Accident reports-Required reading? (long)

[Zept]

ebbdiver said...
Most of the diving deaths were from drowning! I thought, how could somebody drown with an air source on their back?

Drowning is usually what kills people, from a coroner's point of view. If you get separated from your buddy, get tangled up and run out of air, you will drown. You've done several stupid things, but buddy separation, entanglement and running out of air are all survivable. Drowning is not (if you survive, technically it's a 'near drowning') and thus is listed as the cause of death.

Zept

 

[diverbrian]

Even an attentive, skilled buddy can't always save the other buddy.

If they panic, it is also a fact that many times two fatalities/injuries happen for the price of one from the attempted rescue.

And yes, "drowning" is the generic term that many ME's seem to use for "diving accident."

BTW, I like Mike F.'s approach to letting students know the risks. Too many students seem to feel that scuba is nearly risk free and shut off their brains after certification.