[ EXPLORING & ADVENTURE ]
COLD RUSH:
Ice diving In
Lake Superior
winter in Northwestern Ontario represents the
perfect time to try a truly unique winter activity
— ice diving.
by J. Childs
David Shepherd, lead instructor at Thunder Country Diving on May Street in
Thunder Bay and the principal coordinator of our dive, organizes ice diving trips during
the winter depending on ice conditions and the demand for courses by divers. He has been
ice diving for the last five years and is a qualified Advanced Open Water instructor for
Scuba Schools International (SSI). Following an early morning review of safety procedures
David introduced me to the other divers who would be joining us – Jeff Peterson, a certified
Dive Control Specialist instructor for SSI, Andy Fountain, an Open Water Instructor, and
Learmont “Larry” Doe, a student at Lakehead University interested to see what ice diving
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THUNDER BAY EXPERIENCE
2013
Photos: Thunder Country Diving
Situated on the north shore of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world,
Thunder Bay is a perfect setting for ice diving. Superior’s shallow bays and inlets begin to
freeze as early as November with ice typically reaching its maximum depth during late
February and early March.
[ EXPLORING & ADVENTURE ]
“With everything in place and a tap on the shoulder indicating that
everything was ok, I slipped off the side of the ice and into the water”.
was all about.
We are standing on the ice at Wild
Goose Beach, about 15 minutes north
of Thunder Bay. It’s a balmy -12 but with
the wind chill it feels more like -20. The
sun is bright and the sky is a rich blue
against the snow and ice. Our dive site is
about 200 metres offshore and despite
the frigid conditions Jeff Peterson, one
of the dive instructors, comments on
the relatively constant +4C temperature
of the water saying it’s “better down
there than it is up here”.
Considered an advanced form of scuba
diving, ice diving offers its own unique
challenges and rewards. The diver enters
a closed environment with only a small
entry and exit point and, as such, special
precautions must be taken before each
dive. As with all types of diving, safety
is paramount but even more so with ice
diving since situations can occur that
don’t happen in warm water dives.
Each diver wears a harness over their
dry suit attached to a 100 ft. rope held
by their tender, a person on the surface
of the ice responsible for the diver on
their line. The diver communicates with
the tender through a series of pulls on
the rope – one tug signals “ok”, two tugs
means “give me some line” so I can keep
exploring, and three tugs tells the tender
“we are coming back”. Four or more tugs
on the rope means “emergency - get me
out of here”.
When my turn came to take the plunge I
sat for a moment staring at the dark water
with a nervous energy. With everything in
place and a tap on the shoulder indicating
that everything was ok, I slipped off the
side of the ice and into the water.
The ice formed a barrier between two
vastly different worlds. Earlier that
morning, David had described the
experience of ice diving as “diving in
twilight”. And now, as I kneeled on the
lake bottom, four metres below the ice,
I understood what he meant. Everything
under the surface is peaceful and
serene. The first thing you notice is the
astonishing clarity of the water. Looking
up, the ice had formed a beautiful crystal
ceiling that shimmered as the changing
pattern of sunlight refracted through
the ice and water creating an amazing
interplay of diffused light and shadow
over the sandy, rippled lake bottom.
On the surface Ice divers may appear crazy
but my team disagrees. David finds ice
diving to be a “very tranquil and holistic
experience” and although there are risks
to diving under the ice, with the proper
training and knowledge, safety is virtually
guaranteed. Andy summed it up nicely,
stating that it was a good way for a group
of friends to go out together and challenge
themselves while having a great deal of fun.
Ice diving is a truly breathtaking
experience that will push your physical
and mental boundaries. For all those
interested in experiencing the thrill of
this uniquely Canadian winter activity
contact Thunder Country Diving.
visitthunderbay.com
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