Ice diving

[DetectorGuy]

I think if you cut one of those 600' ropes to 275' and the other to 325' for the safety diver, you would have more than you could handle in an emergency situation. My experience is limited, but we (Art, Shooter, and I) purchased a 250' and a 300' communication line, and we were brow beat by several as they all thought even this length was too long. The people that thought this length was too long are respected individuals. They had good reason to make them shorter than that: Free-flow or multiple free-flows (four tugs, and then if the tender can distinguish this signal at 250', pull a freaking out diver back that distance...), entanglement (say you are out at 250', and low on air, you return towards the hole only to find out your tender has left slack and the rope is tangled up 50'-100' behind you...), rope management by the tender (keep in mind that the tender is your life link and with the diver at 250' from the hole, the tender will be under a fair amount of stress too...), etc... I am a firm believer in the fact that a rope is only as good as its length, but as non-macho as it sounds, sometimes you have to put limits on things. I think 600' of line is way, waaaay, too much length, but to each his own.