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I've just read this little snippet on Divernet's news board and thought it might be worth some discussion.
UK INCIDENTS REVEAL LESS FATALITIES, BUT MORE BENDS
The BSAC Incidents Report for 2002 shows 14 UK diver deaths - down from 22 in 2001; but contrary to world-wide trends, the accidents involving decompression illness have escalated dramatically.
The annual publication of reported UK diving incidents provides a useful guide to understanding current UK diving practices. The most notable aspect of the 2002 figures was that decompression incidents have become the largest recorded category, showing an increase of 37% when compared to an average of the last four years' figures. Research carried out on an international level by Divers Alert Network (DAN) indicated that globally, occurences of decompression illness were decreasing.
A higher number of incidents were reported on deep dives in 2002, suggesting that UK divers are undertaking deeper dives. Unfortunately the proportion of incidents at depth resulting in a fatality or serious injury clearly demonstrate that deep dives (over 50m) carry a significantly higher risk.
On a positive note, the overall trend reflected in the report appears to be towards safer diving practices. Considering the growing numbers of qualified UK divers and the huge number of dives carried out in a year, the tiny number of accidents indicates that the sport is generally very safe.
The BSAC Incidents report 2002 will be available shortly on the BSAC website 9 December 2002
Fantastic to see less fatalities but what on earth is happening within the UK to bring on nearly a 40% increase in DCI hits while the rest of the world is reducing this figure, your thoughts..
Dave.
I've just read this little snippet on Divernet's news board and thought it might be worth some discussion.
UK INCIDENTS REVEAL LESS FATALITIES, BUT MORE BENDS
The BSAC Incidents Report for 2002 shows 14 UK diver deaths - down from 22 in 2001; but contrary to world-wide trends, the accidents involving decompression illness have escalated dramatically.
The annual publication of reported UK diving incidents provides a useful guide to understanding current UK diving practices. The most notable aspect of the 2002 figures was that decompression incidents have become the largest recorded category, showing an increase of 37% when compared to an average of the last four years' figures. Research carried out on an international level by Divers Alert Network (DAN) indicated that globally, occurences of decompression illness were decreasing.
A higher number of incidents were reported on deep dives in 2002, suggesting that UK divers are undertaking deeper dives. Unfortunately the proportion of incidents at depth resulting in a fatality or serious injury clearly demonstrate that deep dives (over 50m) carry a significantly higher risk.
On a positive note, the overall trend reflected in the report appears to be towards safer diving practices. Considering the growing numbers of qualified UK divers and the huge number of dives carried out in a year, the tiny number of accidents indicates that the sport is generally very safe.
The BSAC Incidents report 2002 will be available shortly on the BSAC website 9 December 2002
Fantastic to see less fatalities but what on earth is happening within the UK to bring on nearly a 40% increase in DCI hits while the rest of the world is reducing this figure, your thoughts..
Dave.
