The adventure channels and tourism channels show glorious breathtaking images of blue skies and crystal clear waters and people snorkeling amongst the fish. The question that arises is if we are safe, among a wide variety of underwater life, some of which can be extremely dangerous and in a territory that is foreign to humans, we were not born to swim and we cannot breathe underwater, or if?
The simple answer is yes and no. It is similar to mountaineering. When Edmund Hillary was asked if mountaineering was dangerous, he said no if you respect the mountain. Diving is also not dangerous if you respect it. It’s not dangerous as long as you follow safety guidelines, have the proper equipment, know your limitations, and stay within those restrictions.
This is a small risk, the keyword being ‘small’. According to DAN’s Diving Fatality Workshop Report, fatalities are extremely rare and in their 2010 survey they found that fatalities occurred once every 211,864 dives. How risky is that? More drivers are killed in car accidents and the chances of you dying in a long distance race are higher than in a scuba race, so the chance of you dying scuba diving is pretty remote.
As with any extreme sport, there is always an element of risk. Divers are totally dependent on their equipment for breathing. Your journey back to the surface depends on your skills, the correct use of equipment and emergency training. Approach the sport with the right spirit and character. Grow into it with practice and training. Don’t take undue risks. Larger fish may seem docile, but they’re not dogs you can pet and cuddle with, so keep a reverent distance.
Surveys have revealed that the majority of deaths that have occurred in sport were caused by human error and were completely preventable. The top three causes were a pre-existing illness in the diver, drifting beyond one’s ability and rapidly descending.
People who died from a pre-existing illness did not declare their medical conditions on the diving medical questionnaire. If they had, they would not have been allowed to enter the waters. Descending rapidly causes poor buoyancy control and causes the diver to panic and make mistakes. Finally, you are so excited and overconfident that you drift beyond your limits and are unable to alert your teammates when an emergency occurs; false bravado often ends in disaster, not just in diving, but in all walks of life.
To make sure your dive is a great fun-filled experience, just make sure you plan your dive before you get in the water. Never dive deeper than your first dive. Check your dive gauges continually and stay within prescribed ascent and descent rates.
Take a 3-minute safety stop in the middle of the dive, to see if everything is under control and you don’t continually ascend and descend when you are underwater. And never exceed the limits of your training and skills.
What would happen if you suddenly came across a shark? Don’t panic, stay calm and stay close to your dive buddy. Seeing one is rare and an impressive sight, so enjoy it. However, keep a respectful distance and do not swim away quickly. You can’t outswim him, but once his curiosity is satisfied, he’ll swim away. This is what almost always happens: think of the great time you will have giving your friends and family gifts about your great shark encounter.
