Guide to Ice Diving
Ice diving is a unique adventure for advanced divers. Rather than just another name for cold-water scuba diving, it involves diving with a layer of ice over some or all of the dive site. Whether you’re traveling towards cold climates on a special ice diving trip, or just getting ready for a strong winter, knowing your way around ice opens up new possibilities for your life as a diver.
Because of the unusual circumstances, people who want to pursue this type of diving must learn some special skills and equipment. Ice divers are always attached to a safety line, which is held by a dive buddy team on the surface. The line is used for safety and for communication. Because of the equipment involved and the hazards faced, ice diving is done in buddy teams of at least four people, instead of just two.
Why Ice Diving?
Ice diving offers experiences you can’t get any other way. You can dive in unusual climates, like the Arctic. You can see creatures like leopard seals, penguins, and even whales. When the environment gets this cold, it will slow their metabolism, not moving unless they absolutely have to. That means that if you’re careful, you can get close to creatures who would normally swim away from you, seeing them in a way few people ever do. On top of that, visibility under the ice tends to be incredible. The ice slows water circulation, letting debris settle at the bottom. The clarity can be amazing.
That visibility draws many photographers to ice diving, too. And that’s not the only appeal. The way the light shines through cracks and thin patches in the surface ice gives the water an eerie, cathedral-lighting effect that makes for some incredible images.
There are many reasons to try ice diving. But before you can embark on your adventure, you need the right training and equipment.
Courses and Certifications for Ice Divers
For all its opportunities, ice diving also presents some hazards. Water temperatures under the ice are very cold, so you need equipment that won’t freeze up. And since ice obstructs entry and exit from the water, ice diving is considered a type of penetration diving, just like wreck diving and cave diving. You need similar training and precautions to engage in it. It requires unique teamwork, special scuba gear, and unusual precautions. It’s important to get certified before you set out.
Many diving certifications organizations offer courses in ice diving. Because this is an advanced form of diving, you may want other training first, like courses in diving at high altitude, or a dry suit diver class.
A good course will teach you how to handle the unique demands of ice diving. You’ll learn how to select dive sites, and about the various types of ice you may encounter. You’ll handle the special equipment used in ice diving, like the safety line that helps you find your way back to the surface.
You’ll also learn about the various support roles required for ice diving, like line tenders. Then, over the course of supervised ice dives, you’ll learn line-securing techniques, the signals and communication used with a safety line, emergency procedures, and more.
Ice Diving Equipment: What Gear Do You Need
Ice diving is an extraordinary undertaking, and it requires extraordinary gear. Most scuba diving gear isn’t really built for environments this cold. It takes strong materials and special engineering to make gear that can stand up to ice diving.
Your dive gear should also be streamlined. As with other types of penetration diving, you want to keep a low profile. Keep your gear close to your body, because you may find yourself operating in tight quarters.
Here’s some gear to consider:
Warm Clothes for the Surface
The people in your crew should be dressed warmly, and you should make plans for changing into something warm when you reach the surface. After all, when it’s not your turn diving, you’re going to be tending the safety line for someone else. If it’s cold enough that there’s ice over the water, it’s cold enough that you don’t want to be out in wet gear, even if it is insulated.
Dry Suit
Dry suits are special scuba suits made to keep water from entering. Using a good dry suit instead of a wet suit can be important for comfort and safety when ice diving.
Scuba Hood
A dry suit goes a long way to staying safely warm in icy water. But many dry suits still leave some skin exposed, especially your head and hands. A well-insulated, thick hood is essential to an ice dive due to the water temperature.
It’s not true that half your body heat escapes through your head. The head doesn’t lose warmth faster than any other part of the body. But when that myth first came about, it happened because the researchers studying heat loss were bundled up except for their heads. If you leave any one part of you uninsulated, that part is going to start losing heat quickly. That’s why a hood is so important for scuba divers in freezing water.
Dive Gloves
When diving in cold water, you need to stay as insulated as possible. That means full coverage, including gloves. In addition to a good pair of dry gloves, you’ll want to keep your gloves in place with a glove lock system like a flex ring. And don’t forget regular gloves for when you’re taking your turn on line watch!
Dive Lights
Thick ice can block sunlight from reaching the water. If you’re diving in ice, you’ll need a dive light. It’ll help you get the most enjoyment out of your sightseeing, but it’s also important for safety’s sake.
Regulator for Cold Water
All SCUBAPRO regulators are built for cold water. For ice diving, it’s crucial to have a regulator that’s built to withstand the cold. One great option for that is the MK19 EVO BT/ G260 Carbon BT Dive Regulator System combo. The MK19 EVO’s insulation and heat exchange keep it working for you even in ice-cold water, and the Diamond-Like Carbon protecting the A700 is light, but unbelievably tough.
Chainsaw or Ice Saw
You’ll need to make an entry hole in the water. That means bringing something along to carve one out. If you’re using a chainsaw, make sure you’ve received training in using a chainsaw on ice. Even if you’ve used a chainsaw before, sawing ice is a specialized skill.
What a Typical Ice Dive Looks Like
Ice diving can be more complicated than many dives. After all, you don’t bring a chainsaw to your average scuba outing. Here are some things to expect on an ice diving excursion.
Have a Good Team
An ice dive begins with the right team. Typically, a diving team will involve at least four people, possibly as many as six. You’ll have two buddy divers under the water, and two line tenders on the surface. A safety diver should be geared up and ready to enter the water in case of emergency, and a third line tender should be standing by, ready to tend the safety diver’s line if needed.
Make an Entry Point
Once you have a group, you need to find a dive site. You can start by finding a spot in the ice that’s strong enough to support all of the people and equipment you need. Ice should be at least a foot thick. Once you find a spot, cut a hole in the ice for entry. This is usually done with an ice saw or a chainsaw. Cutting through ice with a chainsaw can be dangerous, so if you’re using one, be sure whoever makes the hole has been trained to do so. The most popular entry holes are triangles, with each side 6 feet long. This gives easy points for entry and exit at the corners, and provides solid ground for people to stand nearby and help divers up, if necessary.
Set Up Your Dive
Now that you have your hole, it’s time to set up your tether and safety lines. Plant these in the ice, several feet away from the hole. The spare line should be coiled up or laid out straight on the ice. However you set it up, make sure that it isn’t tangled. You may have one line per diver, or a buddy line for both divers.
If it’s sunny out and water visibility is good, you may be able to make a pattern in the snow to help your divers find the hole. One option is to shovel snow away from the ice in big, concentric circles around the entry hole. Clearing away the snow lets sunlight in through the ice, forming a big bulls-eye that can help your divers find their way to the surface.
Dive Safely
Once your tethers are secure, it’s time to head into the water! Perform your buddy check, and perform a seated entry from opposite sides of the hole. Air supply management is crucial under the ice. Use the same rule of thirds you would use when exploring a wreck or a cave. Use 1/3 of your air supply exploring away from the entry hole, and 1/3 of it coming back, saving the last 1/3 for emergencies.
Ice dive times tend to be on the shorter side, due to the extreme conditions. After you get to the surface, remove your scuba equipment and get ready to tend the line, so that everyone gets a chance to explore the water. Make plans for how divers will change into dry clothes and warm up. You may need to spend some time in a heated space, like a nearby car or shelter near the dive site. Finally, if you’re doing underwater photography, dry your camera housing quickly. Leftover water may form ice, expanding as it freezes and causing damage.
Recommendations for Your First Ice Diving Trip
Your first ice diving trip should absolutely be made as part of an ice diver certification course. But once you’re on your own, you should still take precautions as you get the hang of it.
One thing that some people do as beginners is to start early in the season, where the ice is thin enough to punch through in an emergency. In this case, the entry/exit and support team are set up on the shore, since the ice isn’t thick enough to support the necessary gear.
Another important tip for beginners is to go with more experienced ice divers, if you can. As you get your bearings, it’s best to be the least experienced person on the team for a little while.
And as always, make sure that someone who isn’t on the trip knows where you’re going, and when you’re planning to be back. Consider bringing along a satellite phone if you’re heading to a remote region with no cell service.
Ice to Meet You
Ice diving isn’t your average scuba dive. It lets you see creatures most people don’t get to, and get closer to them than they normally allow. It offers great light for photographers, and opportunities for interacting with the environment in unique ways.
It definitely requires some special care, training and gear. But once you know what you’re doing, the sights are incredible. Clear water, penguins, and more await.