A total of 248 incidents involving UK divers, all but 66 occurring in UK waters, were reported to the British Sub-Aqua Club last year, and all are recorded in the BSAC Incident Report 2022, which has just been released.
The six fatalities that occurred represented the lowest number recorded in a normal diving year since 1977, and equalled the total for 2020, the first year of the coronavirus pandemic during which diving activity had been severely limited.
In 2022 diving activity had returned to pre-pandemic levels, but it was too early to say whether the reduction in diver deaths, from 16 in 2021, represented a trend, says BSAC.
The UK national governing body reports each year on incidents involving UK scuba divers affiliated to any training agency, with the aim of promoting diver safety and improving understanding of trends.
Overall incident numbers reported since 2014 have remained “remarkably static” apart from the year of the pandemic, says BSAC, but what was notable in 2022 was the absence of the early-season spike often seen in previous years. This suggests that “divers are exercising appropriate preparation for a return to diving activity”, says the club.
The average age of the fatalities was 55.5 years. In five of the six cases the diver was unconscious in the water, and in four there was enough information to indicate that medical causes were a noteworthy factor.
IPO incidents
Among all incidents, Immersive Pulmonary Oedema (IPO), or drowning from the inside, continued to be an identifiable concern, according to the number of both confirmed and suspected cases.
Where IPO is proven to have occurred following an incident the report is updated, so IPO incidents can sometimes be included from previous years.
Nine incidents were recorded in 2022 in which one or more IPO identifying factors, such as breathing difficulties that might continue at the surface, confusion, mistaken out-of-gas signals or refusal of alternative gas sources, were noted.
Other types of incidents can also prove difficult to categorise: “Illness and injury” was the most reported, says BSAC, though this could sometimes include decompression illness (DCI). Fewer ascent-related and DCI events were reported, although this was offset by an increase in equipment, injury and miscellaneous incidents.
A number of events involved regulator freeflows that did not develop into more serious incidents only thanks to alternative gas sources and vigilant buddies.
There had been a “slight indication” of a rise in incidents involving inflation valves, with the club highly recommending that more attention be paid to their servicing. There were also fewer incidents involving delayed SMBs, although entanglement with DSMB lines still featured in some.
Depth uncertainty
Information on depth at which incidents occur can be helpful, but 2022 saw “a significant rise” in the number of reports from which it was impossible to glean this information, says BSAC. In some cases this was because emergency services’ reports do not cover that aspect.
As in previous years, DCI symptoms were more likely to become apparent only at the surface, but overall there continued to be a significant decrease in the proportion of incidents reported as starting at the surface, and more in which the starting depth was unknown.
In 2022, the Coastguard was alerted 80 times to help rescue divers, 63 of the call-outs occurring between June and September. The RNLI was called out 27 times, of which 16 were in the same summer months. Helicopters assisted divers on 13 occasions, eight of these in summer.
The full report, compiled by BSAC incident advisor Jim Watson and data analyst Ben Peddie, can be downloaded from the club’s site. Divers from any agency are asked to report incidents to BSAC.
Also on Divernet: 10 of 16 UK divers died alone in 2021, Divers Too Ready To Dismiss DCI Symptoms, Fewer Fast Ascents & DCI Cases In DCI, UK Diver Death-Toll Rose In 2018
