a question about ice

[pink_fins]

I ice dive and know you can follow the spokes back to the hole if there is trouble.

Well, I was at a party last night and a guy out of the blue came up to me with this question.

"If you broke thru the ice, would you look for the dark colored hole.(broken ice)
and try to get out thru it?" I told him "No" you would look for the light of the broken hole.

Need some thoughts on this subject.
Hope this makes sense ?

gail

[Chris H]

I think visibility has a lot to do with it.  Here is a picture from our very own Doug. 

[dfreeman]

Gail,

I have studied this while diving and found that it depends on a number of conditions.  Here are two pictures that were made on the same dive with just a slightly different angle.  IN one case the hole is dark, in the other the hole is light.

So do not fall through the ice.

Doug

[mstrdvr]

In reply to the dark or light ,I have noticed that unless you are directly under the hole , it doesn't exist. The pix are greatreference altho we are deeper than some one just falling thru.
Just a thought
          Randy