Francois Burman, PE, MSc, and JoAnn Haack, MSE, offer some hints and advice on what you should consider when you are going off the beaten track and diving in remote areas.
Why Diving in Remote Areas Raises the Stakes
Diving has inherent risks. The human body was not designed to be underwater, and drowning, decompression illness, barotrauma, hazardous marine life injuries, and pre-existing health issues all require an emergency response. Diving in remote areas introduces additional risks, especially access to medical care.
Part of what makes a destination remote is how long it will take to get help if something goes wrong. A three-hour boat ride to an offshore site is already remote in terms of an urgent response to a medical emergency. A three-day sail on a liveaboard makes the challenge much more significant.
Critical Questions Every Diver and Operator Must Ask
Some common critical questions that diligent operators, professionals, and divers should ask themselves include the following:
- Where is the nearest health care facility, and can it deal with dive emergencies?
- Is an emergency response service available that can reach us and get an injured diver to the nearest health care facility?
- How long will an evacuation take?
- What medical equipment do we need, and will our emergency oxygen supply last long enough?
- What emergency response training do the people on the boat have?
- How many divers are at the site, and can the available emergency response handle multiple injured divers?
- Can a diver be evacuated to advanced care considering issues such as distance, border crossings, and landing (especially at night)?
The answers to these questions will depend on the location; each place has its own risk factors. Divers, dive operators, dive professionals, and trip leaders should carefully assess a potential destination to determine whether it is safe enough for diving before planning a trip there. If there are concerns about safety, they should consider its unique challenges and determine what preparations are necessary.
Roles and Responsibilities when Diving in Remote Areas
The dive operator is responsible for understanding the risks and having plans in place to take care of their crew and clients. The trip leader represents the divers and needs to make sure that the operator has practical plans. Divers should prepare themselves with important information, such as contact and insurance information and essential safety gear.
The best way to deal with potential accidents or injuries in remote places is by having realistic, practical, and carefully tested emergency action plans in place. These plans and procedures should account for long response times and the best use of internal resources, such as the centre of operations and the appointed medical officer. Any plan also must account for the availability of rescue transportation and access to health care and other emergency services.
Why Most Emergency Plans Fail
DAN has handled challenges arising from dive accidents in remote areas since our inception. Our experiences have revealed that emergency planning is typically either nonexistent or too basic to be useful.
Consider the Cocos and Socorro islands, Raja Ampat, Kiribati or even the Marshall Islands. Calls come in for help, local rescue and medical resources are often non-existent, and divers and dive operators are left feeling frustrated, angry, and perhaps even medically compromised.
Training and Resources for Diving in Remote Areas
One of DAN’s e-learning modules is specifically designed to help dive operators and trip leaders know what questions to ask and offers suggestions on mitigating potential issues. A self-assessment survey pairs with the module to help evaluate a diver’s risk exposure in a potential destination. Divers, dive operators, and dive professionals can implement applicable suggestions to help reduce the overall level of risk and ensure they feel comfortable handling any remaining potential risks.
For an extensive range of diving health and safety information and downloadable resources, research studies, incident summaries, and free e-Learning courses, take the time to explore the DAN website.
While some dive sites may seem too risky, many are manageable with some preparation. You can lower the potential for negative experiences if you consider reasonable precautions and have an emergency action plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifies as remote diving?
Remote diving includes any location where medical care or evacuation is delayed, even a few hours offshore.
Why is emergency planning critical for remote dive trips?
Delayed access to medical care increases risk from DCI, injuries, and barotrauma, making planning essential.
What medical resources should be available when diving in remote areas?
Emergency oxygen, trained responders, evacuation plans, and confirmed access to medical facilities.
How long can evacuation take from remote dive locations?
Evacuations can take hours to days depending on distance, transport availability and borders.
How does DAN help with diving in remote areas?
DAN provides training, emergency support, planning tools and risk-assessment resources.
This article was originally published in Scuba Diver Magazine
Subscribe today with promo code DIVE1 — enjoy 12 months for just £1!
A very brief article for a very important topic. It really deserves much more.