BSAC’s annual diving incident report is now available to download from the BSAC website. If you’re not sure how to view or download it, we’ve summarised the report below.
”As in all previous years (except 2007) the largest category relates to cases of ‘Decompression illness’ (DCI). DCI cases saw a dramatic reduction in 2007 and it was hoped that this marked the beginning of a downward trend. However, 2008 and 2009 saw a return to the average of recent years.
Cases of DCI
“This year the number of recorded cases was 98; lower than the previous two years and in line with a longer term trend of a general reduction from a significant peak in 2002.” (the detail outlined later in the report suggests many cases of DCI were as a result of diver’s being unable to control their buoyancy on ascent or being dragged up by their DSMB).
Boating and Surface incidents
“The second largest category is ‘Boating and Surface’ incidents. This category mainly comprises of problems with boat engines (engine failure and out of fuel) and lost diver(s). This category had seen a very strong downward trend over previous years due to reductions in both types of incident.
“However in 2009 this number rose dramatically to levels not seen for eight years. This year the number of incidents in this category (85) is lower than 2009 but still higher than in recent previous years. This increase is entirely due to an increase in boating problems.”
Lost Divers
“The number of ‘lost diver’ reports is slightly down from previous years and indicates a slow downward trend in the number of this type of incident.”
Ascents
The third category is ‘Ascents’ where divers have made an abnormal ascent but avoided DCI. This category has seen a steady decline in the number of recorded incidents since a peak in 2006. Prior to this date the number of incidents each year had been steadily rising.
“The major initiative that has been underway in recent years to address poor buoyancy control seems to have had a significant effect and this year’s total of 65 incidents is slightly up on last year but still indicative of a general improvement in this area.”
Illness and Injury
“The fourth category is ‘Illness and injury’ and the bulk of this is thought to be cases of DCI. But these cases are reported through the RNLI and their reports do not specifically record DCI, they often just state ‘Diver illness’.
“For this reason it is not possible to distinguish cases of DCI from other diver ailments. The number of incidents reported in this category each year has remained constant for the last twelve years at around 55 per year.”
Fatalities
“17 fatal incidents occurred in the UK during the 2010 incident year. 8 of these were BSAC members. This is above the average of 15.8 fatalities per year over the previous ten years. However, comparisons of this nature need to be made with caution since a small change to such low numbers can make a big apparent difference to the result.”
These included cases of three cases of divers who died from natural causes (i.e. heart attacks), ten cases involving a separation of some kind or three or more divers diving together, one case of a diver who became tangled with a shot line during ascent, two cases of rapid ascents and probable barotrauma, two cases of divers running out of breathing gas and one case of a solo snorkel diver.
The full report can be downloaded here.
It’s been a gorgeous May bank holiday of blissful sunshine, and while SSAC headed over to the beautiful Llyn Peninsular, BSAC have been busy at Dive Fest in Cornwall.
