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FALL 2011
RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
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P E R S P E C T I V E S
D
ivers Alert Network’s vision statement states
that DAN
®
is “striving to make every dive
accident- and injury-free.” DAN works to
achieve its vision through articles in Alert
Diver and other publications; the development of
training and educational programs helping divers and
health-care professionals recognize and treat diving injuries;
and the collection and dissemination of recreational dive
accident data.
DAN researchers reviewed our accumulated fatality data
and conducted a root cause analysis on nearly 1,000 diving
fatalities occurring between 1992 and 2003 to determine
what circumstances or events turned an otherwise enjoyable
diving experience into a fatality. DAN researchers identified
four different phases in a fatality scenario: the triggering
event followed by the disabling incident, the disabling injury
and, ultimately, the cause of death.
This research identified the factors involved in each phase
of a diving accident to help the recreational diving community
understand what transformed a relatively unremarkable dive
into a fatality. If something unexpected occurs during a dive,
divers usually deal with it using their accumulated knowledge
and experience and continue the dive. Occasionally, however,
something happens that triggers a series of events that,
unfortunately, results in a diver’s death.
Amazingly, the most significant triggering event, the
earliest identifiable root cause that transforms a dive into
an emergency, was insufficient breathing gas. In analyzing
nearly 1,000 fatalities, approximately 41 percent of the divers
ran out of breathing gas during the dive. That means of the
1,000 fatalities, nearly 400 of those divers might be alive
today had they only correctly managed their breathing gas
supply. With the technology we have available to us such
as submersible pressure gauges and air/gas integrated dive
computers, running out of breathing gas underwater should
simply never happen.
Knowing how many accidents and fatalities can be avoided
through education and adherence to proper protocols is
one reason DAN is so passionate about what we do. Part of
our mission is to get this information in the hands of divers
everywhere so they can identify, manage and avoid these
triggering events.
We’ve tried to do so in a number of ways, such as hosting
the 2010 Recreational Diving Fatalities Workshop, whose
presentations and proceedings are available online. I’ve
toured the nation over the last year doing presentations
on diver fatalities at dive shows, medical conferences, club
meetings and other diving events. DAN also offers real-time
webinars and recently launched a series of online videos
as part of our seminar series, including a video dealing
specifically with diver fatalities.
But divers have a part to play, too. It is up to you to take
advantage of the educational opportunities available to you,
whether in the form of formal training or self-improvement
options like the DAN online seminars. It’s also up to you to
incorporate safe practices and protocols into your dive plan
as well as the dive itself.
Nothing is without risk. But with proper training
and preparation, we can manage that risk. Diving is like
nothing else on earth, so to make the most of your diving
opportunities, make every dive like it is preparing you for the
next, not like it is going to be your last.
AD
Diving Fatalities
B y D a n O r r
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