who is more likely of a dive accident?

[diversjobs]

Just as a point, some times stats in Diveresort areas show the following.

Divemaster/Instructors dye after saving "clients"

* This is a typical example (Blue Hole - Egypt)
Many of the accidents have been by divers (let's call them "Clients") droping depth and the DiveMaster having to go down and take them up... (usually the "client" then gets safe, but the DM gets O2 Tox and then... you know the story ).
-- This case happen in July 2003 with a british DM, who died in the Blue Hole. --

Divemaster/Instructors thinks he/she is superman"

* Also many types of Bends happen with Instructors in big Open Water courses doing the famouse CESA (Control Emergency Swimming Ascend) in big resort areas many non-intelligent instructors, in the need of getting more $$$ abuse a lot of their limits and do between 7 to 8 CESAS in one day, plus the normal 2 dives and an extra night dive.
That is more than 11 ascends per day. Simply crazy.

Divemaster/Instructors dead for trying to get more $$$"

* Well, please forget this if you dive in the US, UK or Australia, but in many places, like Red Sea, South America or S.E Asia, local Divemaster or Instructors are willing to do extreme diving when a "client" offers to pay more for it.
Some serious dive centers refuse to do dives deeper than 40MT but many centers with need of money easily accept to take a "I-AM-SUPER-DIVER-CLIENT" for a deep dive.
I have see this few times in night-wreck dives in the Red Sea.....

Result: more than 1 body to count for...

Sometimes, the bran new fresh Open Water diver is more aware of safety than some Dive Prof.

Just a remark.

Be safe. Keep Diving. Buy an Insurance. Always remember there is people waiting for you at home...

 

[ScubaSarus]

I have to agree. Many CESA's increases the odds of getting an embolism and the bends if at depth. Practice is good but too much practicing a fairly dangerous thing isn't the wisest thing to do.

 

[Aquanaut4ata]

I once had an IT tell me that something like 45% of all diving accidents happen to new divers. He was trying to illustrate that new divers are more susceptible to accidents. What I came away with was: Guess who the other 55% are? You guessed it....... Experienced divers.

 

[Rick Inman]

Poor buoyancy.

I've seen DMs chasing and hauling up/down divers with poor buoyancy skills.

You can have that job, thank you.

 

[abitton]

I think there are two main causes for accidents:

1) incompetence

2) lack of fear/respect for the elements (AKA overconfidence)


My 2 cents...

Alex

 

[crpntr133]

I once had an IT tell me that something like 45% of all diving accidents happen to new divers. He was trying to illustrate that new divers are more susceptible to accidents. What I came away with was: Guess who the other 55% are? You guessed it....... Experienced divers.

....or those that call themselves experienced. Most of what diversjobs posted is plan and simple and we all know not to do it. Of course money does talk louder to some of us than others. So far I have more respect for myself to try something that I know I shouldn't be doing.

 

[gangrel441]

....or those that call themselves experienced. Most of what diversjobs posted is plan and simple and we all know not to do it. Of course money does talk louder to some of us than others. So far I have more respect for myself to try something that I know I shouldn't be doing.

A DM or an instructor who exceeds his/her limits is stil.....you guessed it....exceeding his/her limits! People really need to learn that lesson and learn it well...

 

[oceancrest67]

Who is more likely? Newbies or experienced divers who forget the rules and/or over-extend their training.

Cave diving really teaches you this...the rules are clear and discipline needs to be followed or you are headed for an accident or death.

Always stay within the limits of your training. Simple enough.

Ego, peer pressure, money...should never be a factor in diving. These elements only set the mood for danger. If you have to call the dive, then call the dive.

Just my 02.

 

[gangrel441]

Who is more likely? Newbies or experienced divers who forget the rules and/or over-extend their training.

Cave diving really teaches you this...the rules are clear and discipline needs to be followed or you are headed for an accident or death.

Always stay within the limits of your training. Simple enough.

Ego, peer pressure, money...should never be a factor in diving. These elements only set the mood for danger. If you have to call the dive, then call the dive.

Just my 02.

Another one demonstrated above which you need to include, however, is divers/instructors exceeding their limits in an attempt to rescue another diver. The oft forgotten rule here is that no one ever helped another diver by becoming a victim themselves. What one in the heat of the moment may think is being heroic, often turns out to in fact be stupid and detrimental to the rescue effort.

.02 cha ching

 

[fpsndiver]

My brother used to work at Chris Sawyer Dive Center in St. Thomas. He told me these nightmarish stories of some of the "divers" that he had to guide. They lacked knowledge of equipment, bouyancy, and basic skills. I didn't believe him, until I was sitting on the boat (Fool's Gold) and after my brother gave the dive location briefing, this guy put his low pressure inflator in his mouth and said, "Hey, this reg isn't working right." My brother looked right at me with eyes that said, "See, I told you so." I was like, Holy S*#*!!!! I couldn't friggin believe this guy. Unbelieveable. He didn't let that guy make the dive, and I think they refunded the guy his charter money.

A couple weeks after I left the island, my brother was leading a dive. It was his 4th dive of the day....20th of the week. He had a diver doing a rush for sunshine and seagulls (Boyle's Law in action), and went to chase the guy down. Mike got the guy under control, and back to a safe ascent speed, but in the process took a type II? DCS hit in his elbow. He had to do Sch. VI in the chamber...still did not completely resolve all of his symptoms.

A couple years later, my brother moved back here to NC. We were out on a dive charter (as customers) to the shipwreck Cassimir 120 fsw, there were like 6 divers on the hang bar at 15 ft. A guy below us had an OOA. Which we did not know at the time, because he never bothered to signal anybody. He shot past us up the anchor line like a bat out of hell, blew past all the other divers on the hang bar.....and my brother actually started to try and chase this guy too! I grabbed my brother and shook my head.....at some point, it is not worth risking my neck to save some moron that shouldn't have been in the water in the first place. My brother got mad at me for holding him back. His instincts from the islands still in place. This is a very common problem for DMs in high volume tourist areas. It isn't the DM's fault per se, they are just trying to protect the tourist divers, but at what point do you draw the line? I would have been perfectly willing to share air with the OOA guy, but he blew right past everybody! When someone is in that big of panic, I don't want them anywhere near me, and I am certainly not going to risk a DCS hit to try and chase the guy up the line....I am loaded with inert from the dive too. Would rather make sure that I am DCS free so that I can do what I can for the guy on the surface. By the grace of God, that diver on this day was not symptomatic, but they gave him O2 all the way in, and had an ambulance pick the guy up.

Flame away.

Tom