The more dives take place, the more incidents are likely to occur, and with scuba activity levels fully back to pre-pandemic levels in the 2023 calendar year there were nine fatalities resulting from the nine separate incidents. So says the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) in its just-published Annual Diving Incident Report for last year.
BSAC warns that analysis of the 355 diving incidents reported in 2023 (242 in the UK and 113 overseas) underlines that experience and qualifications will not necessarily shield anyone from becoming a casualty in a diving incident.
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Emphasising this was a big increase in the number of Dive Leader casualties relative to those divers holding other qualifications, compared to previous years. BSAC is unsure why this should be the case, given that there had been no major increase in the number of divers holding the qualification.
The overall number of incidents in the UK was higher than in the 2022 report, summarised on Divernet last year. That year had seen 248 incidents with 182 of them in the UK but only six fatalities, the lowest number recorded in a normal diving year since 1977, and sharply down from the 16 in 2021.
As usual, the report emphasises that a number of incidents might have been circumvented had those involved followed basic principles of safe diving practice.
Remarkably static
BSAC’s annual reports on diving incidents are gleaned from all diver training agencies with the aim of promoting diver safety and helping to understand and manage trends. They include accounts of each of the incidents.
Reports from Individual recreational divers are supplemented by official data from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, RNLI, MoD, PADI EMEA, the Water Incident Database and RoSPA, as well as media trawls.
“The number of incidents in the UK reported since 2014 has remained remarkably static apart from the year of the pandemic, when limitations on diving activity impacted the number of incidents recorded,” states the report.
Apparent increases in the reporting of incidents in 2019 and 2023 are put down to a marked rise in overseas reports, which BSAC says were dominated last year by mask- and fin-strap failures. This pointed either to more thoroughness in reporting or a problem with kit maintenance. Wearing-out of straps could be more likely to occur in warmer climates.
Following on from 2022, there was a decrease in the number of incidents starting at the surface, and an increase in the number on which starting and maximum depths were unknown.
In September 2023 the UK experienced exceptionally warm weather and light winds. This effectively extended the diving season, with more incidents than usual running later into the year.
September proved particularly busy for the rescue services helping divers. RNLI lifeboats were called out 37 times to help rescue divers, in 29 cases between May and September, while helicopters were deployed 30 times, though only eight of those call-outs were in the summer months.
There was confirmation of conclusions from previous years that fewer incidents of DCI and fast ascents are now being reported. Where DCI occurs, it is less likely to be associated with diving deeper than 30m, rapid ascents or missed stops, and this is thought likely to be a training success, with greater emphasis put on buoyancy control and dive planning than was once the case.
IPO awareness
Further positive news is that divers are becoming more aware of the symptoms and danger of Immersive Pulmonary Oedema (IPO), the actions to take if it occurs in themselves or others, and the need to avoid returning to the water after a suspected incident until declared medically fit to do so. BSAC again attributes much of this to improvements in training programmes.
The training agency says it has refined its process for identifying the criteria indicating that IPO is relevant to an incident. Awareness of the condition is the main form of defence: “Like divers and snorkellers, open-water swimmers are now also advised not to swim alone and, as a community, they are increasingly cognisant of the risk of IPO,” the report notes.
Average age of the nine 2023 fatalities was 58, and over the past 10 years the average age of divers who have died has been 8.5 years older than the diving population of the time, indicating that age is a strong survival factor.
BSAC notes that while the average age of non-casualties recorded in the incident database has been increasing over those 10 years, in 2023 it decreased for the first time, to 44 years.
Equipped for rescues
Further encouraging news is the finding that when rescues are needed, divers are able to deploy techniques to recover casualties to the surface and perform resuscitation with an efficacy that exceeds expectations for success in other non-clinical settings.
This is illustrated by the fact that In 83% of cases, the use of an alternative air source resulted in the successful recovery of a casualty to the surface and, in all cases where a controlled buoyant lift (CBL) was used, the outcome was a successful recovery.
Where a CBL was followed by the application of CPR, one in three resuscitations was successful. Where CPR was used without oxygen, 28% of casualties regained consciousness and, with oxygen, this increased to 30%. In nine out of 30 cases of resuscitation using a defibrillator, the casualty regained consciousness.
“The result of this analysis is a reflection of the excellent training programmes delivered by excellent diving instructors who, in turn, ensure divers are well-trained in rescue techniques,” says BSAC.
The report is compiled by BSAC incident advisor Jim Watson and data analyst Ben Peddie. All divers, whether from BSAC or any other training agency, who are involved in or witness an incident in the UK or overseas are asked to report it in confidence for future reports, using an online form.
You can download and read the full report or watch a video report of key findings from the BSAC Diving Conference on YouTube. Reports from previous years are also available to download.
Also on Divernet: Fewest UK diver deaths for 45 years, 10 of 16 UK divers died alone in 2021, Divers too ready to dismiss DCI symptoms, Fewer fast ascents & DCI cases In DCI
