Ice Diving 2025
February 13 - 17 2025 - $1,300 Tax Included
Join us for a magical adventure under the ice! We team up with our Course Director Terry Forsyth and his team of instructors in Calgary for a long weekend of epic adventure!
Ice diving is one of the most adventurous scuba specialties because you confront conditions and see beauty few others ever experience. Plus, you might get a chance to play with your exhaled bubbles on the bottom of the ice.
You need to be a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver who is at least 18 years old to enroll in the Ice Diver course.
Lake Minnewanka is a glacial lake in the eastern area of Banff National Park. The lake is 21KM long and is at it's deepest 142 meters deep, making it the second longest lake in the Canadian Rockies.
In the colder seasons the lake freezes over, during our 2022 ice diving trip the ice was 24 inches thick. We needed to get a longer blade put on the chainsaw to cut the ice. Fun Fact! You can safely put 25 tons of weight on ice that's 20 inches thick.
In 1912 a village called Minnewanka Landing was developed, the lake was first dammed in 1895, and then again in 1912, then a final dam was built in 1941. Now scuba divers are the only ones that get to visit because Minnewanka Landing is now completely under water.
On this trip, you'll take the PADI Ice Diver course, and dive under the ice to visit the dam. You'll help set up the tent and specialized equipment. You'll be able to play with the ice and watch the air get trapped, one year we even played upside down under water ice hockey.
When you're not under the ice, you'll be in the gorgeous Canadian Rockies, the wildlife and mountains are spectacular.
What's Included:
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Ice Diver Specialty Course & certification upon successful completion
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Three dives
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Four nights accommodation - Double occupancy with own queen bed.
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BBQ Lunch Saturday & Sunday at the dive site
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Pizza dinner Friday night during orientation
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Commemorative Fleece Jacket!
*You may do a fourth dive if you hold the PADI Rescue Diver Certification
Schedule:
January 28th (or thereabouts) - Classroom orientation at Ocean Pro Divers, meet the group, arrange carpools and go over what to bring.
Thursday February 13th - Travel to beautiful Canmore Alberta, and get settled in at the hotel.
Friday February 14th - In the afternoon we will set up at Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park from 12:00pm - 5:00pm. The have a classroom briefing session from 6:00pm- 9:00pm at the hotel with a pizza dinner included!
Saturday February 15th - We'll arrive at the lake at 9:00am. We'll finished setting up and start diving! We'll end around 5:00pm before it starts to get dark and go for a group dinner.
Sunday February 16th - Again arriving at the lake at 9:00am for some diving and take down the equipment and pack up leaving the lake around 5:00pm. Then we'll go for dinner with the group and share all of our stories.
Monday February 17th (holiday Monday) - Drive Home
Payment Schedule:
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$200 Deposit (10 spots max)
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$500 Due by October 17th
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Final payment due January 15th
Not Included:
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Transportation (but can be shared)
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Personal scuba gear
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All other meals
