SDI Ice Diver

Ice diving can be a serene and beautiful aspect of scuba diving. As a winter activity, ice diving offers the opportunity to enjoy sport diving year round. Diving under ice presents hazards not common to the open water diver, and special training is required. The purpose of this course is to acquaint the diver with the hazards associated with ice diving, as well as how to plan and execute an ice dive.

The SDI Ice Diver Course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:

• Effects of the cold

  • Physiological aspects of cold water diving

  • Emergency aspects of cold water diving

  • Special first aid for cold exposure

• Equipment for ice diving

  • Harness

  • Lines

  • Dry suit

  • Hole-cutting equipment

• Surface support procedures

  • Duties and responsibilities

  • Hole-cutting techniques

  • Lines and securing

  • Line tending

  • Communications

  • Signals

  • Ice spokes

  • Lost diver procedures

  • Safety diver

  • Equipment of the safety diver

  • Search and Recovery trained

  • Broken line procedures

• Navigation

• Diving Lights and Their Care

Some of the required skills you will have to demonstrate include:

• Review of scuba skills on land

• Test lights and equipment

• Set up shelter

• Cut hole in ice and secure

• Dive plan

• Descent and line considerations on land

• Line handling and short line signals on land

• Ten minute familiarization

• Enter water

• Each diver must rotate and practice: surface support, safety diver and diver

• Line handling and simulated lost diver procedures

• Fifteen minute exploring under the ice

• Exit

• Log dive