Is Scuba Diving Dangerous?

Scuba diving is a rewarding activity, but it isn’t without its risks.

Scuba diving can be dangerous. While issues are rare and most resolve easily, inexperience or panic can escalate the situation. Experience and proper safety measures remain the best way to prevent fatalities.

Don’t let this discourage you from diving. Understanding the dangers of scuba diving is important, especially for beginners, and you should know beforehand if you’re at a higher risk when scuba diving. Keep in mind that these dangers are few and far between, and most divers get through life with minimal disruption as long as they respond soundly.

Contents hide

1 Is Scuba Diving Very Dangerous?

2 Is Scuba Diving Dangerous for Beginners?

3 What is the Most Dangerous Part of Scuba Diving?

3.1 How to Prevent Panic When Scuba Diving

3.2 How to Identify Panic When Scuba Diving

3.3 How to Handle Panic When Scuba Diving

4 What is the Death Rate for Scuba Diving?

4.1 Common Causes of Death When Scuba Diving

5 Who Should Not Scuba?

5.1 Medical Conditions that May Disqualify You From Scuba Diving

5.2 Is Scuba Diving Safe for Non-Swimmers?

6 What Happens if You Pass Out While Scuba Diving?

6.1 How Likely Are You to Pass Out While Scuba Diving?

7 References

Is Scuba Diving Very Dangerous?

Scuba diving is dangerous, but most of the issues you run into resolve easily using the training from your diving certification courses. Scuba divers put plenty of effort into creating a safe environment, and they prevent fatalities and major injuries through:

Education
Buddy systems
Non-verbal communication
Backup plans

Organizations like the Divers Alert Network continuously research diving accidents, evidence-based treatments, and various ways to prevent injuries and fatalities to make sure scuba diving stays as safe as possible.

Is Scuba Diving Dangerous for Beginners?

Scuba diving is safe enough for beginners to get started, but they are more at risk than seasoned divers. This stems from a lack of experience, so the danger decreases over time.

Experienced divers, even those that are not professional, learn from doing so. The more dives a person takes part in and the more time they spend underwater, the more they comprehend regarding:

Basic practice and procedures
Changes to the body when underwater
What’s expected from a scuba diver

Increased experience goes hand in hand with exposure to accidents, and divers often learn from the mistakes of others. While most of these accidents are non-fatal, they remind the diver to maintain situational awareness and provide a launching off point should they run into the same problem later on.

What is the Most Dangerous Part of Scuba Diving?

The most dangerous part of scuba diving is the opportunity to panic. Most other issues are easy to resolve, but if you lose your mind and body to panic, you put yourself in a difficult position.

Fear and anxiety are a normal part of scuba diving, and they’re arguably important for keeping you aware and ready to respond to dangerous situations. The issue occurs when your fears and anxiety evolve into panic, which is more dangerous due to:

Physiological responses, such as hyperventilation or freezing
Impaired decision-making skills
Worsening conditions

Panic may not be the eventual cause of death in reported scuba-related fatalities, but it’s the dark and winding path that leads to those situations.

How to Prevent Panic When Scuba Diving

The best way to deal with the danger of panic rests in prevention. If you don’t get panicked in the first place, you eliminate the potential for danger and the need to correct the issue.

This is why divers put so much focus on:

Soaking up information before getting into the water
Practicing in a controlled environment
Understanding how to respond to emergencies
Diving with a buddy

These may seem like nonsensical precautions when all you want to do is feel the excitement of scuba diving, but they’re the surest way to prevent divers from freaking out in new conditions or emergency situations.

You also want to do your best to avoid situations that may increase anxiety, such as using gear that doesn’t fit or you don’t trust, diving when you’re tired, or diving in uncomfortable situations.

How to Identify Panic When Scuba Diving

Even with proper prevention, you’re bound to feel panicked‌. The first step in dealing with this issue is identifying panic rather than assuming you’re in fit condition to make decisions and proceed with the dive.

Signs of panic include:

Chest tightness
A fear of the unknown or dying
A sense of complete loss of the unknown
Hyperventilation
Muscle fatigue

Your dive buddy should also know what to look for to tip you off if they notice you start to panic. By identifying the emotion, you can respond accordingly, calming your mind and body before moving forward.

How to Handle Panic When Scuba Diving

The easiest way to handle panic when scuba diving is by:

Stopping what you’re doing
Deep belly breathing to steady your nerves and supply your body with oxygen
Deciding what next step you should take given your situation, experience, and knowledge
Acting calmly to move past the stress

Whether you need to respond to an emergency or just need to get a handle on your emotions, the stop-breathe-think-act method puts you in the right mindset to move forward.

What is the Death Rate for Scuba Diving?

The death rate for scuba diving is around 16.5 deaths per 100,000 persons per year. In 2017, this meant 228 reported deaths involving underwater diving [DAN Annual Diving Report 2019 Edition].

This is not a perfect statistic, but it provides an acceptable idea of the number of deaths related to scuba diving. The Annual Diving Report put out by DAN includes relevant statistics regarding the deaths, including average age, health, causes of death, location, diving conditions and more.

This number relies on data collected through voluntary reports and monitoring online news media outlets. While DAN does not conduct investigations of the fatalities, they work to obtain as much relevant information as possible for an accurate death rate and to provide information to grow from.

Common Causes of Death When Scuba Diving

The listed cause of death for most scuba related deaths is drowning, but this is derivative of issues such as:

Poor gas management
Poor buoyancy control
Equipment misuse
Entrapments
Rough water conditions
Pre-Existing health problems

In some cases, death is an unavoidable tragedy. In others, it can be attributed to panic, insufficient experience, and human error.

Who Should Not Scuba?

While the goal of most scuba diving organizations is to allow as many individuals to dive as possible, there are certain conditions that offer more risk than benefit. Individuals should not dive until these conditions can be resolved, and they may need to find another opportunity for exploration in severe cases.

Anyone younger than 8 years old: This is the youngest age that someone can dive in a controlled environment with depth limited to 12 feet (4 meters).
Persons with poor fitness levels: While scuba diving is a great form of exercise, those who struggle with moderate activity are at higher risk of accident or injury.
Someone who is sick or overly tired: Sickness and fatigue impair your mental capabilities, and this can lead to miscalculations and poor decisions
Those with flights <24 hours before or after the dive time (also applies when traveling to high altitudes): This increases your chance of DCS after a dive and can be fatal.
Someone who had a recent dive: You need to allow a suitable surface interval between dives. The length varies depending on your past and future dives, and you can calculate the interval on a dive table or using a dive computer.
Non-certified individuals: Open water diving requires basic skills and knowledge, those without certification do not have the experience needed for a safe dive.
Anyone ill-suited for dive conditions: This includes non-swimmers as well as those attempting a dive that exceeds their knowledge and experience level.

There are also medical conditions that may bar you from scuba diving.

Medical Conditions that May Disqualify You From Scuba Diving

Medical conditions are treated on a case-by-case basis, and your doctor usually has the final say in whether you are healthy enough to attempt a dive. Dive centers may use an evaluation form to identify potential issues.

Every system is important to for scuba diving, and certain issues may interfere with you ability to do so safely. Common conditions involve:

Behavioral concerns: Active sessions of major depression, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorders can impair your ability to make decisions. Those with a history of panic attacks may be more likely to panic under the stress of scuba diving.
Heart conditions: Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in senior-aged scuba divers. Increased pressure on the cardiovascular system worsens conditions such a high blood pressure or congenital heart disease.
Hematological conditions: Scuba diving affects the behavior of blood cells, and those with impaired coagulation or taking anticoagulant drugs may have issues adapting to environment. Other issues revolve around recent transfusions or thrombotic episodes.
Metabolic and endocrinological concerns: The effects of scuba diving are ill-informed, and it’s best to avoid putting fetal and maternal health at risk. Scuba diving also affects certain metabolic and endocrinological processes and may worsen issues such as diabetes or hormone imbalances.
Neurological conditions: Your neurological system should be in good working order to handle and respond to the stresses of scuba diving. Head injury resulting in loss of consciousness, persistent blackouts, epilepsy, seizures, or taking preventative medication can compromise your ability to dive safely.
Orthopedic issues: The increased pressures of scuba diving can worsen recurrent back problems or affect those with back or spinal surgery. While those with weak bones or joints find relief in scuba diving, anything that limits activity should be treated with caution.
Otolaryngological issues: Conditions related to the ears, nose, and throat are likely to get worse with the stress of scuba diving. Increased pressure is especially harmful for those with sinus surgery, ear disease or ear surgery, recurrent sinusitis, or problems with their balance.
Pulmonary problems: Your pulmonary system is one of the most affected due to pressure and the need to adapt to breathing. Those with a history of pneumothorax, respiratory impairments, sleep apnea, bronchitis, or a diagnosis of COVID-19 may not be able to dive safely.

Individuals with these conditions may be able to dive with proper management.

Is Scuba Diving Safe for Non-Swimmers?

Scuba diving is not safe for non-swimmers. A dive center can key you in on what to expect without requiring you to swim, but any actual dive requires decent command in the water.

Learning to swim before diving is usually not an issue, and you can easily resolve this problem in a few weeks so you can move forward with scuba diving certification.

What Happens if You Pass Out While Scuba Diving?

If you pass out while scuba diving, a few things will happen. Your regulator will likely fall out of your mouth, and your body may keep the muscles in your throat closed in an attempt to keep you from inhaling water.

In the best-case scenario, your dive buddy will quickly realize you’ve lost consciousness and be able to hold your regulator to your mouth. This will help your body regulate gas volume in your lungs so your dive buddy can get you to the surface while maintaining a safe pace.

Once you’re at the surface, they will take your mask off and attempt to wake you up. The sensors on your upper lip and around your eyes will let your body know it’s safe to wake up, then you’ll get on the boat and proceed to receive medical attention.

You can see how this can go horribly wrong without a diving companion or if you lose your regulator. Keep in mind that this doesn’t happen often, and scuba diving is set up in a way to keep you as safe as possible, even if you pass out.

How Likely Are You to Pass Out While Scuba Diving?

With proper preparation, it’s unlikely you will pass out while scuba diving. The likeliness increases the deeper you dive due to higher risks such as:

Gas related conditions (i.e. nitrogen narcosis; hypoxia; CO2 toxicity)
Greater opportunity to run out of air
Buildup from incorrect breathing

Those with poor health are more likely to pass out while scuba diving, and it’s something to consider when deciding to dive. Even if a doctor clears you for the dive, your time in the water runs an overall higher risk of accident.

Scuba diving revolves around creating the safest environment for those interested, and staying informed and aware will help you avoid these situations.