Diver Deaths by Agency?

[billy_b4c]

I doubt seriously that this data is readily accessable, but has anyone ever seen any diver death data broken down by certifying agency? The reason that I am asking is that a local dive "professional" stated, "You do know that (insert agency here) has had more diver deaths, don't you?" That's a pretty bold statement, and I'm looking for figures to substantiate it.

Please note that I am not trying to restart the perpetual agency war, and I even doubt that this data even exists; just wondering if it does.

 

[Debraw]

I doubt that kind of information or data is recorded by any reliable source. It would be hard to really give it any credibility even if it was available because if an agency did 10 times more students than another agency then yeah they would have more accidents. It's the law of averages.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

This was asked a few months ago. The thing is, PADI, because of sheer numbers and length of time as a certifying agency, is probably going to have the most, whereas a different, smaller agency like MDEA, doesn't have ANY. The basic question of "deaths per agency," is too general to really net any statistics that are going to be meaningful.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I doubt seriously that this data is readily accessable, but has anyone ever seen any diver death data broken down by certifying agency? The reason that I am asking is that a local dive "professional" stated, "You do know that (insert agency here) has had more diver deaths, don't you?" That's a pretty bold statement, and I'm looking for figures to substantiate it.

Please note that I am not trying to restart the perpetual agency war, and I even doubt that this data even exists; just wondering if it does.

I don't believe anyone keeps statistics on diver deaths by agency. In fact, I can see at least one obvious problem with trying to collect such a statistic ... lots of divers hold certifications from more than one agency.

For example, I have certs from six different agencies. If I were to get into a fatal diving accident, which one would get the "credit" ???

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[cerich]

GUE has lead to the death of independent thinking among more divers than any other agency.

Avoid the shop that got you to ask this question, it says volumes about them.

 

[Cacia]

because if an agency did 10 times more students than another agency then yeah they would have more accidents. It's the law of averages.

That can be corrected statistically, otherwise all studies would need to have the same sample sizes. What is the bigger problem many times iis
something like

Dr X has more lawsuits (and let's assume he did have more "bad surgical outcomes")

than Dr Y. Can you assume he is an inferior surgeon? Not if his referral patterns bring him sicker more complicated patients, like what happens at a tertiary care center or a teaching hospital. That is why looking this stuff up on physicians is very misleading, IMV. The best specialists are doing the toughest cases, on the worst protoplasm.

So, let's say agency X has the most deaths per some given number.

But maybe the they get the top shelf dive candidates looking for the training that will allow them to do more aggressive profiles, etc. The selection that provides a different set of people has already occurred....

and now you have divers doing different dives.

or, one agency might have more vacation divers, more unfit divers, even different disposable income populations. Income level alone has a big influence on death rates, unless I am mistaken. Access to health care, diet, all that.

It is hard to correct for all of the differences in one study.

 

[jd950]

Excuse the brief sidetrip here, but is GUE pronounced "gooey" or "Gway" or "Gay" or what?

Sorry for my ignorance.

 

[Charlie99]

The reason that I am asking is that a local dive "professional" stated, "You do know that (insert agency here) has had more diver deaths, don't you?"

The correct answer is "No, I didn't know that. What do you have to substantiate that claim?"

I doubt that he has anything to back up his statement, and you should be careful about trusting anything else that he tells you.

 

[rakkis]

A large number of divers hold certifications from various agencies as well. So even if you COULD get the normalized stats, you'd still need to consider that.

 

[JeffG]

Excuse the brief sidetrip here, but is GUE pronounced "gooey" or "Gway" or "Gay" or what?

Sorry for my ignorance.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=185520