Ice block while diving

[grumpie]

No one has mention the fact that you will be getting support from that infamous cake of ice against the bottom of the ice where your tender is standing with his life jacket on. By the way how many of you wear PFDs when you go on the ice?

[mcdiver]

As a diver who enjoys diving with the backplate, I can agree with Steve.  However, I personally like the reassurance of a harness under my backplate.

[grumpie]

I did not know that there was choice. My divers always wear a harness under their BC. Its the first thing on after your thermo protection. We clip on to the left D ring near the shoulder. WE use a figure 8-bowline, there and out about 3-4 feet a hand loop.

[Shooter]

How many of your divers dive with a backplate and wing, The NAUI approved technical gear configuration? Also widely approved and recomended for many other applications such as cave diving.

[mcdiver]

I like the backplate simply because it fits like a glove.  The webbing is adjusted to fit your body configuration, whereas a jacket-style BC, the shoulder straps and cumberband can be adjusted with a quick pull on the strap.  With the jacket-style, I have found that some divers are constantly checking the tightness of the straps after they become wet.  Backplate, it is like crawling into a cockpit.

[grumpie]

For standardizing we all wear the same BC scuba-pro classic with a air2. we use scuba-pro 1st stage  and low pressure hoses for dry suit and aga. Co furnishes all equipment and maintenance on it. We just switch over to DUI weight and trim system.

[arcFlash]

I have the encyclopedia of knots and of the 2000+ knots listed a "figure 8-bowline" is not one of them. An 8 is a type of bend and a boline is a type of hitch. Can you elaborate? I know the figure 8 and all the bowline but have no idea how you could tie both in one knot.

If you want a great bowline, look up water knot. It's a clove hitch but then you rove it like a bowline. It's awesome. I only use 8's with a grape vine stopper.

[DetectorGuy]

As long as we are talking knots. I just set up two ropes for when I get certified for Ice in January. One is 150' and the other is 180' (Both 1/2" polypropylene 3 strand layed line). I know it is probably not the "ideal" type of material to be used but until I find a better set of ropes, it will be fine. What I did at both ends was to splice in a small eye. I wove it into itself six times at each end. Have any other divers used a layed line with a spliced eye instead of a knotted loop to clip the beaner into? I am just a farm boy, and I was told that a proper spliced eye was stronger than a knot. I guess I have never seen one "un-tie" itself.

[mcdiver]

All great comments, but it appears we are getting a little off subject here, and that was, to push the block under the ice or remove it.

I believe it was "Shooter" who had setup a "pole" on his recent site.  Can some do this and allow the viewer to vote?

[arcFlash]

I like spliced eyes, nice and clean. You can't knot poly very well anyway. If it was me, I'd wip the splice with mason line to lock it in.

A proper splice is likely to be stronger then a knot. Swaged wire rope breaks in the middle much of the time. Knots with small internal diameters are weaker then those with large internal diameters. A figure-8 is something like 80% of the tensile strength. I don't want to get the book out but a double bowline is close, maybe a bit more. This accounts for why water knots (aka overhand) are so weak and figure-8 on a doubled bite are so strong.

The rope I ordered is hollow braid and I'll sew and wip the eyes after I splice it to prevent creep.

I thought the question about the block of ice was a draw. It's not cold death to push it under and it's not a waste of energy to pull it out. It's a choice. Most prefer to take it out.