Safest locales for diving around the world?

[Marie13]

North American Great Lakes area.

No large marine life, in fact, depending on dive site, you may see few fish. The better to photograph the wrecks.

The only surface issues you may have might involve the cities of Chicago and Milwaukee, but the boats don’t go out of particularly bad areas. Just use normal precautions at night and don’t be stupid. Actually the only Chicago/southern Lake Michigan charter op left is DRIS. The competition has retired. Boat goes out of Hammond, IN marina. Don’t know about Lakes Erie or Ontario diving, or the St. Lawrence.

Some excellent diving is from small towns - Alpena, MI; Tobermory, ON; Mackinaw City, MI.

Chicago and Alpena have chambers that accept emergencies.

The water is cold, so that keeps a lot of folks away. Drysuit or 7mm on the Upper Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron).

 

[Saboteur]

Best of my knowledge, no polar bears in BC outside of zoos. But grizzlies, yes, and they'll kill you just as dead as a polar bear. They're usually in pretty remote places.

And they can fight...

 

[Saboteur]

EPCOT - The Happiest Place on Earth (and safest to dive)

That's cool. I'd like to try that.

 

[dlofting]

We've traveled to a few different countries (Netherlands, Belgium, France, Philippines, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Mexico and extensively in the US).....sometimes to dive and sometimes to just see the sights. All countries have areas that I would avoid or would avoid at night, but I have never considered myself unsafe. About the only place I've been that I would consider completely safe (and that includes North Vancouver, where I live) is Cabo Pulmo in the Baja. No one even locks their doors. You do have to fly into San Jose del Cabo to get there and drive or ride through rural Mexico, but once you're there it's very, very safe. Unless of course you have a heart attack and then you're at least 30 minutes from a small town clinic.....que sera sera.

 

[KenGordon]

Just to toot my own horn like everybody else here do: Norway. One of the safest countries in the world (heck, people living in the countryside often don't bother locking their car or their front door), and no bears - in fact no large, human-unfriendly predators - at the coast. And some of the sites are world class. We probably won't even charge you if you need an airlift and a chamber ride, since we have single-payer healthcare.

Only downside is that pesky cold water requiring a drysuit. And the insane prices for beer.

Apart from the risk of heart attack due to beer and food prices, I have to agree. I’d honestly rather dive in Norway than any of these warm water destinations. Another upside is you are not dealing with the whole tourist exploiting a developing country thing.

 

[Kevrumbo]

In terms of Diving Accident Emergency Support & Response, there is no better safer locale in the world than here in SoCal:

The Catalina Recompression Chamber is the only non-military/non-commercial, civilian municipal government run and local diver donation/volunteer supported facility in the US on 24/7 & 365 stand-by for Emergency Diving Accidents & Casualties only. Since it's run by the public tax-supported Los Angeles County Health Dept, Univ of Southern Calif Teaching Hospital/Medical School/Level 1 Trauma Center & LA County EMS System, and has on-island Advanced Cardiorespiratory Life Support capability with an ER/Hyperbaric Physician on call by helicopter, medico-legally you will always have the opportunity to be evaluated and treated as necessary whether you have primary or secondary accident DAN medical insurance coverage -or not. . .

USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: The Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber

 

[BRT]

Best of my knowledge, no polar bears in BC outside of zoos. But grizzlies, yes, and they'll kill you just as dead as a polar bear. They're usually in pretty remote places.

I'm in favor of introducing them in more populated areas.

 

[BRT]

Thanks for the replies everyone, looking for even more and personal experiences as well. I'm not saying the place has to be perfect, I just know in certain places some weird things can happen. I wish certain locales were safer, I know anywhere you go the average person tends to be good people.

I was reading recently about how even in the Bahamas you have to be careful, I've not yet been there even though some of my family has and they said it was great. I will still probably go there but know to be cautious. I was mainly just curious what places you really feel safe and don't have to worry about some gang of not so good people doing not so good things to tourists.

I have not done dry suit diving although I have done cold water diving down to 50 degrees. I definitely want a dry suit for water below about 65. Anything 65 or above I've got a good Henderson 7mm for. If I do get into drysuit diving some day I would definitely try places like Norway, BC, places like Scapa Flow look really interesting. For now I'm concentrating on warm water destinations.

We've dived the keys a good number of times and dived off the coast of Miami. Love it down there, plan on moving down there at some point. Never felt unsafe. Just gotta be smart. I think I would feel okay enough going to a lot of the places listed here. I would love to go to Raja Ampat and have heard differing opinions on how safe it is, but from what I understand it's fairly safe.

One area I'm on the fence about is the Yucatan. Would LOVE to dive the cenotes but I've heard the further in you go off the beaten path the greater the risk. Any opinions or personal experiences would be totally welcomed.

We have gone off the beaten path in Quintana Roo and Yucatan since 1996. So far no bad experiences but don't make the mistake of locking your car with valuables in it.

 

[KenGordon]

In terms of Diving Accident Emergency Support & Response, there is no better safer locale in the world than here in SoCal:

The Catalina Recompression Chamber is the only non-military/non-commercial, civilian municipal government run and local diver donation/volunteer supported facility in the US on 24/7 & 365 stand-by for Emergency Diving Accidents & Casualties only. Since it's run by the public tax-supported Los Angeles County Health Dept, Univ of Southern Calif Teaching Hospital/Medical School/Level 1 Trauma Center & LA County EMS System, and has on-island Advanced Cardiorespiratory Life Support capability with an ER/Hyperbaric Physician on call by helicopter, medico-legally you will always have the opportunity to be evaluated and treated as necessary whether you have primary or secondary accident DAN medical insurance coverage -or not. . .

USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: The Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber

Really? In the world?

There are 8 publicly funded decompression chamber operators just in England, more in Scotland. There is a vaguely proper emergency helicopter system. It is quite regular that bent divers are picked off boats and evacuated to a chamber. Third level training includes ‘Helicopter Operations’ so people know what to expect.

Of course, all this is at risk due to people voting Tory a bit too often. The NHS is trying to reduce the number of chamber operators (since there is appearently no study that shows with holding treatment makes for worse outcomes) and the helicopters have been privatised recently.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Really? In the world?

There are 8 publicly funded decompression chamber operators just in England, more in Scotland. There is a vaguely proper emergency helicopter system. It is quite regular that bent divers are picked off boats and evacuated to a chamber. Third level training includes ‘Helicopter Operations’ so people know what to expect.

Of course, all this is at risk due to people voting Tory a bit too often. The NHS is trying to reduce the number of chamber operators (since there is appearently no study that shows with holding treatment makes for worse outcomes) and the helicopters have been privatised recently.

(Really. @KenGordon . . .In the World):

Are all these "so-called publicly funded" Recompression Chambers in England/Scotland on emergency stand-by all 365 days-a-year and crewed 24/7 exclusively for the treatment of civilian recreational diving accidents & casualties only as the Catalina Chamber is here in SoCal? Is your "vaguely proper emergency helicopter system" as responsive & competent as our US Coast Guard, or even our local government Los Angeles County & City Fire Dept and Sheriff's Rescue rotary wing operations??

@KenGordon , unlike you Limeys over there across the Pond -our at sea government service rescue assets here in offshore Southern California are never subject to the whims of national partisan politics. . .