Open AccessWestern Australian recreational scuba diving fatalities, 1992 to 2005
Author(s) -
Buzzacott Peter,
Rosenberg Michael,
Pikora Terri
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00377.x
Subject(s) - certification , recreation , scuba diving , craft , shore , environmental health , medical emergency , medicine , geography , fishery , law , archaeology , ecology , zoology , biology , political science
Objective:To investigate recreational scuba diving fatalities within Western Australia (WA) between 1992 and 2005.Methods:Coroners reports for 24 diving fatalities were reviewed to determine anthropometry, certification status and breaches of safe practices for each.Results:Certification status was known for 20 divers and of these six (30%) were uncertified. Certified divers breached significantly fewer safe diving practices than uncertified divers ( p <0.01). Existing regulatory mechanisms require training certification only for dives made from commercial dive boats, yet the number of deaths involving shore dives or private craft (n=15) were triple the number diving from commercial boats (n=5).Conclusion:Uncertified divers are less regulated and breach more safe practices than certified divers.Implications:We recommend changes to existing regulations governing dives made from shore and private craft in WA, requiring that all divers be certified.