Ice Diving for Advanced Divers

Ice diving represents one of the most demanding overhead environments in recreational and technical diving. While the entry point may be just meters away, the sealed ceiling and harsh cold-water conditions require specialized training, disciplined teamwork, and robust equipment redundancy.

Defining the Environment

Ice diving is conducted beneath frozen lakes or rivers, with access through a triangular hole cut in the ice. This makes it a true overhead dive: the surface is inaccessible except at the entry point. Unlike caves or wrecks, penetrations are usually short, but cold exposure is a constant hazard that must be managed alongside gas planning.

“Getting under the ice with no current, no wind—everything settles to the bottom completely undisturbed, there’s 30 to 35 feet of viz,” often clearer than summer months at the same quarry.

Training and Procedures

The PADI Ice Diver specialty and other advanced programs prepare divers to:

• Operate on tether lines, with surface tenders managing control and communication.
• Conduct lost-line and lost-diver drills under the ice.
• Use surface-based reference systems (such as shoveled “wheel” patterns in the snow) for orientation.
• Rotate in and out of the water with strict thermal exposure limits.
• Rehearse emergency procedures—since direct ascent is not an option.

Instructor-led teams typically require 6–8 support staff for just two divers, making this a highly coordinated operation. As Rich Synowiec, a PADI Course Director in Michigan, explains: “Ice diving isn’t about one diver—it’s about the team. Every diver under the ice is supported by tenders topside who make it possible.”

Equipment Configurations

• Ice diving demands equipment built for extremes:
• Drysuits with multi-layer undergarments (some divers use heated systems).
• Redundant cold-water regulators with environmental seals to reduce free-flow.
• Full-face masks or specialized second stages to protect from freezing airways.
• Harnesses with double carabiner attachments, clipped under the BCD for security.
• Surface tools such as augers or chainsaws for cutting access holes.

“By far the coolest piece of dive equipment you could ever hope to have is a chainsaw,” laughs Synowiec, though many teams prefer augers for precision and safety.

Hazards Unique to Ice Diving

• Free-flowing regulators caused by frozen first stages.
• Limited exits, with only the cut hole available.
• Psychological stress of being sealed under ice, magnifying small problems.
• Thermal strain, especially during extended surface intervals.
• Decompression concerns, as cold exposure increases physiological risk.

Phillip Graf, who has taught ice diving in Idaho where ice can be three feet thick, stresses preparation: “We used vegetable oil instead of car oil in the chainsaw, because you don’t want to spill oil into the water you’re about to dive in. Every decision topside impacts the safety of the dive below.”

Advanced Techniques

Many instructors employ “wheel and spoke” snow patterns above the hole, allowing sunlight to stream down in recognizable patterns. Divers know never to pass the outer ring, and tether lines are set shorter than the radius for added security.

Rotation protocols are equally important. Instructors often run 20 minutes under the ice followed by 10 minutes warming up, repeated in cycles. Lean adds: “It takes seven people topside to safely run two students under the ice. It’s a full production, but absolutely worth it.”

The Payoff

For those prepared to meet the challenge, ice diving delivers unmatched visibility, surreal light beams, and an environment untouched by current or human activity. It’s a place where overhead procedures are tested, teamwork is non-negotiable, and the rewards are both technical and aesthetic.

Graf sums it up: “Why ice dive? New experiences, pushing limits, and gaining skills you can’t get anywhere else. It’s an expansion of your abilities.”

Final Word

Ice diving is not a casual adventure dive—it is a technical overhead specialty requiring proper instruction, redundancy, and strong surface support. For advanced divers and professionals, however, it represents one of the most rewarding, skill-sharpening, and memorable environments in the diving world.

Would you trust your training, your team, and your tether to slip beneath the ice?