Dangers Below the Surface : Staying Calm in Rough Situations Is a Key for Underwater Safety

The statistics on scuba-related deaths don’t exactly have recreational divers shaking in their fins.

Considering the estimated 3.2 million sport divers in the United States, the annual average of 111 deaths computes to a fatality rate of about 3.5 for every 100,000--hardly a deterrent to those taking the plunge.

But scuba divers can’t afford to be smug. All that separates a safe excursion from disaster is one simple mistake, such as holding your breath while you’re coming up to the surface. Doing that may create an air embolism, in which an air bubble enters the bloodstream, could block the flow of blood to the brain and kill a diver.

John Reseck Jr., head instructor for the Rancho Santiago College diving program, prefaces each of his classes with this sobering scenario--not to scare students away but to alert them of the possible dangers.

Besides air embolisms, another potential hazard for scuba divers is decompression sickness (the bends), which can cause pain in the arms and legs and lead to paralysis and, in extreme cases, death.

Divers in Southern California also must contend with dangerous high waves and strong currents. And the very attraction that lures many divers to this area--the kelp beds--can be deadly. Divers have become entangled in the kelp, run out of air and drowned.

Reseck’s nine-week course, which includes 18 lecture hours, 36 pool hours and 20 ocean hours, is devoted to the prevention of such mishaps. Reseck is a 40-year diving veteran who began the diving club at the school in 1966.

At the root of most accidents, according to Reseck, is panic. For instance, a diver encounters a large, menacing fish. Shocked and scared, he immediately takes a deep breath, holds it, and shoots for the surface.

Air embolism.

A diver loses track of the time and has been at a certain depth longer than he’s supposed to. He finally notices and rushes to the surface. The drop in pressure is too sudden, and nitrogen bubbles break into his bloodstream.

The bends.

“Almost every accident starts with panic,” said Reseck, 52. “Something happens that they have no experience in, they panic, and they don’t handle it correctly. Usually, it’s something minor.”

Reseck runs his students through every emergency situation he can think of. He has them breathe the air in the tank until it’s empty, put heavy weight belts on so they have to struggle to reach the surface, swim in the kelp, roll around and get tangled up, go through the surf with their gear on.

“If we see someone who has anxiety in any of those areas, we have them do it over and over again until they can handle it,” Reseck said.

Although the recent decline in scuba deaths has been attributed to technological improvements in equipment, Reseck teaches his students how not to be equipment-dependent. They learn how to handle themselves if any piece of equipment fails.

“If they run out of air by accident, it’s no problem at all to come to the surface,” Reseck said. “But if they’ve never done that, it becomes a problem and they panic.”

As for air embolisms and the bends, Reseck can only explain to his students why they occur and how to avoid them.

With air embolisms, the critical factor is breathing.

Scuba gear supplies a diver with air at a pressure equal to the surrounding water. As he ascends and the surrounding water pressure decreases, the air in his lungs will expand.

If he holds his breath during ascent, the expanding air has no place to go. The lungs can collapse or rupture and, possibly, send an air bubble into the bloodstream, where it can do grave damage. Embolisms can be easily avoided if divers simply continue breathing.

The bends is related to the speed at which a diver ascends. Decompression tables tell a diver how long he can stay at certain depths. If he has been down too long and comes up too quickly, nitrogen, which is concentrated in the blood and tissues, forms bubbles in the bloodstream, much like the way a bottle of cola fizzles when you open it.

The bends can be avoided by knowing the decompression tables and not diving too deep for too long.

“You have to pay attention,” Reseck said. “That’s why you need the training.”

There’s also no substitute for experience. Reseck said that many accidents can be attributed to inactivity, such as when a well-trained diver who hasn’t been in the water for two years gets in trouble.

Reseck compares such a diver to a pilot who hasn’t flown in a while.

“You get awfully rusty,” Reseck said. “You could say, ‘Yes, I remember how to do it,’ but when the emergency occurs, you don’t handle it.”

Other problems arise when divers overestimate their ability. Several divers have died after swimming into uncharted caves, getting lost and running out of air.

“Some will drive from San Bernardino to Laguna, the surf will be big, they’ll look at it and think, ‘I’ve driven two hours to get here, I’m not going to go home without getting into the water,’ ” Reseck said.

“Their anxiety level is up because they know the surf is big, and when you’re anxious, you tend to panic. A little thing goes wrong, they swallow a little water, and they panic.”

With proper training, equipment and a good deal of common sense, almost anyone can become a safe diver, regardless of age. Reseck, in fact, has trained divers in their 70s.

And, with due respect to Jaws I through IV, sharks are not a problem in local waters.

As one shop owner said, “You have a better chance of getting hit by lightning twice in the same spot than you do of getting bit by a shark.”

But scuba isn’t for everyone.

People with asthma, a history of lung disease, ear infections, chronic hay fever or sinus irritation, heart ailments or diabetes should never dive.

Reseck also stressed that divers should not go out alone, regardless of skill level.

“Sooner or later, if you’re a diver, your life is going to depend on your buddy,” Reseck said.

SCUBA-RELATED DEATHS

(for Americans Worldwide)

YEAR DEATHS 1970 110 1971 112 1972 119 1973 125 1974 144 1975 131 1976 147 1977 102 1978 116 1979 130 1980 109 1981 103 1982 74 1983 110 1984 70 1985 76

Source: National Underwater Accident Data Center at the University of Rhode Island