An ice user must be able to recognize safe ice. It is usually found on slow-flowing streams, small areas of water, such as ponds, or on small lakes.
Ice is thinner at the edges of pools, under overhanging trees or bushes, and under bridges.
Areas that should be avoided altogether are tidal water and fast-flowing water that has iced on the surface. Although such ice may be thick, it is constantly subjected to strain and may break up under the weight of a person. In fact, such ice tends to be rough and uneven. It is completely transparent and is usually tough and elastic. It may crack and squeak under a person's weight, but it usually does not give way.