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.
***This course includes eLearning to be completed before your course begins. If you DO NOT receive an eLearning confirmation email within 24 hours, please contact us! To help us ensure quality training and the best experience for you and your fellow students, give yourself enough time to complete the online materials!**
Before Signing up for this course:
Please review Medical Questionnaire below and get physician approval IF needed.
Availability: Contact us for booking information
Who this course is for:
- The certified diver looking to expand their diving season to all year round and experience the serenity of ice diving
Course prerequisites:
- SDI Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalent
- Minimum age 18
What you can expect to learn:
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
What’s in it for you?
Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in diving activities without direct supervision of the SDI Instructor* so long as the following limits are adhered to:
- The diving activities approximate those of training
- The areas of activities approximate those of training
- Environmental conditions approximate those of training
Also, the SDI Ice Diver certification counts towards a single specialty rating to achieve the SDI Advanced Diver Development Program.
SDI Ice Diver minimum requirements:
- Complete all open water requirements efficiently
- Demonstrate mature and sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution
