Have we experienced more dive fatalities in 2014

[BDSC]

It's my humble opinion that this approaches %100 towards diver error especially if you include health issues. No single gear failure should cause a fatality... ever.

I agree with Pete on this. I don't think any gear failure should cause a fatailty. But I would be interested in knowing some thing like, say a diver not watching their air and running out and that causing a fatality, vs some person having a heart attack while diving. While it would go down as a diving fatality, would the person just as likely have had a heart attack walking the dog that day instead? From what I read here on SB, it seems the diving population is getting older and older and perhaps in the future there would be an increase is diving fatalities but due so because of an increased risk of heart attack in an older diving population.

 

[The Chairman]

We have a number of fatalities here in the Keys and it's the exception when the diver is younger than 50.

 

[djcheburashka]

Seems like fewer in fla this year than last. Does DAN keep numbers? I'd love to run stats

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

We have a number of fatalities here in the Keys and it's the exception when the diver is younger than 50.

... wouldn't that be more an indication of the age demographics of the Florida Keys than anything to do specifically with diving? If an area is inhabited predominantly by old people, then most statistics will seem to be rather heavily weighted toward that age group ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[djcheburashka]

As likely to be the v high number of divers doing their first post-cert dives, or first dives in a long time. Key largo serves a broad audience.

 

[The Chairman]

... wouldn't that be more an indication of the age demographics of the Florida Keys than anything to do specifically with diving?

Not really. I would say that divers over 50 rarely make up even %25 of any boat. However, when my son died the coroner was surprised that he actually lived here. Most fatalities here are visitors.

 

[djcheburashka]

You know what would be totally awesome and all of these discussions? A data set so we could run statistics

 

[xyrandomyx]

You know what would be totally awesome and all of these discussions? A data set so we could run statistics

Data sets with the sort of detail we'd like just don't exist. The best we can ever do is some educated guesswork based on anecdotes, personal experience and the limited data we do have.

 

[scubadada]

We have a number of fatalities here in the Keys and it's the exception when the diver is younger than 50.

50 year old divers are young whippersnappers, I'm 60. I acknowledge the increaing number of co-morbidities with age but, according to DAN, out of air emergencies are the most frequent cause of underwater emergencies. This has nothing to do with age but is related to dive stupidity. Short of a gear malfunction or an entanglemet, I cannot fathom a reason to ever run out of air. Entanglement is addressable with correct equipment, gear malfunction is not hyperacute and you have some time to respond and head for the surface.

Just this year in Boynton Beach FL, I was on a boat with a diver that ran out of air at considerable depth and needed to be rescued. Fortunately, he had a competant buddy who saved his life along with boat personnel who resuscitated him. I think diving is pretty safe, divers are dangeorous.

Best, Craig