Scuba diving can be dangerous, but with proper training and precautions, the risk can be minimized. Equipment failure and failure to follow safety procedures are the most common causes of accidents. Scuba diving has a lower accident rate than many other sports, but it is still important to take safety seriously.
Just like any sport, especially water sports, there are inherent risks in scuba diving. However, when considering the dangers of scuba diving, a number of different factors must be taken into consideration. The shortest answer to the question is that yes, scuba diving can be dangerous. However, many people have been diving for decades, for their entire lives, and have never had a serious accident.
Asking the question whether scuba diving is dangerous is like asking whether driving a car is dangerous. There are times it is and sometimes, despite every precaution taken, bad things can happen. However, when these precautions are taken, it exponentially increases the chances of safe travel.
Getting good training from a certified scuba instructor is vital to improving scuba diving safety. This teaches the basics of the sport and safety is a primary topic in almost every lesson. In fact, every time the equipment is put on, a good instructor will make sure to go through a safety checklist. The scuba diving course will teach you about proper equipment, maintenance and things like ‘the bends’.
Plus, taking a scuba diving course will give beginners a chance to make friends with others who are just getting into the hobby. This offers those students great camaraderie and can lead to lifelong partnerships, which is another critical aspect of scuba diving. Rule number one, no matter how experienced you are, is never to dive alone.
While some may have concerns about animal life encountered while underwater, that is often the least of your worries. Most of the time that problems occur, they do not occur due to an interaction with wildlife, but rather an equipment failure or failure to follow proper safety procedures. That’s why having a partner can be important. If a diver becomes incapacitated or has an equipment failure, they may have to depend on someone else to get to the surface safely.
The most common type of diving problem is bends, or decompression sickness. However, annual totals up to the early 21st century showed that this only averaged just over 1,000 cases per year, with only a fraction of a percentage of those fatal. This in relation to the millions of dives made each year.
Compared to other sports, the accident rate, per number of participants, is much lower than in many other sports. For example, cycling has an injury rate seven times higher than diving. Golf also carries 1.5 times more risk than diving, according to the US-based National Safety Council, which calculates injury rates based on reported injuries and the approximate number of players. However, the statistics shouldn’t lead anyone to think that there is no danger factor with scuba diving. It can still be quite dangerous and situations can lead to dire consequences. In fact, an average of 90 deaths from diving accidents are reported each year.
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