So, what actually KILLS divers?

[DeepScuba]

Good posts all, and a good question. It' something that I've pondered from day 1 as well.

From the deaths I have seen in the last few years, i can say that in the majority it has been from an actual physical ailment, meaning heart attack or a sudden brain bleed type of incident. These are the "tough" ones, since it's kind of a no-warnings, and boom there you are not doing anything wrong scuba-diving wise, and you're dead. From there it has been usually the dreaded wreck penetration, neck and neck with running out of air......both unacceptable, especially for those totally untrained in wrecks, and those that don't adhere to the rule of thirds........which I think most DO NOT.

I myself have been guilty of this last one before I took lots more training (Actually ot until Technical training did I wise up). Now I take greater risks, but with lots of back-up and redundancy. I've now learned the err of my prior ways...........

 

[zeN||]

Panic in the face of an emergency surely has to be the #1 killer zeN||

 

[BlueGirlGoes]

DeepScuba once bubbled...
and those that don't adhere to the rule of thirds........which I think most DO NOT.

What is the rule of thirds?

 

[Cave Diver]

BlueGirlGoes once bubbled...


What is the rule of thirds?

The rule of thirds is normally used when diving overhead environments (OHE). It is basically that you do your dive using only 1/3 of your air supply. The remaining two thirds is for your exit (or buddy) and to deal with any emergencies that may pop up.

For example, doing a basic recreational dive with an AL80 and 3000psi, you would turn your dive and head for the surface when the first diver used up one third (1000 psi) of their air supply. That means you have 2000 psi to return to your original starting point.

Assuming that your return is under the exact same conditions as you started, you should surface with 1000 psi remaining.

However if you or your buddy had a problem during the dive (regulator malfunction, etc.) then that remaining 1000 psi is what you would have used to get them them safely to the surface.

This is an extremely oversimplified descritiption and does not account for many factors. Just realize that the rule of 1/3's is the bare minimum that should be considered for some dives.

 

[Cave Diver]

There is another factor that I havent seen mentioned yet that I think should be considered.

Diving beyond your skill or training.

Narcosis can cause a great lapse in attention, both to your buddy, your dive plan, and your surroundings. Make sure that you stay within the limits that you are comfortable with and don't attempt to make a dive that you are uncertain about due to an ego threat.

One of the things you are taught in some of the more advanced or technical diving courses is that two of the five causes of death in the "accident analysis" are:

Training, or lack thereof for a particular dive environment.

Depth -- exceeding a recommended depth limit which may bring on either nitrogen narcosis or oxygen toxicity (or both!), depending upon the breathing mixture.

One of my favorite sayings when working with new students is "You don't know what you don't know, and what you don't know can kill you!"

 

[Cudabait]

I believe DAN stats support that most divers drown at the surface. Next leading cause, is malfunctioning BCD's. Panic, no doubt an underlying factor in both.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Looking at a recent death in our area ... pretty experienced diver. Made a few bad decisions. Him and his buddy had cut corners in the past and got away with it ... this time it didn't quite work out. Result, one dead diver.

- Did three dives on two tanks of air
- Went deeper than planned
- Separated from buddy at 50 fsw and decided to continue the dive rather than end the dive and surface
- Apparently planned to use his bail-out bottle, but apparently neglected to check to make sure the second stage was somewhere he could reach it

Like UP said ... a chain of poor decisions ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Rick Murchison]

DeepScuba once bubbled...
From the deaths I have seen in the last few years, i can say that in the majority it has been from an actual physical ailment, meaning heart attack or a sudden brain bleed type of incident.

This is correct. Most divers who die do so from the same things anyone else their age is likely to die from - heart attack far exceeds all other causes.
Panic, OOA, lost, entanglement, AGE, DCS, exposure and animal bites/stings all put together don't come up to heart attack.
Now, if you ask what kills the most divers other than heart attack and stroke, then you can list all those others.
The bottom line is that statistically diving is mighty safe.
Rick

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I think if you really look at the statistics, more divers die in car accidents than do diving

SeaRat

PS--It's not "looking at your guage," it's monitoring your pressure guage! The 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 rule works well in overhead/hazardous underwater environments.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Cudabait once bubbled...
I believe DAN stats support that most divers drown at the surface. Next leading cause, is malfunctioning BCD's. Panic, no doubt an underlying factor in both.

The DAN report doesn't say anything of the kind. I think all dovers should consider it required reading.