Post by LSDeep on Jul 14, 2005 9:06:08 GMT -5
Inexperience, health problems blamed for spate of scuba accidents, deaths
Sandra McCulloch
Times Colonist
July 13, 2005
Inexperience and pre-existing medical problems are factors behind a number of recent scuba-diving deaths and mishaps, says regional coroner Rose Stanton.
"There's no pattern of equipment causing problems," said Stanton this week.
Still, the frequency and number of divers getting into trouble this season off south Vancouver Island is troubling.
On May 18, a 54-year-old Calgary man suffered an apparent heart attack and died while on a dive off Denman Island.
On May 22, a 37-year-old male diver was pulled away by strong currents from his anchored boat off James Bay. He was rescued by a nearby boater.
On June 3, a male and female failed to return to a charter boat while diving near Race Rocks. They were rescued later by coast guard crews, who found them floating several kilometres apart in 1.5-metre waves. The area is known for its strong currents.
On July 5, a 33-year-old Ontario woman on her honeymoon ran into trouble in 15 metres of water and drowned while diving with her husband in Sansum Narrows.
On July 10, a male diver suffered an apparent heart attack at Snake Island near Nanaimo.
While scuba diving is extremely popular here, those who have problems are often inexperienced and don't dive regularly, said Stanton.
"You have to think about how far away you are from help," she said.
The south Island's best-trained divers, members of the navy's Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific), are often called to assist the recovery of scuba divers' bodies.
"We do see conditions the divers are in and there's probably a message to be sent in terms of helping novice divers," said Lt.(N) Serge Vidalis.
Diving expeditions can go wrong when the divers lack experience, said Vidalis. "Novice divers experiencing an emergency may not react the way they were trained.
"Anyone can be disoriented. A ruptured eardrum can cause vertigo or it could be the diver gets into heavy vegetation -- the environment has a big impact on how you react," Vidalis said.
The unit's divers are highly trained and experienced but still they are in the water nearly every day honing their skills, he said.
"Diving with more experienced divers is key to developing your expertise. If you're in trouble, it's good to have someone there who has been through that incident before or something similar and is able to render assistance."
Despite the risks, diving is "absolutely safe," Vidalis said. "It's as safe as any other sport and I suppose if there wasn't any risk people wouldn't do it."
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2005
Sandra McCulloch
Times Colonist
July 13, 2005
Inexperience and pre-existing medical problems are factors behind a number of recent scuba-diving deaths and mishaps, says regional coroner Rose Stanton.
"There's no pattern of equipment causing problems," said Stanton this week.
Still, the frequency and number of divers getting into trouble this season off south Vancouver Island is troubling.
On May 18, a 54-year-old Calgary man suffered an apparent heart attack and died while on a dive off Denman Island.
On May 22, a 37-year-old male diver was pulled away by strong currents from his anchored boat off James Bay. He was rescued by a nearby boater.
On June 3, a male and female failed to return to a charter boat while diving near Race Rocks. They were rescued later by coast guard crews, who found them floating several kilometres apart in 1.5-metre waves. The area is known for its strong currents.
On July 5, a 33-year-old Ontario woman on her honeymoon ran into trouble in 15 metres of water and drowned while diving with her husband in Sansum Narrows.
On July 10, a male diver suffered an apparent heart attack at Snake Island near Nanaimo.
While scuba diving is extremely popular here, those who have problems are often inexperienced and don't dive regularly, said Stanton.
"You have to think about how far away you are from help," she said.
The south Island's best-trained divers, members of the navy's Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific), are often called to assist the recovery of scuba divers' bodies.
"We do see conditions the divers are in and there's probably a message to be sent in terms of helping novice divers," said Lt.(N) Serge Vidalis.
Diving expeditions can go wrong when the divers lack experience, said Vidalis. "Novice divers experiencing an emergency may not react the way they were trained.
"Anyone can be disoriented. A ruptured eardrum can cause vertigo or it could be the diver gets into heavy vegetation -- the environment has a big impact on how you react," Vidalis said.
The unit's divers are highly trained and experienced but still they are in the water nearly every day honing their skills, he said.
"Diving with more experienced divers is key to developing your expertise. If you're in trouble, it's good to have someone there who has been through that incident before or something similar and is able to render assistance."
Despite the risks, diving is "absolutely safe," Vidalis said. "It's as safe as any other sport and I suppose if there wasn't any risk people wouldn't do it."
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2005