Steve, first off, do you mean to say that you dive with only the two of you?
(ie. no surface 
support?)  Surface support is a necessary part of any ice dive, although I
don't think you need to 
have five people, necessarily.  It is comforting to know that the hole will be
kept clear for your 
return, and that you have some assistance in getting out of the water and your
gear, especially on 
long dives when you want to reduce the risk of a DCS hit.  Tethers are a method
of risk management 
based on the possible lack of visibility.  Most ice diving is in open water as
opposed to confined 
passages, as would be encountered in a cave or wreck.  Imagine yourself diving
under ice in zero 
vis and finding your way to the surface (and the hole) in open water by a small
diameter free 
floating line.  This scenario is further complicated by currents or line
entanglements.  Using a 
tether provides you with line pull communication with the surface, as well as a
guide back to the 
hole that is easy to follow.  As well, you don't have to deal with laying line
or taking it in 
during the dive, as your tender does this for you.  There is no need for
multiple tender lines, as 
each diver should be connected to the lead diver by a buddy line, and may
communicate with the same 
line pull signals.  I remember a report of two ice divers who cut their hole in
a single piece and 
couldn't lift it out so they pushed it down and underneath the adjacent ice,
then went diving 
without surface support.  During the course of their dive the piece shifted and
plugged up the 
hole.  There is no reason for events like this to occur.

-Sean


On Fri, 09 Jan 1998 11:45:42 PST, Steve Schinke wrote:

>i recently had a debate about the correct way to ice dive and i thought 
>i would see what this lists reaction was.  We live in northwestern 
>canada and have ice coverd lakes for about eight months of the year so 
>unless one has alot of travel dollars you have to leard to ice dive to 
>get wet.  
>
>This person was in support of some of the large diving factions 
>standards involving a five person team requiring the divers to be 
>teathered and a teathered safety diver plus two line tenders.  
>
>my argument was that this seemed to be a little over excessive.  I 
>argued that Ice should be dove like any other  overhead environment 
>using reels, and gas management principles, and that teathering 
>unnesessary.  The divers should be competant enough with there skills 
>that being roped together and to the surface is ridiculous.(perhaps 
>eight dives doesn't classify you as a competent advanced diver.....)
>
>usually the way my buddy and i dive is with reels and ice screws in a 
>two man team using thirds.  We also carry min of two lights although it 
>is usually unnesesary to use them.  the only drawback is thaqt cutting 
>the hole takes more effort.  I was wondering how other people dove ice 
>as our tech community is rather isolated and small up here.
>
>STEVE SCHINKE
>
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