Photo Credit - Glenn Fines Hi Everyone! Welcome to Ice Diving 2015! Hopefully the weather conditions will be far superior to the harsh conditions that, in deference to safety, led to canceling of so many sessions last year.
As in the past, I am posting this information to update you as quickly as possible - since the ice diving season is fast approaching - to ensure, first and foremost, safety when conducting your training dives and second, awareness of risk management where Standards are noted. I know that information regarding changes is not always shared and communicated in a timely fashion.
First - there is a Brand New PADI Ice Diver Specialty Instructor Guide - effective immediately - you must have one in order to teach the course this year and make sure you are meeting all the changes.
Second - the following is just a highlight of changes to watch for when reading through your own personal copy of the New Ice Diver Instructor Guide:
Prerequisites:
Knowledge Development and Practical Application:
Dives:
As in the past, I am posting this information to update you as quickly as possible - since the ice diving season is fast approaching - to ensure, first and foremost, safety when conducting your training dives and second, awareness of risk management where Standards are noted. I know that information regarding changes is not always shared and communicated in a timely fashion.
First - there is a Brand New PADI Ice Diver Specialty Instructor Guide - effective immediately - you must have one in order to teach the course this year and make sure you are meeting all the changes.
Second - the following is just a highlight of changes to watch for when reading through your own personal copy of the New Ice Diver Instructor Guide:
Prerequisites:
- Certified Assistant – now needs to be a certified ice diver, with ice diving rescue experience (optional fourth dive recommended)
- Instructor – now needs to be a certified ice diver (in the past the instructor could have done a direct entry application based on completion of dives)
- Student divers must now be PADI Rescue Divers prior to Ice Dive Four. Ice Dive Four adapts rescue diver skills to the ice diving environment.
- Dive 1 changed from direct supervision by either the course instructor or certified assistant to direct supervision by the course instructor.
- Dives 2, 3 and 4 remain direct supervision by either the course instructor or certified assistant.
- Instructors are prompted to assess diver readiness for later dives and certified assistant readiness for direct supervision.
Knowledge Development and Practical Application:
- Mostly an update on equipment and techniques.
- Simplification of physiology in line with the PADI Rescue Diver course.
- Addition of gas planning – within similar scope to PADI Deep Diver Manual
- Land (ice) based skills separated into Practical Applications with more scheduling flexibility to help avoid excessive exposure to cold.
- Increased warnings about use of chain saws and reference to meeting local regulation requirements
Dives:
- Safety diver roles have been changed:
- Safety divers must now be ice divers, preferably with rescue skills and with the Ice Dive Four recommended. Previously student divers could play this role, but this meant they may need to perform a rescue before they have learned the skills to do so.
- Safety divers must also now dive in pairs. Previously this was not a standard.
- Safety divers no longer need to have dive equipment on and ready to go in the water, which is a useful change in extremely cold surface conditions. They now need to have their kit ready to go and be able to respond immediately. This allows them to seek shelter and stay warm.
- New skill – Out of air ascent practiced in 3-6m/10-20ft, directly under the ice hole. Purpose is for divers to practice this during training due to slight differences in techniques and to experience the dexterity challenges of simple skills when cold. Practicing under the ice hole allows diver to ascent directly, just in case there is a free flow.
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