Ice diving

[undeterred]

Don't watch the video if you're feeling cold.

http://host.madison.com/vmix_18ead92c-12b8-11df-97fd-001cc4c03286.html



Diving on Lake Monona

Winter might seem a slow time for scuba diving enthusiasts in Madison. But last weekend, as air temperatures hovered around 20 degrees, several scuba divers could be seen swimming below the 18-inch-thick sheet of ice on Lake Monona.

"For most diving, you head to the tropics," said Matt Daleo, 34, of Platteville, as he geared up for a numbing dip in the lake near Monona Terrace. "There aren't many things we can do here that they can't do there, but this is one of them."

Daleo, who is certified for open-water diving, was one of four hardy souls looking to earn a certification in ice-diving from Isaac Gomez, manager of Diversions Dive Shop on University Avenue, which offered the two-day class. Divers had to complete at least three dives up to 20 minutes, swimming in pairs and firmly tethered to about 100 feet of safety line. All four passed the class.

"I love diving and I'm not going to let the winter stop me," said Brooke Weigel, 18, of Verona, a freshman at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. "It's definitely an experience; amazing. The first time under the ice was the weirdest feeling."

Experienced ice divers joined the group later for some winter games that, let's just say, they won't be playing next week in Vancouver. Ice divers with golf clubs played a version of underwater golf, swinging at a ping-pong ball floating just under the ice. The cups were holes drilled by an auger through the ice sheet.

Others went upside-down ice skating: Divers put their feet up on the underside of the ice and were pulled on the tether toward the access hole by people up top.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_a0e1ad24-12b3-11df-9f2c-001cc4c03286.html


:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:

[dysfunctional press]

1. i did my certification dives at a quarry on the wisconsin/illinois border...

it was about 50 degrees in the water, and i NEVER plan to dive in anything as cold as that EVER again.

[undeterred]

3. Sometimes people fall through thin ice

so I am glad there are divers willing to do this kind of rescue/recovery. In December a diver had to recover a body from the bottom of Lake Monona. It doesn't seem like it would be fun to me- but apparently the water is never clearer than in the winter.

[SharonAnn]

4. I agree. I don't even like diving in Hawaii, you have to wear a wet suit.

I like areas like the Bahamas. put on your bathing suit (or not), throw on a T-shirt so that the scuba straps don't chafe, Scuba, respirator, goggles and go. Flippers are good, too.

[dysfunctional press]

10. a woman we dove with in hawaii wore jeans and a t-shirt as her 'wetsuit'...

and put her fins on over her high-top converse all-stars sneakers.

i don't mind diving in hawaii at all- we usually go to the big island...and i generally just wear a shorty- or even just a diveskin.

although, the caribbean can definitely be a lot nicer, as far as water temp, dive variety, travel-time, and cost, depending on where you're going.

[spanone]

11. i did my certification dive in 65 degree weather without wet suit...jeans & sweatshirt

took my breath it was so cold...but i got certified......it was 'springtime' in indiana and it was also a rock quarry

i can't even watch

[Shell Beau]

2. I just don't get it. I guess I am boring.

I am cold right now sitting in my heated house in mid Mississippi.

[me b zola]

5. I prefer to dive in tropical climates

:)

[mn9driver]

6. When I cut a hole in 15 feet of water

and sit in my dark house on a bright day, when I look through the hole it seems like I'm just floating in the air 15 feet off the bottom. The water is incredibly clear and the light coming through the ice outside the house lights everything up beautifully. I spend hours out there not even trying particularly hard to catch anything just because it's so tranquil and beautiful.

It's annoying when a car drives by though, because the ice dips and the water sloshes in the hole for a couple of minutes afterward.

[undeterred]

7. I've never heard of a "dark house".

Like this?

[mn9driver]

8. Yep. My house is big enough for two, but usually it's just me.

I cut my hole a little narrower than that, but longer. That way I can sit on a chair at one end and straddle it.

[comrade snarky]

9. All the drowning terror of cave diving

Plus ball shriveling, deadly cold. Neat! Maybe they could find a way to put live spiders in my face mask for a terror trifecta.

I think I'll pass on this one. You guys have fun, I'm heading for the lodge.