DIVING

1. Dive Fatalities
Among the decedents, there were six divers aged sixteen years old or less.
Case 11-13: Inexperienced diver with cardiovascular health issues
This 16-year-old male had only been certified for four months when he made a navigational dive in a quarry with a group
of other divers. The diver did not return with the group and he was found unresponsive 30 minutes later. The medical
examiner ruled the death to be due to an air embolism but there is no evidence that the diver had ascended. The autopsy
disclosed cardiomegaly and the diver was markedly obese with a BMI of 39. A cardiac event may have resulted
in this drowning.
Medical history was, in most cases, incomplete or unknown. In 18 cases (5%), it was explicitly reported that there were
no known medical conditions. The most frequently reported medical conditions in decedents were high blood pressure
(n=40; 12%) and heart disease (n=18; 5%).
Table 1.4-1 Known medical history on decedents by year, 2010-2013 (n=334)
2010 2011 2012 2013 Total (%)
Hypertension 12 12 11 5 40 (12)
None 10 4 2 2 18 (5)
Cardiovascular disease 2 7 7 2 18 (5)
Diabetes 3 6 5 1 15 (4)
Asthma 3 0 4 1 8 (2)
Back Pain 0 3 1 1 5 (1)
Allergies 1 0 1 1 3 (1)
Pulmonary 0 2 1 0 3 (1)
Flu/Cold 2 0 0 0 2 (1)
Nervous 0 1 1 0 2 (1)
Depression 1 1 0 0 2 (1)
Ear/Sinus 1 0 0 0 1 (0)
The true prevalence of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases among victims is not known. The numbers in
Table 1.4-1 represent only the number of cases with known medical conditions. The medical history was not known for
many cases and some of those who were reportedly healthy may have had undiagnosed hypertension, heart disease
or diabetes, as is often the case in the general population.
Case 10-14: Sudden cardiac death followed by drowning
This 49-year-old male was a certified diver with an unknown amount of experience who was diving with five other divers
in a reservoir. The decedent gave an “OK” signal prior to ascending but he never ascended. The decedent’s body was
recovered at 115 fsw (35 msw) the next day. The medical examiner concluded the cause of death to be drowning and
stated an air embolism could not be excluded. Without an ascent, the possibility of air embolism is excluded. However,
the decedent did have hypertensive cardiovascular disease with cardiomegaly at autopsy and this may have contributed
to the death.
Case 13-69: Sudden cardiac death due to coronary atherosclerosis
This 67-year-old experienced diver had a medical history of hypertension. He was diving from a boat in tropical waters
and ascended from approximately 100 fsw (61 msw) to a safety stop at 15 fsw (5 msw). During the stop, he became
unresponsive. He was brought onto the boat where resuscitative efforts were administered and he was then transported
to a nearby hospital. Death was pronounced in the emergency department. The autopsy documented changes of hypertensive
cardiovascular disease. His death appeared to be due to a sudden cardiac arrest while underwater.
Annual Diving Report – 2012-2015 Edition
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