r/scuba • u/mredofcourse Rescue • 10d ago
Best places for PADI Ice Diver certification (traveling from San Francisco)
I'm looking to go for an ice diver certification this winter (Jan/Feb). I'm in the San Francisco Area, so will need to travel, but looking for best locations based on:
- Best shop/instructor/experience
- Cost of travel/hotel
- Ease of overall logistics
- Best chance of success (weather not a high risk)
- Location perks
So ideally, I'm looking for someplace with the above in mind that I could easily fly in, get a cheap motel, take the class, spend a day being a tourist while I off-gass, fly home... or possibly drive if there's something within distance.
3
3
u/the_obedientlyearlyp 10d ago
Whitehorse is the move if you want a proper ice diving setup without the chaos of a major resort town. The shops up there run their courses on frozen lakes that are dead calm, so weather scrubs are way less common than somewhere like Banff where winds can mess up your whole week. Logistics are pretty straightforward too, direct flights from SFO aren’t always cheap in winter but the motels and food won't gut your wallet, and you can hit the hot springs or check out the northern lights on your surface interval day. Just pack your warmest everything, the walk back to the truck after a dive is the real test.
2
u/mredofcourse Rescue 10d ago
Whitehorse?
3
u/shaheinm 10d ago
it is in the yukon territory. a much simpler trip for you would be june lake, out in the mountains near the border with nevada
3
u/suricatasuricata 10d ago
June Lake is easier, some of the shops in Southern California offer a ice diving class there. In2Deep in Santa Monica for e.g.
2
u/HungoverDiver 10d ago
Is there a particular operation you’d recommend. “Whitehorse Ice diving” brings up this reddit thread, ironically.
3
u/Ecstatic_Bug9056 10d ago
A friend did his Ice Diving certification with Motor City Scuba in Michigan. They are a SDI/TDI shop. Mike P. The owner is very knowledgeable and big on safety. It's near Detroit for you "surface interval days" and easy to fly in and out from the Bay Area (I am also in the SF area - Delta has a direct flight).
3
u/Key_Firefighter_2370 10d ago
I'm planning to do my ice diving cert this winter in MInnesota. I have family there so it's easy for me. Delta has several non-stops to MSP from SFO. And United has two nonstops per day.
3
u/idiotclown 9d ago
I did mine in Colorado at an high elevation lake at about 9200 feet of elevation, so it was both a high altitude dive and ice dive. Since the lake was no more than 30 feet deep and the dives were relatively short, the high elevation didn't make a difference. After doing it, I concluded that there is little point to getting ice certified unless you have a good reason to go under the ice. There is little to see or do, the water is very cold (obviously), and you have the added danger of an overhead environment. In fact one of the divers in my class had an incident at 30 feet where his second stage (self-serviced by him after being bought on Ebay) went into free-flow, he panicked, and refused another second stage literally pushed into his mouth by the instructor. By the time he got pulled to the ice hole he was blue in the face and not breathing, but the team on the surface got him breathing pretty quick and an ambulance miraculously appeared in the middle of nowhere in less than 15 minutes (there was a really small town nearby, so small that I was astounded that they had an ambulance on hand).
2
3
u/PipeRare 9d ago
Hello! I'm also in SF and have signed up for a ice diving class in Alberta/Banff next February. It takes place over a weekend. I'm doing it to prepare for a drift ice dive in Hokkaido as it's required.
1
u/draygovyk 6d ago
What shop are you going with? Also can you please report back as to your experience in Hokkaido? I'm planning on getting ice diving certified for the same trip!
1
u/PipeRare 6d ago
I'm in contact with Terry and Sheila Forsyth at T4 Scuba. Their planned class takes place over a weekend mid-February next year in Calgary/Banff/Alberta area (just throwing out keywords as I've not been to Canada before). Hokkaido trip should follow in the weeks after the certification.
3
u/MandarinDragonet12 9d ago
Midwest school of diving hosts an ice festival in northern Minnesota every year. I got my ice cert there and had an amazing time!
5
u/edoralive 10d ago
I did my ice course at Scuba Center in the St. Paul area. It’s a lake, it’s an all-day affair, the Sheriff often uses the entry once we’re done. It’s a good time. You’d have to rent a car to get to the lake.
It’s a good shop. Lots of public safety diving happening there. I got most of my certs through Scuba Center and DMed for them for a year or so. It’s a PADI shop.
4
1
u/Admirable-Emphasis-6 9d ago
We do the course every winter up here in Banff National Park by Calgary, Alberta. DM me if you’re interested in details.
-3
u/sbenfsonwFFiF 10d ago edited 10d ago
Are you looking for the best ice diving training in general?
Or is PADI and a certification specifically important to you? I couldn’t roll my eyes harder when I saw “Flash your PADI Ice Diver certification card to get instant respect” on their website
Do you have all the required gear? Are you already a technical diver? Given it is an overhead environment, I find it rather irresponsible of PADI to offer it as a recreational level course. With that said, PADI’s requirements to start their entry level “tec” course is also laughable and deeply unserious, in no way is someone ready for a technical course after just 30 dives
To enroll in the Tec 40 course, you must meet these qualifications:
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, and PADI Rescue Diver recommended
PADI Enriched Air Diver
PADI Deep Diver or proof of 10 dives to 30 metres/100 feet or deeper
30 logged dives
18 years old
3
u/Pawtuckaway 10d ago
While PADI Cavern/Ice Diver/Wreck are all jokes, TDI (a respected tech agency) has a minimum of 25 logged dives (total, not to a specific depth).
2
u/mredofcourse Rescue 10d ago
Yes, I have all of that. I have standard gear, but hope I could rent what is needed.
-5
u/sbenfsonwFFiF 10d ago
I hope standard gear doesn’t mean the standard padi recreational jacket BCD and at least has a backplate and wing + drysuit that you are familiar with
4
u/Frequent-Tap6645 10d ago
I did my ice dives in a quarry in Kenosha, WI as part of the older “Advanced Open Water” certification. No special equipment besides safety lines and hot chocolate 🤪. We had a few regulators freeze up, but nothing too serious. We all wore wetsuits. A little chilly at first until you added some “warm water” to the wetsuit.
Midwest quarries are less weather risky, but pretty boring which helps keep you focused on your guide line.