By Dan Orr
Researchers from the world’s largest dive safety organization, Divers Alert Network (DAN), reviewed their accumulated fatality data and conducted a root cause analysis on nearly 1,000 diving fatalities occurring between 1992 and 2003 to determine what circumstances or events turned an otherwise enjoyable diving experience into a fatality. The DAN researchers identified four different phases in a fatality scenario: the triggering event followed by the disabling incident, the disabling injury and, ultimately, the cause of death. This research identified the factors involved in each phase of a diving accident in order to help the recreational diving community understand what transformed an enjoyable but relatively unremarkable dive into a fatality. Usually, if something unexpected occurs during a dive, divers simply deal with it using their accumulated knowledge and experience and continue the dive. Occasionally, however, something happens that triggers a cascade of events, ultimately and unfortunately, resulting in a diver’s death.
