Time For Some Industry Standards for Dive Computer Alarms

[616fun]

I understand and appreciate the resistance to any sort of government interference with our favorite hobby; however, with an average of 150 death per year, it's simply unacceptable to think the government and insurance companies will turn a blind eye much longer (The 7 Deadly Hobbies: Pastimes Your Insurer Hates - DailyFinance). If divers truly don't want government regulation, now is the time make the sport safer by decreasing the annual fatality rate.

Is it going to be well received and a popular idea in the dive community? Of course not. Judging from the responses in this thread, ever diver is sure of their own skills and it's simply not going to happen to them. More than likely, right before their last dive, ever diver believed it would happen to someone else.

If you want to self-regulate, fine, but we need to do a better job. We will all pay the penalty, if we allow politicians to decided what's best for us.

We need to be pro-active.

You are an idiot in everything you said.

150 is a drop in the bucket, and I'd venture to say 1/2 those are medical incidents while diving. A computer alarm wouldn't resolve 10% of those deaths.

 

[debajo agua]

Ridiculous.

Insurance companies havent turned a blind eye - thats why they charge more.

And...the government has A LOT more to worry about besides something that is involved with 150 deaths per year. There are 4 other things on your list that are not Gov regulated and cause more than 150 deaths.
.

150 deaths a year x 10 years = 1500 in 10 years.

Is that insignificant?

 

[muzikbiz22]

I understand and appreciate the resistance to any sort of government interference with our favorite hobby; however, with an average of 150 death per year, it's simply unacceptable to think the government and insurance companies will turn a blind eye much longer (The 7 Deadly Hobbies: Pastimes Your Insurer Hates - DailyFinance). If divers truly don't want government regulation, now is the time make the sport safer by decreasing the annual fatality rate.

Is it going to be well received and a popular idea in the dive community? Of course not. Judging from the responses in this thread, ever diver is sure of their own skills and it's simply not going to happen to them. More than likely, right before their last dive, ever diver believed it would happen to someone else.

If you want to self-regulate, fine, but we need to do a better job. We will all pay the penalty, if we allow politicians to decided what's best for us.

We need to be pro-active.

First off, the article that you are quoting states that "a license is required" to scuba dive. That is FALSE. It is not illegal to Scuba Dive without CERTIFICATION. I'm not defending the practice, but merely pointing out at least one inaccuracy of the article. Second, you propose to "make the sport safer by decreasing the annual fatality rate". That's easy. Become a smarter diver, a safer diver, and be a HEALTHIER diver. Besides, government regulation ??? Yeah, right. What's after that, a Union ?? Even higher taxes ??

 

[616fun]

150 deaths a year x 10 years = 1500 in 10 years.

Is that insignificant?

Yes it is. How many dives are conducted in that same timeframe? This is all USA Today stats you reference. Read the DAN incident reports in detail. Also note that these numbers are going down over the years due to better training and more reliable equipment (actually death numbers have stayed stable while total dives conducted has skyrocketed). Not alarms on a computer.

Please take up golf. This is obviously way too dangerous for you...

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/report/2008DANDivingReport.pdf

 

[muzikbiz22]

150 deaths a year x 10 years = 1500 in 10 years.

Is that insignificant?

130 people killed across the U.S. by deer, almost exclusively because drivers hit the deers with their cars.

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

150 deaths a year x 10 years = 1500 in 10 years.

Is that insignificant?

I don't speak Spanish but I have to think your screen name means "Water Troll" There is no way you can be that naive.............is there?

People die every day. I know, I see it in my career. Being born and dying are everyday events. The lion's share of diving deaths seem to be medical events. Millions of dives are performed each year. 150 deaths is not significant. Life is precious but no one can avoid death. We all started dying when we took our first breath. We can't stop this.

Methinks you would do well as a librarian. That should be pretty safe with few deaths due to the sport of reading books.

 

[debajo agua]

Yes it is. How many dives are conducted in that same timeframe? This is all USA Today stats you reference. Read the DAN incident reports in detail. Also note that these numbers are going down over the years due to better training and more reliable equipment (actually death numbers have stayed stable while total dives conducted has skyrocketed). Not alarms on a computer.

Please take up golf. This is obviously way too dangerous for you...

You know where I got this idea from? The Fire Service. You see, every firefighter in the country has a bell on their SCBA that goes off at 500 psi. They also have a PASS device which they can activate manually if they become trapped, OOA, lost, or entangled. You see, fire fighters also have a limited air source, just like you can't breath water, they can't breath smoke. And just like divers, they and their buddy need to know when it's time to leave. Someone, at some point said, "you know what be a good idea... if we had some sort of warning device that let's us and others know when we're in trouble." The NFPA adopted this and now it's a standard. Now, no matter where you go in this country as a firefighter you know when your own air-supply, or that of your buddy is low. It's easy to become distracted in a fire and it's easy to become distracted underwater. Where is the harm in having a backup alarm, especially, if everyone knows and understands what it means? The NFPA thought this was important enough they adopted it as a standard. Could it save a life? It couldn't hurt.

 

[divad]

If you die because the idiot-buzzer on your computer doesn't save you, you are probably operating on borrowed time anyway and should be grateful for the privilege of a DWD.

 

[Mike]

I see where you are coming from, but I don't care for the logic.

The basic safety tenet to diving is you shouldn't be distracted, you just don't realize this yet I think. As has been said by someone really brilliant on this thread already "If an alarm bell is your first warning you've let yourself get low on air, well, that means you have bigger problems."

Putting it in today's lingo - An alarm bell is your first warning you've let yourself get low on air = FAIL.

 

[debajo agua]

I don't speak Spanish but I have to think your screen name means "Water Troll" There is no way you can be that naive.............is there?

People die every day. I know, I see it in my career. Being born and dying are everyday events. The lion's share of diving deaths seem to be medical events. Millions of dives are performed each year. 150 deaths is not significant. Life is precious but no one can avoid death. We all started dying when we took our first breath. We can't stop this.

Methinks you would do well as a librarian. That should be pretty safe with few deaths due to the sport of reading books.

I'm actually a fire fighter in a major metropolitan area with 17 years experience. So much for the Librarian.

It's interesting to note that, just as in scuba diving, the majority of fire fighter deaths occur from heart/stress related issues; however, that hasn't stopped the fire service from trying to improve safety equipment and better fire operation tactics. I can't imagine the fire service adopting an attitude "no one can avoid death...we can't stop this". When it comes to better safety equipment, the leaders of the fire service embrace it.