North American Ice Diving Festival

03/21/2026

A very nice story from the Mesabi Tribune-

GILBERT—Enduring water temperatures from 35 to 38 degrees and cutting through 24 inches of Lake Ore-Be-Gone ice was well worth the effort for freedivers that descended on Gilbert last weekend.

03/16/2026

The freedivers.... people say ice divers are a touch off... but these guys are a whole new level! So honored to be a part of their incredible pioneering efforts. Congratulations to the first record setting ice freedivers🥶💙

03/16/2026

A few shots from the dinner Saturday evening. My favorite moment of the night was when a Freediver, sitting next to a SCUBA diver, said "I love being underwater, its so peaceful, I just wish there was a way I could stay down longer" 😁😁

03/12/2026

We're on for this weekend, looks like a little snow blowing through Thursday night into Friday morning, but it will be long gone for Saturday.

03/09/2026

We are only a few days away! The shop will be closed Friday and Saturday for the festival, so stop by before then if you need anything!

The timeline for the weekend is:
12 March 2026-
Equipment loading at Midwest School of Diving
Scott will transport to Lake Ore Be Gone and stage in the parking lot
13 March 2026
09:00- Preparation of Freediving site- site with at least 50m (163’) depth
12:00- Freediving participants arrive lakeside to conduct safety and rescue drills
16:00- Classroom setup at City Hall Council Chamber
18:00- Class and registration at city hall
14 March 2026
08:00- Lakeside setup- food tent and registration table at picnic pavilion
09:00- Participant arrival and dive site prep-
Single engine plane- students
Huey & twin engine plane- certified ice divers
Divers may rotate between holes for multiple dives-
certified divers may conduct solo tethered dives with redundant air source, we can provide pony bottles
Freedive team arrives
11:00- Safety diver down for freedivers
13:00- Freedives complete
17:00- Ice diving complete- holes filled and equipment back in trailer
18:00- No host social-Boomtown, 501 Hat Trick Ave, Eveleth (Across highway from the Super 8)
19:15- Sunset

We are hoping for an event that includes lots of community building, great dives, and the very first North American Ice Freediving records. Natalia, Dave and Michelle have put in a great deal of preparatory work and coordination to make this record setting freedive event a success, so make sure you stop by the freedive site to cheer on the competitors! This is a first of it’s kind event in North America, it’s been done at Lake Baikal in Russia but never here so they are creating the blueprint for future ice freediving competitions in the US.

02/28/2026

2 weeks out and the weather looks promising 😁 see you all soon, there is still time to register!

02/25/2026

New ice divers in the water this weekend! There is still time to get registered for this year's festival, the forecast is looking pretty decent for mid March on the Range.

https://midwestschoolofdiving.com/blog/midwest-school-of-diving/2026-north-american-ice-diving-festival

02/19/2026

Winter is back! Less than a month until the festival, time to get registered!

Nestled in the heart of Minnesota's historic Iron Range, Gilbert is a charming small town (pop. ~1,700) where rugged mining heritage meets stunning natural

02/16/2026

Worth a listen, this is a great discussion on an ice dive gone wrong, and how ice diving has unique challenges that no other type of diving, including cave diving, has.

James & Brando comment on diving in their own, unique way. An original take on SCUBA diving and their shared passion for exploring the underwater world and the diving community.

02/26/2025

ERDI Ice Rescue Instructor course- March 14th and 15th

The Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI) Surface Ice Rescue Instructor Course is designed to equip experienced public safety professionals with the skills and knowledge to train others in surface ice rescue techniques. This comprehensive program covers critical topics including ice formati...

02/19/2025

Still looking to get ice certified this year? Next opportunity will be March 15th- it might be above 0 by then!

.The PADI Ice Diving course is an advanced specialty program designed for adventurous divers who want to experience the unique thrill of diving under ice. Ice diving provides an entirely different underwater experience, with crystal-clear visibility, surreal light effects, and an incredible sense of...