Advanced Ice Diver

Why take a course?

If you already have enough experience and know how to use a two-cylinder set along with  side cylinders, and you want to gain more freedom during your ice dives, then the IDF Advanced Ice Diver course is just for you. It will allow you to dive under the ice without harness and safety rope, which you know well from your previous recreational ice training. At the Advanced Ice level you will learn to use specialized tools and techniques derived from cave diving and adapted to the specifics of the ice environment, which will provide you with a sufficiently high level of safety, and at the same time allow you to cover longer distances under the ice and to set your own routes.

What will you learn?

During intensive and demanding training you will master all the techniques necessary to plan an ice dive, some of which will be modified techniques derived from cave diving. You will learn the typical hazards of ice diving and how to prevent them in the planning process and how to configure the equipment to meet the most important requirements. During training dives you will practice the use of specialized tools such as sand sabres, which will allow you to lay a guideline even in difficult terrain. You and your team will also learn how to move smoothly along the guideline and how to handle emergency situations, including even towing an unconscious partner to a hole.

What do you need to start?

  • Minimum age: 18 years
  • IDF Advanced Nitrox Diver certificate or equivalent (if the course takes place in a back mount configuration)
  • IDF Advanced Side Mount Diver Certificate (if the course is done in side mount configuration)
  • IDF Ice Diver certificate or equivalent
  • Minimum 100 logged in dives, including at least 20 ice dives

What is the course?

Number of dives
Number of dives
6 ice dives with a cumulative duration of not less than 150 minutes
Depth range
Depth range
In accordance with the current student qualifications.
Theoretical classes
Theoretical classes
Lectures using training presentations and IDF audiovisual materials.
Examination
Examination
Online test filled in electronically after logging into the student's panel.

What will you be entitled to after the course?

Upon completion of the IDF Advanced Ice Diver course, you will be qualified to dive using the guidelines to the depths specified in your current license.

IDF certificate

Upon completion of the training, you will receive an internationally recognised certificate confirming your qualifications. It is a plastic card with a unique number and watermark. In addition, you will have lifelong access to an individual panel on the IDF website, where your certificate will always be available in electronic form - in case you ever forget to take the original with you for diving.

What next?

You have just completed one of the most difficult and demanding courses in the IDF training system. The techniques you have mastered on the course have a cave pedigree – and if you haven’t discovered the extraordinary world of underwater caves yet, it will be a good time to start an IDF Cave Diver course. The experience you already have and your skills will make applying them in a slightly different context a challenge and an interesting adventure.

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