Safer than bowling?

[Ocean One]

There are risks in everything we do in life. Why compare diving to anything? Focus on the inherent risks involved in diving and if done right you'll dive long and enjoy the h---out of it and if done wrong you risk the possibilty of death.
Please keep in mind that these are NEW divers and are looking for a sport/activity that they believe is going to be fun. They are unaware of the potential risks they'll be taking, so try not to scare the pants off of them from the get go!

 

[dannobee]

Well, it could be true, as is the old line that the airlines use that flying is "x" times safer than driving your car. True, but I've seen many fender bender car accidents where nobody was injured. When a plane crashes, normally all on board die.

Such is the case with diving. Normally, nothing bad happens, but when the chit hits the fan, people get hurt really bad or die. What could happen while bowling? Sprains? Pulled muscles? Fall down drunk and break a bone or two?

Irrespective, as somebody mentioned, heart attacks while on terra firma are called heart attacks. If the event occurs when the victim is underwater, it's often called a "diving accident."

 

[tech_diver]

Heart attacks while diving with a rebreather are rebreather accidents

 

[under water]

I had a little laugh to myself when, during my OW class, my instructor says "Diving is safer than bowling, it is proven less injuries than bowling."

To me the absurtity of the comparison is not debatable. In my mind, the obviousness of the attempt to misguide is clear.

...
Thoughts?

Yeah.. but is that after a $300-$400 training course in bowling involving several weeks of just pretending to bowl.
Oh and then the requisite $400 AOB course (Advanced Open Bowling)

With the 'correctly' chosen statistics, any argument can be validated.

 

[Charlie99]

Well, it could be true, as is the old line that the airlines use that flying is "x" times safer than driving your car. True, but I've seen many fender bender car accidents where nobody was injured. When a plane crashes, normally all on board die.

IIRC, fatality rates for cars and airlines are very favorable towards airline when viewed on a per-mile basis, but are pretty much the same or even in favor of cars on a per-hour basis. Both are true statistics, and both are valid ways of looking at the risk in some circumstances -- it makes sense to look at the risk for a flight attendent on a per-flight-hour basis.