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.

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: