prep work involved ice diving usually involves more than one dive team so there is some coming and going involved. The water movement from that helps keep the hole clear.