Value in discussing accidents & incidents?

[fjpatrum]

Question if I may?

If forums like these help create awareness to get a better understanding (even though speculation most of the time) of fatalities and the dynamics behind, why are fatalities on the increase compared to 10 years ago?!?

I'm not sure deaths ARE on the rise, because I haven't read any such thing. My guess, if it is the case, would be that we have a whole lot more divers these days than there were in the 60s or even the 90s. Higher numbers of divers, many of whom are also aging, are going to increase accident rates. How many car accidents were there in the 40s? How about now with 10 times (or 100 times) the number of cars on the roads?

Simple law of averages is going to increase accidents as the number of participants increases.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Suspicions are unspoken speculations, but it doesn't seem that we are going to get more info on this loss so it's just so much guess work - more to think about safer diving that an attempt at analysis...

Under 30 and indestructible. Hell, I had that problem into my 50s when I started scuba with a Resort Course dive to 100 ft.

Ignored his OW training to dive alone. Yeah, I know that hunters usually do, and we do not know his training or experience level, or even what happened to him - but solo diving in 120 feet of water does included severe risks, and Florida hunting is infamous for claiming divers every year.

I suspect he did not have a pony bottle, just because most don't.

And I'd best that his weights were still attached, as is usually the case.

​

What are yours...?

I have no suspicions. You claimed to have some previously. From what we read he was diving alone in 120 feet. From what I understand his dad went down and recovered the body himself.. We were out diving that day in the area and saw the helicopter buzzing around. Conditions were not unusal that day with regard to the dive conditions, sea state or weather.

It seems that there has been zero information released that would allow anything other than the most crude (and worthless) speculations in this case.

 

[ahava]

Question if I may?

If forums like these help create awareness to get a better understanding (even though speculation most of the time) of fatalities and the dynamics behind, why are fatalities on the increase compared to 10 years ago?!?

Number of people diving. Number of people doing adv or tech diving. Info at your finger tips where it wasn't before.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

DAN's fatality numbers for North America (and North Americans) show deaths decreasing while it is hard not to conclude there are more divers today than yesterday (or dives made).

 

[ktomlinson]

Are we sure that people are doing more dives now than at other times in the past? I once assumed so but a couple of old timers said there used to be more dive operations around than now, so now I'm not sure.

 

[Zieg]

Are we sure that people are doing more dives now than at other times in the past? I once assumed so but a couple of old timers said there used to be more dive operations around than now, so now I'm not sure.

That would depend on what you consider "old timer".

 

[c0r3yz]

...why are fatalities on the increase compared to 10 years ago?!?

They're not. You hear about them more because social media plays much more of a role in how people get their news today than it did 10 years ago.

 

[openmindOW]

Do you get a big kick out of searching and putting these up. GAL

DandyDon does the dive community a service by posting accidents and incidents in the A and I Forum. That's why we call it the A and I Forum.

Thanks, Don, for your service.

 

[ajduplessis]

Source please?

DAN fatality workshop and stats. Anything else?

 

[ajduplessis]

Nope, the amount of active diver in the last 10 yeas have been pretty constant year on year.

I'm not sure deaths ARE on the rise, because I haven't read any such thing. My guess, if it is the case, would be that we have a whole lot more divers these days than there were in the 60s or even the 90s. Higher numbers of divers, many of whom are also aging, are going to increase accident rates. How many car accidents were there in the 40s? How about now with 10 times (or 100 times) the number of cars on the roads?

Simple law of averages is going to increase accidents as the number of participants increases.