Annual Diving Report - Divers Alert Network

5. BREATH-HOLD DIVING
5. BREATH-HOLD DIVING
5.1 Introduction
Breath-hold diving is defined as in-water activity without self-contained or surface-supplied
breathing gas. Breath-hold divers operate in a wide range of environments, pursue an assortment
of goals, and wear various combinations and designs of suit, weight belt, mask, snorkel and/or
fin(s).
Breath-hold diving continues to experience a marked growth in popularity as an underwater sport.
Potentially physically challenging, serious injury or death can result from problems encountered
during the exposure. A database dedicated to breath-hold diving was established in 2005 to
collect and disseminate information regarding breath-hold incidents, both fatal and non-fatal, and
to improve awareness, training, and procedural development.
The purpose of incident data collection and analysis is not to assign blame but to learn from past
events. Some accidents are just that - unfortunate events that can occur even when sound
experience, planning, equipment and support are in place. These cases serve as a reminder of
the fundamental risks and remind us to take as much care as we can in all things. Other
accidents arise from flaws - flaws in equipment maintenance, equipment use, training, or
procedures. Incident analysis and reporting can reduce the risk for all participants in the future.
One of the challenges of accident investigation is that all of the facts are very rarely known. The
effort can require a substantial amount of deductive reasoning and occasionally some guesswork
to interpret events. In this review, we summarize the available data and speculate when
reasonable. The case reports found in Appendix C provide brief summaries of documented
information. The reader will be left to interpret these cases - hopefully with critical consideration of
his or her own practices.
5.2 Cases in 2004
Most cases were initially identified through internet searches, typically in online newspaper
articles. Some cases were reported to DAN directly by individuals involved in or aware of
incidents. Cases were excluded if the available information was too limited to be evaluated.
Twenty-three cases are included in this summary. All but one (96 percent, n=22) involved
fatalities.
Incidents were reported from nine different countries. Fifty-two percent (n=12) occurred in the
United States. The U.S. incidents occurred in three states: California and Hawaii (each with 42
percent), and Florida (17 percent). The preponderance of U.S. incidents likely reflects a bias in
the available reports rather than a true world-wide pattern. The distribution of U.S. incidents may
partially reflect the popularity of breath-hold activities in certain states but could also include a
reporting bias. It is anticipated that case identification will improve in all areas as our initiative
becomes more recognized.
Annual Diving Report: 2006 Edition 59