At the sight of a frozen surface, the hearts of many enthusiasts throb. They only have one thing in mind and that is to tease the fish.
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Before you even venture out, you need to know and remember a few clear rules so you don’t become a victim of cold waters. Here are some important points from the redcross.ca and gf.nd.gov sites.
Remember that:
Edges freeze faster than offshore, giving a false illusion of solidity.
Snow insulates ice. Then in turn, it slows down the formation of solid ice. It is then difficult to see cracks, unsafe areas and puddles of white water.
When you wake up in the early morning and the body of water has frozen overnight, be aware that the frozen surface may be unstable, not constant and may vary in thickness in several places.
Avoid proximity to fissures, pressure ridges, partially submerged trees, brush, muddy or darker areas that signal thinner ice.
fluctuation
Daily temperature changes cause ice to expand and contract, affecting its strength.
Currents, tides and other water movements can obviously have unenviable consequences.
Also remember that anything that emerges from the water such as logs, rocks and docks can absorb the sun’s heat and redistribute it around.
Tint
As the Red Cross tells us, the color of the ice can give an indication of its solidity.
Pale blue ice is the strongest of all.
Opaque white ice or snow ice is half as strong as pale blue. It forms when water-saturated snow freezes to the surface of the ice.
Gray ice is not safe. It indicates the presence of water.
Thickness
The Red Cross suggests waiting until the frozen crust is 15 cm thick before venturing there to walk or skate.
For group activities, a thickness of 20 cm is desirable.
Then, for snowmobiles and ATVs, you need at least 25 cm.
Before venturing out, make several holes in many places to reassure yourself of solidity.
Please be careful!