SAFETY SERVICES
SURVIVE YOUR DIVE A U.S. COAST GUARD PERSPECTIVE B Y P E TTY O F F I C E R H E N R Y D U N P H Y A N D LI E U TE N A N T J O H N D O W N IN G
Guard, but we also see the tragic results when people underestimate the hazards. The adventure and thrill of diving are appealing to many, but the ocean is an unforgiving environment — and even less forgiving to those who recreate beneath the surface.” — Rear Adm. Karl Schultz, commander of the 11th Coast Guard District 58 |
2021 SPECIAL EDITION
1. Is your training adequate for the current and predicted conditions? Will you respect the limitations created by the conditions and stop diving when conditions change or exceed your personal limits? All the normal hazards of water sports are magnified for those who spend time beneath the surface. Strong currents can occur at any time of year. Cold water temperatures, limited air supply, reliance on equipment for survival and the lack of underwater rescue capabilities make it essential that divers are fully aware of their limits and prepared for all possible problems. 2. Are you prepared to abandon your weights, inflate your buoyancy compensator and signal for help when in distress? Divers should not be afraid to ditch their weights, end their dives and signal for help at the first signs of distress. Interviews with divers who have experienced distress reveal that many of them did not understand they were in danger because they had
PHOTOS BY CORY J. MENDENHALL / COURTESY U.S. COAST GUARD
RECREATIONAL DIVING IS BY AND LARGE A SAFE ACTIVITY, but when accidents occur the outcomes are often frightening and can be fatal. The beautiful blue world below can quickly become hostile for divers who lack adequate training, are in poor physical condition, use improperly maintained equipment or are otherwise unprepared. Although the U.S. Coast Guard does not have regulatory authority over recreational diving as it does for recreational and commercial boating, Coast Guard search-and-rescue crews are frequently called on to assist when divers are lost or in trouble. In the aftermath of a dive injury or death, the Coast Guard marine casualty investigators work with other public health and safety organizations to identify what went wrong and evaluate how to prevent future accidents. In 2009 the Coast Guard began to forge strong partnerships with the San Diego Lifeguard Services, the San Diego Harbor Police, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, the University of California San Diego Health System and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to analyze dive incidents. The committee formed by “Nobody understands these groups produced six recommendations based on a comprehensive review of the allure of the sea diver fatalities in the San Diego area. The committee encourages divers everywhere to ask themselves the following questions: more than the U.S. Coast
