Main causes of scuba diving accidents?

[rovic]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

The discussion below has been split from a thread concerning an accident on the Andrea Doria since it relates to general questions of safety more properly explored in dive training forums. The OP is currently a non-diver and is asking questions that other non-divers may also have.

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my goodness!,,scuba diving related deaths almost everyday!!!!????!!!...unbelievable!!

the question arises,since this sport is considered VERY dangerous,why are people still undulge themselves to it??

there are several reasons why diving fails and cause DEATH
1) inadequate diver's technical know how
2) Natural/ catastrophic
3) diver's health condition(lung air load limit/too high pressure cause lung to collapse)
4) panic (uncontrollable)
5) over confident divers.(you know what i mean)
6) negligence
7) lack of proper/reliable diving equipment/ gadget
8) intentional/suicide (very rare,,,but it happens)
9) supernatural causes

feel free to add if i miss anything...

 

[Thalassamania]

the question arises,since this sport is considered VERY dangerous,why are people still undulge themselves to it??

there are several reasons why diving fails and cause DEATH
1) inadequate diver's technical know how
2) Natural/ catastrophic
3) diver's health condition(lung air load limit/too high pressure cause lung to collapse)
4) panic (uncontrollable)
5) over confident divers.(you know what i mean)
6) negligence
7) lack of proper/reliable diving equipment/ gadget
8) intentional/suicide (very rare,,,but it happens)
9) supernatural causes

feel free to add if i miss anything...

Go to RUBICON and read all the National Underwater Accident Data Center Reports (NUADC). Then read all the DAN reports. Then, come back and share.

 

[DandyDon]

the question arises,since this sport is considered VERY dangerous,why are people still undulge themselves to it??

So, are you a diver? No, I'd say that the sport is potentially dangerous, as are vehicle drivers - especially teens, and pedestrians. We're more newsworthy perhaps (ratings & advertising sales), but not that much more dangerous than day to day activities that can lead to death - but will not be as newsworthy.

Overall, I think most fatalities that do happen are based on medical problems and not really diving deaths, or failure to follow training. This dive was not one of recreational limits or even of scuba. It was a pretty extreme dive, far beyond my training or full understanding.

If you are not a diver, talk to a local dive shop about a Discover dive course and try a pool dive under safe guidance.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

the question arises,since this sport is considered VERY dangerous,why are people still undulge themselves to it??

I don't want to make to make one of those snarky "fixed that for ya" replies. But on the other hand, I could very easily (and accurately) take "this sport" out of your question and insert dozens of other sports. I could also replace it with "driving to the store," "flying to visit grandparents," "working as a pipefitter,".... well, you get the idea.

I couldn't help but notice that you seemed to join right around the time of the Subic Bay incident, and since then you have inserted this "omg.... dangerous" idea into many threads, including one where you were thinking of learning how to dive.

I don't mean to butt into your business, nor am I denying that diving has its risks; but I don't understand your mission (not that I have to, but still it makes me wonder). Also, now you have asked why we dive, so you are seeking input.

I dive because I love it. Do I worry about the risks? Sure. But then - as in everything I do - I decide that the risk/enjoyment balance is at a place where I choose to keep diving.

Blue Sparkle

PS:

there are several reasons why diving fails and cause DEATH
...
9) supernatural causes

feel free to add if i miss anything...

I would like to take this one away

 

[TSandM]

I don't think diving is considered "very dangerous". But deep technical diving is riskier than shallow reef diving, and wreck penetration is riskier yet. People who do these dives have usually done a lot of diving and a great deal of training to be prepared for the things that can go wrong. Yet, as the recent WKPP death proved, humans can and will make mistakes -- and the ocean environment is a dynamic thing, and aging wrecks are potentially unstable, and there are some situations where no amount of training or preparation will salvage the situation. People who do such dives are aware of the issues, and have done their own risk/benefit assessment and concluded the dive is worth it. I don't know that any of us would do a dive if we were told we WOULD die doing it, but all of us who do the riskier dives inspect the odds and accept them. Every once in a while, the chamber holds a live round.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

TSandM, after reading your post, I think I should add a note about where I was coming from. Because you are right, this particular dive is a deep/technical/more risky type one (as they go).

However, because I have been noticing rovic's posts hinting at the same thing in other threads, and because one thread she/he started was her/him wanting to learn to dive and looking for more information about it, then deciding it was too risky for her/him (which is fine; each person needs to make that decision for themselves), well, I extrapolated her/his question to more than just this dive.

Your comment about "not many people would make a dive if they knew that particular dive would kill them" reminded me about why I quit motorcycle riding at one point in time (after years of riding). Thing is, the riding itself didn't get any riskier (this was pre-cell-phone ), but my attitude changed. I went from knowing it had risks and accepting them in a general way, to thinking, before each ride "I wonder if I'm going to die on this trip; is going to the store to get milk worth dying for?" Of course it's not, and of course that didn't change the actual risk, and -- since something will kill everyone -- a person could just stop doing everything to eliminate the risk..... But what it did was tell me it was time for me to quit riding then.

So maybe diving is not for rovic; or maybe it is and he/she is just posting to work through the risks in his/her mind.

 

[DevonDiver]

the question arises,since this sport is considered VERY dangerous,...

That's your presumption and it is incorrect. I've never heard any reference to scuba diving being considered "very dangerous".

Would you care to quote any sources where you've read of scuba diving referred to in those terms?

Now... on to some specific points;

1) inadequate diver's technical know how

Diving agencies set a curriculum of training appropriate to the specific scuba activity undertaken. For many agencies, that curriculum is sanctioned by the World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC). Those major agencies that aren't members of the WRSTC have a common syllabus with those that are.

When students participate in courses, they are always educated about the recommended limitations linked with their course. For example, PADI has published a charter of 'Safe Diving Practices', that all students have to sign and agree to. That document contains the phrase "Always dive within the limits of your training and experience". Other agencies promote a very similar message.

Thus, any issue of inadequate training vs activity is caused by divers who knowingly exceed the limits stated in their training courses. That is human negligence, not a failing of the training systems in place.

Human negligence should not be utilised to determine the relative risk of an activity.

2) Natural/ catastrophic

I am not entirely sure what you are referring to. If a diver is killed by a natural disaster, then it is the disaster that killed them, not the activity of scuba diving.

I was woken last night by an earthquake. If I had been injured by that earthquake, would you use that occurence to determine that 'sleeping' was a "very dangerous" activity to participate in?

3) diver's health condition

As a minimum standard, divers complete a medical declaration before commencing any scuba training courses. Any positive indications on that medical declaration demand a proper medical examination. Some agencies go further than this, and demand a full medical examination as a matter of course before enrolling on a training course. A small percentage of agencies/organizations demand a regular medical up-date examination to allow continued diving.

In addition, all divers are educated about the need to confirm medical fitness in order to participate in scuba diving activities.

(lung air load limit/too high pressure cause lung to collapse)

The issues you have mentioned here not particularly related to any health condition. Barotrauma (pressure injury) is caused by pressure differentials.

Students are taught, at entry-level, to prevent barotrauma injuries through adherence to several easy procedures.

I have no idea what "lung air load limit" is. I think you made that term up, which is weird.

4) panic (uncontrollable)

This is a very non-specific factor, unrelated to scuba diving as a specific activity. Panic would present dangers to any person, regardless of situation or activity.

5) over confident divers.(you know what i mean)

This is a very non-specific factor, unrelated to scuba diving as a specific activity. False confidence would present dangers to any person, in any physical activity or situation. See point 1.

6) negligence

This is a very non-specific factor, unrelated to scuba diving as a specific activity. Negligence would present dangers to any person, in any physical activity or situation. See point 1.

7) lack of proper/reliable diving equipment/ gadget

Scuba diving equipment is very reliable, effective and suitable for the tasks it is used for. Safety records for scuba equipment are very high.

Where equipment, by nature, may be prone to some type of failure all divers are trained in the appropriate measures to effectively and safely react to that failure.

8) intentional/suicide (very rare,,,but it happens)

Irrelevant in determining the relative risks of an activity.

Using this definition; you could categorize belts, rope and balconies as "very dangerous" items. Silly.

9) supernatural causes

I am not aware of any scuba diving incident reports that cite werewolves, vampires, ghosts, aliens or mummies as a contributing cause of death.

We have enough Trolls on Scubaboard, but they don't cause a problem underwater.

 

[ucfdiver]

I'm not sure how you can say scuba diving isn't dangerous. The fact that we have an accident forum where I can't remember a two week stretch without a death should prove that incorrect.

 

[DevonDiver]

I'm not sure how you can say scuba diving isn't dangerous. The fact that we have an accident forum where I can't remember a two week stretch without a death should prove that incorrect.

Not sure who you're replying to?

If it was me... I didn't say that "scuba diving isn't dangerous".

What I said was;

I've never heard any reference to scuba diving being considered "very dangerous".

With hundreds of thousands of dives completed globally, per day, then a fatality occuring once or twice per month would not warrant the activity being described as "very dangerous".

It's considerably (statistically) safer than driving a car, cooking a meal or installing a plug socket. Are those "very dangerous" activities?

Scuba diving has risks. Nobody denies that.

Virtually all of those risks are easily mitigated through adherence to the training, procedures and recommendations provided by training agencies.

For a properly trained scuba diver, who dives conservatively, diligently applies their training and respects the limitations of their training and experience - diving is a very low risk pursuit.

 

[Thalassamania]

To keep it in perspective, scuba diving can be shown to have more risk than playing baseball or football or auto racing. I suspect that it has less risk than driving.