Report on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive

Section 4 - Dive Fatalities4.4-1Distributionof accidents bystage of dive.4.4.2 HazardsSome of the hazards that may lead to loss of life in scuba diving are:1) Loss of consciousness, self-control or faculties whilein the water, possibly as a result of a health problem likecardiac disease or a seizure disorder.2) Loss of gas supply.3) Errors in ascent procedures causing injury by expandinggas within body tissues (barotrauma) or gas escapingsolution in the tissues (decompression sickness).4) Obstacles to the surface from entanglement or overheadenvironments such as cave diving, wreck penetration and ice.5) Inability of the diver to cope with current, waves, or cold.6) Equipment failure.7) Mechanical injuries not specific to diving such as beingstruck by a boat, etc.8) General medical conditions such as a heart attack.While divers must be self-reliant and are responsible for their ownsafety, use of the buddy system is meant to ensure support byanother diver in case of need. DAN always inquires whether divingwith a buddy was planned and implemented.Loss of gas supply was a problem in at least 29 cases. Among thesewere five solo divers who could not get help. In 15 cases, buddiesseparated intentionally or lost contact before running out of air. Intwo cases, divers did not check their gas supply before the dive andstarted diving with nearly empty tanks. In one case, the diver useda rebreather that was poorly maintained such that oxygen was notdelivered due to partial obstruction of the supply line. One diverconsumed nearly all of his gas on the way into a cave.DAN’s <strong>Report</strong> on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive Exploration: 2005 Edition 79