Divers are being urged not to drink and dive, as part of a new safety campaign from Northumbria Police.
The force’s Marine Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) has launched the campaign to raise awareness of the effects that not only alcohol but drugs and also tobacco-smoking can have on scuba divers.
Officers plan to visit dive-schools in the region to talk to divers about the effects of substance use both on and in the lead-up to a dive.
The police campaign is intended to complement the RNLI’s national drowning-prevention campaign Respect the Water.
“The North-east of England is home to some of the best dive-sites in the country and we want people to have a good time out on dives,” said Marine Officer PC Paul Cullen.
“Divers will know scuba-diving requires information-processing, recall, reasoning, decision-making, attention and ability to take control of a situation, and alcohol, drugs and smoking can have a massive impact on this. The consequences of not taking responsibility for avoiding the hazards could potentially be life-threatening.
“We recognise that most divers are unlikely to dive straight after drinking alcohol, but if they’ve had a lot to drink the night before they could still be affected the next day, and if they’re hung over the dangers still exist.”
In the UK alcohol is said to be involved in up to 66% of swimming and boating accidents.
“Alcohol and hangovers can impair cardiac function and cognitive ability as well as reaction times and judgment,” said PC Cullen. “It can also cause dehydration, which increases the risk of decompression illness.”
Other dangers include increased susceptibility to hypothermia, lack of co-ordination, panic attacks, distortion of colour and changes in sense of time and movement, light-headedness and depressed respiratory function. More specific information about alcohol, drugs and diving can be found here
Divernet – The Biggest Online Resource for Scuba Divers
25-Apr-17
