Scuba diving fatalities

For forensic investigation of underwater diving accidents, see Investigation of diving accidents.

Scuba diving fatalities are deaths occurring while scuba diving or as a consequence of scuba diving. The risks of dying during recreational, scientific or commercial diving are small, and on scuba, deaths are usually associated with poor gas management, poor buoyancy control, equipment misuse, entrapment, rough water conditions and pre-existing health problems. Some fatalities are inevitable and caused by unforeseeable situations escalating out of control, though the majority of diving fatalities can be attributed to human error on the part of the victim.[1][2]

Equipment failure is rare in open circuit scuba, and while the cause of death is commonly recorded as drowning, this is mainly the consequence of an uncontrollable series of events taking place in water. Arterial gas embolism is also frequently cited as a cause of death, and it, too, is the consequence of other factors leading to an uncontrolled and badly managed ascent, possibly aggravated by medical conditions. About a quarter of diving fatalities are associated with cardiac events, mostly in older divers.[3] There is a fairly large body of data on diving fatalities, but in many cases, the data is poor due to the standard of investigation and reporting. This hinders research that could improve diver safety.[4]

For diving facilities, scuba diving fatalities have a major financial impact by way of lost income, lost business, insurance premium increases and high litigation costs.[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Concannon 2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Shreeves et al 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Why divers die was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Denoble at al 2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).