Recovering from a hip replacement, I’ve reread a lot of the dive classics. I think that getting very granular about accidents is one way for divers to somehow distance themselves from these events rather than to learn from the overarching themes.
Personally, a friend of mines husband died on the Oregon (wreck , 130 ft ccr). my husband also had a first degree relative pass or have a serious medical event on a dive.
1) preexisting conditions, exacerbated by the stress of the dive. most like an older man, heart issue, but could be other medical conditions that track with age and risk.
2) unpredictable events. Undeserved hit, IPE, etc. A young woman I know just got IPE in the Galapos. Fortunately she had a satellite phone and and while the DMs discounted her symptoms, she called DAN and took their advice. Her training for this live aboard and cool head saved her life. Some people would not have even made it to the surface, based on her reports. Even though she couldn’t breathe well, they forced her to do a safety stop.
3) people resistant to change when diving in a different environment than they are accustomed to. Could be an expert diver with a zillion dives that isn’t interested in modifying their set up or approach in a new environment as they are very comfort with the set up and method
these same people often discount advice and are unable or unwilling to take it from those who are experts In the new environment.
4) this can be extrapolated to the fact that they have initial success in new environment until they hit a wall.
5) physics does not relate to me because I am an expert and have done this before and survived. So many people get away with so much for so long that they continue to take chances.
For a change of pace,let’s take a warm water diver, Opal. Cozumel. Keep on doing touch dives. not enough that she died, but her friend and employee is in a wheel chair as he tried to save her, Her husband (ex) certified mine. He illegally used a former glass bottom boat to cross to PDC and it sunk. its just luck that all the divers survived.
poor judgement, risk taking.
6) doing too much too soon. Again, initial success allows this person to feel that they are on the right track and that the basics do not apply to them. This can be difficulty of dive, too much gear that they aren’t really conversant with, etc.
The conflation of certification and training combined with a lack of actual experience. Enough dives convince them to continue along the same path without doing the foundational work that provides the skills and experience to handle the problem that eventually may arise. Equipment failure, bad conditions, a chain of events that does not get broken that leads to potential disaster. More experience would have equipt the diver to address the issue that came up.
7) adventurers. These people, and the dive community know that they are on the leading edge, are proficient but eventually the fatal accident occurs.
8) against better judgement, people f up and know it. Might be the dive that they take that they shouldn’t because they are unwell or conditions are too bad but they have a limited oppprtunity to get to the wreck, end of season, paid money, or want to beat someone else to do something. Perhaps they have done this before so feel it’s safe to do it again.
9) poor or clouded judgement
I once saw or read that dive accidents tend to cluster with new and inexperienced divers, and very experienced divers. For different reasons both are at risk.
