BSAC Annual Report Shows an Increased Number of Fatalities

As with all sports activities, scuba diving comes with its risks. Most of these risks can be avoided if the diver plans his dive properly and keeps to the limits he creates and knows when to pass on a dive due to health problems. 

The latest incident report by the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) shows that the UK experienced a rise in the number of fatalities due to scuba diving. The highest recorded number since 2004. The report states that between October 2017 and September 2018, 251 scuba diving incidents were reported, 19 of which were scuba diving fatalities. The majority of the incidents happened in the UK and the rest happened to BSAC members whilst they were diving abroad. 

The report includes data from a number of diving agencies such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), PADI EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Ministry of Defence. 

Incidents are categorised into eight different groups:
ascents, boat/surface, DCI, equipment, fatality, injury, miscellaneous and technique. Of these, there was an increase in the number of fatalities and injuries, but the remaining categories all saw decreases from the previous five-year average. Notably, confirmed cases of DCI were significantly reduced in number, with 48 recorded cases, compared to the 2013-2017 average of more than 70, and 56 in the 2017 report.
The average age of the people who died during the past year was 56, and 3 of the divers were over 70 years old. The report states that 15 of the casualties lost consciousness when they were still underwater and two were the result of medical conditions which the divers had previous to scuba diving. 

The most worrying information given in this report is that four of the divers who died were diving on their own. This is something that scuba divers in training are taught they should never do on day one, as if something goes wrong there is no one who can help the diver out. 

Sara

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