Ice Diving

[ttph]

So, I went ice diving on Lake Geneva this past weekend. Quite interesting, the whole process that is. I have several questions:

1. Although you're hooked to a tender, shouldn't you still dive buddies? I got down to about 60ft, where it was dark and desolate, and realized that if something happened I may be in a bit of trouble. Sure, I could give three tugs and come shooting to the surface, but what about solving your problems at depth and then deciding if you can reasonably continue?

2. Is there a trick to avoiding free-flows? I had several. I dive Apeks primary and octo, both sealed. Even in the summer, I tend to drop like a rock rather than gently lower myself to the bottom, by choice. I found that when I descended in the same manner, my octo tended to start flowing. Can the pressure in the first 5 ft or so change enough that it pushes against the purge valve on the 2nd stage and begins the whole process? *Side note- it seemed that when I went down more gradually, all was right with the world*

3. How much insulation is enough? I typically bake in the summer w/ Thinsulate undergarments, and at 100+ feet where the temp is usually 37-39'F, I'm quite comfortable. I ran the same set-up this past weekend and on dive #1, I could tell it was cold; #2 I was cold; #3 I was beginning to shiver towards the end. *Side note- my tragic flaw seemed to be that I put the underwear on prior to leaving the house, figuring I would just wear the undies below my Carhartt bibs 'til we got set up, then change into my drysuit. I think I must have worked up just enough of a sweat to make my undies damp, then froze during my surface intervals. * If I dive exactly the same, but wait until I am ready to dive to put my underwear on, may that be enough?

Matt