Ice Diving

[mndiver]

Regarding using a cave reel under the ice.  I get the part about "don't try this, and don't blame me if you do!" So if anyone else is thinking about doing this please understand that this discussion is not a subsitute for real training an your own judgement.

I have heard the same statement from several cave divers regarding using a reel and it has sparked my interest.  I am not cave certified so I would appreciate a little info.  I have also seen on the web that a Canadian company offered ice certification classes using a reel instead of a line.  When I e-mailed them, I did not get a response. 

I am interested in how using cave emergency/safety procedures equates to diving in a lake under the ice.  I know that both are overhead environments but in general that is where the similarity stops. From what little I know about caves they are basically tubes filled with water you swim in.  Ice covered lakes are big bowls of water with a lid on them.  So if I recall from my limited reading on the subject, if you for whatever reason become separated from the line, you have set procedures to find the line and your way out.  You are trained even to do this in zero vis (no light, no mask, silt out and so on).   So if you loose the line while ice diving, what procedures would you use to find your way out and how to they translate to "diving in a big bowl" of water instead of a tube of water? 

Thanks in advance for your info.