Scuba diving or hookah rigs carry equal risks, experts say

Of the seven divers who have perished in Florida's early lobster season, at least three shared a similar misfortune.

A Miami man, a Brandon father and a St. Petersburg mother died using a hookah rig, an underwater breathing device that requires no certification and is commonly used by tourists or first-time divers.

"I've lived here for 20 years, and I've never heard of these hookah things," said CeCe Ingle, whose sister-in-law Louann Greene, disappeared Saturday while diving near Big Pine Key. "If people are putting their lives on the line, there need to be some kinds of precautions in place. Who regulates them, if anybody?"

No one regulates hookah rigs, which essentially do the same job as scuba diving tanks. Most diving experts agree that hookahs are no more dangerous than scuba gear, and that there is nothing illegal or wrong about hookah rigs...[Link]

Divers Alert Network Releases 2008 SCUBA Diving Accident and Fatality Report

The Divers Alert Network Annual SCUBA Diving Report is one of the most anticipated and trusted publications in the dive industry. Each year, divers count on it as a resource to educate themselves; the knowledge they gain, hopefully, makes them safer divers.

Once again, the DAN Research team has compiled its findings from data gathered from incident reports and information shared through the Project Dive Exploration (PDE) initiative. The DAN Annual Diving Report – 2008 Edition examines contributing factors in SCUBA dive accident and fatality cases in an effort to understand those factors and improve dive safety...[Link]

Divers Alert Network encourages SCUBA divers to become Emergency Specialists

SCUBA divers who have achieved a higher level of dive training and emergency preparedness have long sought Diver Alert Network's Diving Emergency Specialist (DES) recognition. Beginning Aug. 1, 2009, there’s another reason to complete the DES requirements.

Become a Diving Emergency Specialist between Aug. 1 and Nov. 30, 2009, and receive a Prepared Diver pouch, compliments of DAN®. The pouch is big enough to hold a DAN resuscitation mask and all DAN first aid provider slates, and it features a zipper closure to ensure everything stays put. Contents include trauma shears, latex-free gloves and a DAN Training carabineer to keep your first aid slates together...[Link]

Lobsters beware! Sport season begins Wednesday

As thousands of scuba divers take to the waters off South Florida this week for the annual lobster sport season, state officials and scuba diving groups are trying hard to remind them of one important fact.

"A lobster isn't worth your life and sometimes people lose track of that," said Rob Murphy, 26, of Palm Beach Gardens.

Murphy lost both his legs after being hit by a boat while diving off the coast of Stuart on Jan. 9.

The two-day mini-season for lobsters kicks off at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, with the regular lobster season starting on Aug. 6 and running through March 31. Four divers, including 48-year-old Robert Canada, of Lake Worth, died during last year's mini-season. This year the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the North Carolina-based Divers Alert Network diving safety advocate joined forces to run a safety awareness campaign in the weeks leading up to the mini-season...[Link]

Cleaning of MV Xlendi underwater signs

he Scuba Diving Unit of the Malta Red Cross - Gozo Branch continued the MV Xlendi underwater signs project, which had been ommissioned by the Ministry for Gozo in an effort to make the dive site a safer place.

Besides installing a new set of signs, this project endeavors to keep the existent underwater signs free from debris

The new signs further supplement the other signposts and are located both on the inside and the outside of the wreck.

The signs are intended to warn divers of potential hazards they might face if the wreck is penetrated...[Link]

Phoenix man uses scuba gear to escape burning home

A Phoenix man is lucky to be alive after using scuba gear to escape his burning multi-million dollar home.

Crews were called out to the Biltmore Estates near 26th Street and Camelback Road early Sunday morning. It was neighbors who made the 911 call.

"I just saw some orange glow, so I went outside and there was a huge fire coming out of the skylight of the house so I ran outside and called 911," said J.D. Bird. "I could actually feel the heat standing like 30 yards away."

The homeowner, Michael Marin, told firefighters he threw on his scuba gear so he could breathe and used a collapsible safety ladder to climb out the window of his second-story bedroom.

"In all my years on the job, this is the first time I've seen somebody use scuba diving equipment to get out of a fire," said Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Dorian Jackson...[Link]

Divers hit by speeding boat off Hollywood Beach

A boat traveling dangerously close to the Hollywood Beach shore slammed into two divers Sunday morning before gunning its engines and disappearing.

Both victims, a father and son, were quickly transported to hospitals nearby, according to Hollywood Fire Rescue. A third diver was not injured.

Law enforcement officials are now searching for Karma, a 25-foot white boat believed to have struck the two and left the scene.

According to Fire Rescue, lifeguards with the department's Beach Safety division spotted a boat making its way north about 200 yards from shore near Johnson Street at around 11:50 a.m.

It was 100 yards too close, according to the division's Capt. Pat Hendrick.

The boat approached a red diving flag floating, alerting of divers in the water, Hendrick said. The boat slammed into two of them: a man in his 40s and his teenage son.

Lifeguards radioed for help, said Hendrick, who sent out a lifeguard on a jet ski. The lifeguard found the three conscious divers swimming near the flag, and two were injured.

The third diver, a family friend, told lifeguards that the boat slowed down after hitting them. Then a person aboard the boat looked back. Then they gunned the engines, took a 45-degree right turn and fled into the ocean...[Link]

Scuba diving refresher course helps to scratch the itch to go deep again

I grew up in Florida. After years of snorkeling as a kid, I took the plunge in 1988 and took a scuba class. I was instantly hooked and spent many fun weekends in the Keys diving reefs and wrecks. But a new job took me across the country to the Puget Sound area near Seattle. It's an area of extensive waterways and extremely dark, cold water. Friends tried to get me to dive, but the thought of dry suits and visibility that dropped off near your hand kept me on shore.

After moving to the Northeast, the same scenario presented itself. Diving became one of those things you used to do when you were young.

Now I'm 48 and back in Florida. I've been snorkeling again in the Keys, but nothing compares to diving. Once you've spent time down deep, you want to go back. Floating on the surface just doesn't cut it. Since I hadn't gone diving since 1993, I needed to make sure I could still do it...[Link]

Mysterious Current Drags Away Divers at La Jolla Cove

Lifeguards were warning scuba enthusiasts to take extra precautions in the waters off La Jolla Shores following a report of a strong underwater current that pulled about a half-dozen divers into deep water and made it difficult for them to surface.

The group of divers reported getting caught in the unexplained undertow while roughly 30 feet underwater about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, San Diego lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum said.

They said the phenomenon lasted about 10 minutes and rapidly pulled them 30-50 feet deeper. Several described hanging on to the edge of the a deep submarine canyon in the area to keep from being dragged farther down...[Link]

Do Dive Computers Make Diving Safer?

I was looking though scuba diving related articles on Ezine Articles and came across an interesting article about the safety of dive computers. The author argues that dive computers can make scuba diving safer. The article is a good one about the benefits of dive computers to recreational scuba divers. However, as I read through the article, the author failed to discuss ascent strategies and general decompression knowledge to make computer diving safer. The article is called Diving Computers Make Diving Safer.

Certainly, we can see that dive computers do have some benefit. The flaw in our thinking is that the majority of scuba divers have no idea how these devices work. Most recreational divers do not need to have complete knowledge of decompression theory or decompression algorithms. All divers do need to have an understanding of what is going on inside their bodies in order to make safe decisions regarding their ascent profiles. The author is hinting that the diver does not need to think about their exposure to decompression, because the dive computer will continually calculate a diver’s no decompression limit...[Link]

Five Ways to Improve Situational Awareness in Scuba Diving

I've been asked many times by people, how can they learn or improve their situational awareness. The answer to this is simple, go dive more! The more time we spend in the water the more comfortable we get. When we are comfortable, our brains will slow down and will be able to process sensations coming to the brain for our other senses. This article will list five things that people can do to improve or learn situational awareness for their scuba diving.

1. Listen to your body - When we go scuba diving, we have to equalize the dead air spaces in our body. If you are swimming along and you suddenly feel a squeeze in your ears, then it should be obvious that you are descending. You can correct this by inhaling deeply to slow down your descent or add a puff or two of gas to your BCD. This is particularly important when doing safety or decompression stops. But the point is, there are tell-tell signs of change that will come from our bodies...[PrecisionDiving.net]

What flag do I fly when boat diving?

A red flag with a diagonal white stripe is ubiquitous in scuba diving. You’ll find its image emblazoned on everything from equipment bags to bumper stickers. It is commonly referred to as the diver down flag, but did you know that it’s not the official flag to fly when actively diving from a boat in Washington?

Washington State law specifies that the proper flag to display during active diving from a boat is the international alpha flag – a blue and white swallow-tailed flag that is part of the larger set of signal flags specified by the International Code of Signals. While the alpha flag represents the letter “A” when combined with other signal flags, when used alone the alpha flag means “I have a diver down, keep well clear at slow speed.”...[Examiner.com]

Unique divers'chamber comes to Rugby

A new recompression chamber, commonly known for treating divers with the bends, was recently opened at the Hospital of St. Cross.

As originally reported by the Advertiser last year, the facility is one of only 15 chambers in England and represents an important investment into the healthcare facilities in the Midlands area.

With one of the country's busiest scuba diving centres, Stoney Cove, just down the road, the facility is expected to be welcomed by the dive community.

Simon Wilson, Technical Director at Midlands Diving Chamber, said: "It's great to have a chamber like this in the Midlands, which can not only be used to serve the huge population of divers in the area, but also to support the healthcare services within the community."

Carl Holland, Hospital Manager at the Hospital of St Cross, added: "This is a fantastic addition to the hospital which can be used not just to serve the huge population of divers we have in our community, but also as an additional service for our existing patients."...[RugbyAdvertiser]

New device could help pinpoint lost scuba divers

Every year international headlines report cases of scuba divers who have been lost at sea. Some of these incidents end happily as in the case of the divers who were rescued from a remote Indonesian desert island in 2008. Sometimes, as in the case of Eileen and Tom Lonergan who were diving on the Great Barrier Reef the divers are 'lost presumed dead'.

In response to this the team at thediveflag has invented a new dive flag that will enable divers to quickly indicate their position to boats at distances up to 3 kilometres.

Manufacturers of the H.E.L.P. (Handheld Emergency Location Pinpointer) have taken advantage of the findings of various official studies into emergency diver signaling devices and come up with a safety device that can be seen up to 3 kilometers away.

Utilizing a yellow flag on top of a telescopic pole the H.E.L.P. is one of the most effective means of making divers visible to their dive-boat and other potential rescue vessels. Though it has the capability to extend to as much as 1.5 meters when required it can collapse down to a mere 20cm and fit into a buoyancy jacket pocket. The neat little device is equipped with a non-slip handle and weighs only 150g. Being so compact means that it can be taken on every dive as standard equipment yet is immediately available to use in an emergency situation.

In the past divers tended to rely upon 'safety sausages' to act as a signal of their position. The British Health and Safety Executive discovered that, though useful, safety sausages have a number of disadvantages in that they are not always easy to use and are nowhere near as visible as the yellow emergency flag. Divers on the surface in rough conditions, caught in a current or experiencing any kind of difficulty need to be collected by their boats quickly. The H.E.L.P. is one of the most effective means of being spotted fast and thus being picked up in the minimum amount of time...[BYMNews.com]

Silent Diving Systems Recalls Scuba Diving Hoses

Silent Diving Systems is recalling about 820 scuba diving hoses because of a drowning hazard.

The diving hoses may have been made without crimps, which can allow gas to leak or water to enter into the re-breather unit of the scuba diving equipment, posing a drowning hazard to the user.

The crimped hoses are used to carry the air supply in the re-breathing diving system. The hoses were sold on three re-breathing models: Inspiration, Evolution and Evolution Plus. Hoses with a smooth (uncrimped) collar and with the model numbers listed below are included in the recall:

AP300/15 ADV Supply Hose
RB20/03 Oxygen Injection Hose
EV20/03 Oxygen Injection Hose
RB20/10 Buzzer Hose
EV11A/1 Vision Handset Hose
RB11A/1 Classic Handset Hose
RB11/B Handset Hose
AP300/10 ADV Hose
AP300/38 ADV Hose

Hoses with eight flats on the hose collar have been crimped and are not included in the recall...[ConsumerAffairs]

Health Tip: Scuba Diving Safety

Scuba diving may allow you to see some amazing underwater places. But it's important to become scuba-certified before you hit the water.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, certification may help prevent these possible pitfalls of the sport:

* Failure to relieve pressure in your ears by "popping them" can lead to inner ear barotrauma, which can cause you to lose hearing and feel very dizzy.
* If you don't breathe correctly as you float to the surface after your dive, pulmonary barotrauma can occur. This can trigger symptoms including pain in the chest, difficulty breathing and a hoarse voice.
* "The bends," also called decompression sickness, also can occur as you float to the surface. This serious condition can cause nitrogen bubbles to form in the blood, and can affect the lungs, brain and spinal cord.
* An arterial gas embolism (AGE) causes bubbles in the blood, which could reach the brain. This very serious diving injury can lead to symptoms including unconsciousness, numbness, paralysis, general weakness or tingling skin...[USNews&WorldReport]

Hyperventilating while underwater is dangerous

Question: A few weeks ago, a Greenwood High School swimmer saved her coach after he passed out and stopped breathing while trying to swim distance underwater. What can you tell me about shallow water blackout?
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Answer: Passing out is probably not very common, but it's something that's preventable. The thing that alarms me is that when this begins, you have only 21/2 minutes to rescue someone. So this coach was just really lucky that somebody was alert and knew CPR.

Q: Why is this so dangerous?

A: What happens is when a person hyperventilates like that, it doesn't increase the oxygen level much, but it decreases the carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide is what causes us to breathe. So . . . as you're swimming underwater, your oxygen level goes down and carbon dioxide level goes up.

If you hyperventilate, you drive the carbon dioxide level down so far that it's climbing but not enough to make you want to breathe. And it may cause a potassium imbalance -- because something causes a heart arrhythmia. If you couple that with a high potassium or dropping potassium, particularly dropping potassium, if someone has some propensity to have a heart arrhythmia, that's what kills them.

Usually these people are written off as drowning (victims), but they don't really drown. They don't have much water in their lungs because they don't inhale.

Conceivably, this could happen anywhere that people hyperventilate...[IndyStar.com]