Harm and benefits of diving. The first dive into the depths of the sea, or why diving is dangerous

All human organ systems are adapted to function only in the air, with a relatively constant atmospheric pressure and minor temperature fluctuations. Therefore, diving under water, the diver finds himself in extreme conditions. Let's talk about the dangers of diving for human health.

The maximum allowable diving depth in diving is 40 meters, and for beginners - no more than 5 meters. It has been proven that on great depths the appearance of such symptoms as agitation, disorientation, hallucinations (auditory or visual), etc. is inevitable.

Complications associated with high pressure at depth:

• Barotrauma of the middle ear - more often develops during a dive, under the action of increasing pressure on the eardrum. Its rupture is accompanied by pain, ringing in the ears, bleeding.
• Barotrauma of the lung - occurs with a sharp ascent from a depth as a result of multiple small ruptures of the lung tissue.
• Decompression (caisson) sickness - develops with a rapid ascent of a submariner. In this case, small bubbles of nitrogen dissolved in the blood begin to combine with each other, forming large bubbles. Blood clots (thrombi) form around the latter, which can completely clog small vessels. It is also possible to rupture the walls of blood vessels with hemorrhage into organs and tissues, disruption of their blood supply and function.
• Otitis media is a consequence of the penetration of infection through the Eustachian tubes into the middle ear from the nasopharynx (with rhinitis, etc.). It can develop when diving even to a shallow depth.

Contraindications:

1. Any condition that carries a risk of cardiac arrest: arrhythmias, arterial hypertension II-III stage, cardiomyopathy, heart defects, etc.
2. Diseases that make it difficult deep breathing or may develop acute attack choking: chronic diseases lung, bronchial asthma, rhinitis, bronchitis, acute respiratory infections, etc.
3. Diseases that may sudden loss consciousness: epilepsy, schizophrenia, encephalopathy, etc.
4. Diseases of the ENT organs that can cause vomiting, dizziness: pathologies eustachian tubes, vestibulopathy.
5. Eye diseases, the risk of exacerbation of which increases many times during diving: blepharitis, conjunctivitis, myopia, etc.
6. Considering the volume and weight of diving equipment, relative contraindication are diseases of the spine, accompanied by back pain.
7. Under contact lenses when ascending, gas bubbles accumulate, which can cause serious damage to the cornea. Even special elastic perforated lenses do not guarantee eye safety, so it is better not to use them.
8. It is forbidden to swim within 6 months after any surgical interventions and within 1-2 months after infectious diseases.

In the absence of contraindications and compliance with all the rules of diving, diving has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole, strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory system, increases stress resistance.

Conquest of the depths is always a sea of ​​new positive impressions. Being ten meters from the surface of the water, the main thing is not to get carried away by all the beauty that opens up and remember that you need to respect the environment that is unusual for our body in order to avoid serious and life-threatening injuries.

Diving, or snorkeling, is a very popular form of recreation. The so-called snorkelers dive under the water - divers swimming while holding their breath, and scuba divers. Both are at risk of injury. This risk is very high for people who go underwater with scuba gear.

It is for this reason that almost all resorts prohibit the rental of special equipment for those who do not have a certificate that can be obtained by training with an instructor.

However, unfortunately, there are many people who risk their health and go under water without the necessary knowledge and skills.

What are the risks of a self-taught diver?

The most dangerous is barotrauma, damage caused by pressure change environment. Sharply rising and plunging, a person experiences a difference in pressure. Wherein internal organs and body tissues are deformed, compensating for the pressure drop.

This deformation can cause various violations in the body, up to the most sad consequences.
Barotraumas are of several types:

Barotrauma of the middle ear. It affects not only scuba divers, but also snorkelers. Most often occurs during descent. The diver feels discomfort, pain and ringing in the ears. If a careless swimmer continues to descend, his eardrums may rupture. Proper air blowing, which is taught in diving courses, will help to avoid this injury.

Dental barotrauma. It occurs if the teeth are prone to caries and they have cavities or poor-quality fillings. When you rise too fast, the nerve can feel pressure, resulting in a sharp toothache.

barotrauma intestinal tract . Occurs when air is swallowed. During the ascent, the gas bubble in gastrointestinal tract expands, leading to abdominal pain and vomiting. A similar injury can be obtained if you drink champagne or highly carbonated water before diving.
Face crimp. Occurs during a dive when the mask presses on soft tissues face like a sucker. This leads to hemorrhage in the capillaries of the skin and eyes.

Barotrauma of the lung. This is the most dangerous injury, which can be obtained by the diver. It may occur when ascending or changing the swimming depth to a smaller one. An experienced diver knows that when ascending, it is necessary to exhale air. If this is not done, dangerous complications may arise:

• emphysema (chest pain, voice change, cardiovascular disorders),
• pneumothorax, or ruptured lung sharp pain in the chest, shortness of breath, cyanosis of the face, weak pulse),
• gas embolism, or air bubbles entering the bloodstream. The victim has impaired vision, hearing and coordination. He loses consciousness. Paralysis and myocardial infarction may occur. There are frequent cases of death.

Barotrauma of the lung is treated by a special diving doctor in a recompression chamber. However, in the case gas embolism the victim needs first aid medical care. It must be put on the left side without a pillow, forbidding to get up and sit down. In the absence of spontaneous respiration, artificial ventilation lung mouth-to-mouth.

How to prevent barotrauma?

• When ascending, it is necessary to control the ascent rate. This can be done by focusing on air bubbles. You should not float faster than they float.
• Under no circumstances should you hold your breath while underwater. Your lungs must be constantly in motion.
• As you come up, be sure to exhale.
• Be sure to use the blowing technique that you will be taught in the course.
• Never submerge in water while alcohol intoxication, less than two hours after eating, in a state of fatigue and nervous excitement.
• If you are diving at a resort and plan to return home by plane, do not dive before leaving: once on high altitude, characterized by low pressure, you can get barotrauma.

Who is not suitable for diving?

There are a lot of contraindications for diving:

Chronic infections and acute infectious diseases(tonsillitis, bronchitis, colds, and so on), asthma, diabetes, hypertension, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, eye diseases, in particular, progressive myopia, pregnancy, critical days in girls and menopause, all types of neoplasms and so on.

Don't be careless about your health. Remember that inexperienced divers who have not passed special training, risk causing irreparable harm to their body.

The sea, the sun and sunken ships, that's what I remember about the rest in the city (). To visit the Turkish capital of diving, and even with a valid certificate, and not to look around the local underwater beauties is blasphemy, not otherwise. But you should always remember that diving is dangerous and fraught with many risks.

The biggest danger of diving

Any school will tell you right away that main danger, which you may encounter when diving, is you yourself. Therefore, it is imperative get trained.

To avoid problems, you must take care of yourself not only in the water, but also before diving. Namely:

• follow the safety regulations;
• choose only good equipment;
• your health must be excellent (no alcohol);
• don't dive alone.

Barotrauma and how to avoid it

Immersion is directly related to pressure increase, and the ascent is vice versa with downgrade, and naturally our body reacts to these drops, the problems caused by these jumps are called barotrauma.

There are many types of barotrauma, and knowing about them will not help you much. Better remember how to prevent barotrauma:

• control your ascent rate(banal rule, you should not rise faster than the air you exhale);
• required when ascendingexhale;
• learn blowing techniques(you should be explained in the course);
• don't get on the plane(or to another aircraft) after diving.

Inhabitants of the deep sea

As my instructor said: “You are not splashing in your bathroom, so look around!”. We're invading foreign environments and it's worth being careful with its inhabitants. Jellyfish, rays, snakes, poisonous fish- necessarily study the dangerous inhabitants of the fauna in your region.

By the way, sharks are not so dangerous, because if you are an amateur, then they are practically never found in resort areas.

Risk Reward

What awaits you if still take the risk? The award is just amazing. To complete the experience, I advise you to choose a place with hsunken ships and other things, because they not only look beautiful under water, but also are a kind of a magnet for life.

/ Articles / Diving and safety / What is SAFE DIVING and how dangerous is diving? Why are divers dying?

Sort by category: --- Diving tourism Diving and safety Medicine and physiology Equipment Miscellaneous Techno

26.11 What is SAFE DIVING and how dangerous are diving?
Why are divers dying?

Over the past few years, there has only been one broadcast that really and truthfully explained how and why these incidents occurred. It explicitly stated:

What kind of sport is diving?

the main objective diving is not about reaching the maximum possible depth.

So what is she?

Diving is not a sport or competition.

The goals and objectives of diving can be different: curiosity, exploration, travel, viewing sunken objects, underwater excursions, getting new experiences, etc. But, if you look closely, behind each of these words there is a simple truth: people dive in order to get PLEASURE.
There are no strict requirements for physical form, unlike sports, but there are only a few direct medical contraindications, which doctors or dive centers can tell you about.

Diving is a fascinating form of active recreation.

PADI's motto, "Diving is Fun", captures the very essence of diving.

What is extreme sports?

In diving with an adequate choice of place and diving conditions, taking into account factors, which we will talk below– it is not the aquatic environment itself that is extreme.

In recreational (amateur) diving, the external environment is different, alien to our understanding and experience, BUT - in our minds.

Is diving dangerous and extreme?

To still understand how extreme it is for you and what training is for, try to get answers to simple questions for yourself:

What is diving like?

What does safe recreational diving consist of?

If you have this set of knowledge and skills and abide by the rules and limits – diving is safe and brings pleasure and unforgettable positive impressions.

If not– scuba diving becomes an enterprise with a high degree of risk to health and life, into a real extreme occupation.

An untrained or non-compliant submariner exposes not only his own life, but also the lives of those around him to a completely unjustified and senseless risk.

Basic diving skills are very simple. Many people do them the first time. But learning is a MUST nonetheless.

Diving is an activity that must be learned. This occupation and simple, and complex simultaneously:

Simple- because using modern techniques and diving equipment has become available to almost every person, from 10 years old to ...
complex- because requires the development of special knowledge and skills, and compliance with the rules , for the development of which it is necessary to spend time and effort, no matter how easy and simple they may seem.

For divers who have just felt their strength, the seeming simplicity and ease of diving is dangerous, especially in warm, clear water. They are drawn to "a little" break the rules they know, so to speak "slightly exceed the speed limit", "cut corners". In this situation, we see the same picture as with young drivers. According to statistics largest number accidents occur with drivers whose experience is from 1 to 2 years.

Maximum diver depth entry level, having the right to dive with a buddy partner, without an instructor is 18 meters. And this meaning only for warm clear water . This value can be reduced by 5 or even 8 meters in case of cold water, limited visibility, high mountains.
FROM gradual increase skills and the acquisition of the necessary diving experience, the maximum depth can increase up to 40 meters. But such depth requires additional courses.

Risks accompanying divers:

The aim of the dive center courses is to teach the necessary skills to minimize these risks and effectively counter and manage them.

After completing the course, you will know how to choose the right equipment for the upcoming dive.
You will gain knowledge of how this equipment functions and how you can maintain it yourself or cope with its malfunction, including during the dive.

Normal dive centers try to negate everything possible risks, ensure the maximum safety of divers and deny dives to uncertified and licensed divers who refuse to check-dive.

Serviceable, timely serviced equipment that meets the conditions of diving is a direct guarantee of your safety.

Almost all regulators should be serviced every 100 dives or once a year.
Why?
Have you ever wondered why in Europe, for example in Germany, it is impossible to see an extinct lamp on the road?
The answer is very simple, each equipment has a certain service life guaranteed by the manufacturer. And the lamps are changed regardless of their serviceability, after this period. On our roads, on the contrary, all the lamps work until they burn out. Unfortunately, this is reality and our mentality. But such an approach, "maybe nothing will happen," is unacceptable for diving.

What kind of safety can we talk about if your “light bulb” suddenly goes out at a depth of 30 meters?
Surely, you are changing the oil in your car, as this is recommended by the manufacturer, and not waiting until the engine refuses to work. Or women, daily, or even several times a day, monitor their appearance, using cosmetics and correcting flaws in makeup that are invisible to most people, without waiting until it ( appearance) will completely "spoil", and will produce the opposite impression.

Take care of your equipment in time, and it will serve you faithfully.

Your equipment must meet the conditions of the dive. If you dive into cold water, it is advisable to use a dry suit and cold water regulators.
For deep dives, it is better to use a wing-type compensator vest in order to eliminate the crimping that is present when a conventional vest is heavily inflated.
In conditions of poor visibility, or in night dives, it will be advisable to use luminous markers that can be attached to the cylinder.

For diving below 40 meters, you must complete a technical course, and have specialized, duplicated equipment, additional knowledge and skills

Dives below 40m without pre-training even in those equipment or diving without planning - this is not technical diving, but complete stupidity and unjustified risk.

Although not stipulated by the standards, it is correct to say that when diving, every diver should have a compass, signal buoy, whistle or signal mirror and master the basic skills of self-rescue.
More fully with the skills of saving both yourself and a friend, you can be introduced to the course Rescue Diver and on the program Emergency First Response.

Not only do you need to have equipment, you need to know how to use it..
Buying a modern mountain bike with 28 speeds, disc brakes and not knowing how to ride it, you will crash. Whatever ultra-modern equipment you have, without the accumulated skills of using it in conditions from simple to complex, it will be like an “automatic machine in the hands of an Indian” for you.

There is no universal, super-cheap equipment - a good regulator designed for use in warm water, will be unsuitable for diving in cold water.

Financial opportunities affect both the equipment purchased and the attitude to training.:

The price of pseudo-economy or unjustified risk may be your life.

In our dive center you will dive only on the most modern and timely serviced equipment by certified specialists, suitable for long, including cold water dives, and of course only within the limits of your qualification or course.

Buddy partnership system.

In the PADI system, single (solo) dives are prohibited.
No matter how simple, reliable and modern your equipment is, it can fail. No matter how simple and easy places you dive, at any moment you can find yourself in a situation from which it will be very difficult for you to get out on your own.
And the realization that you are under water, and the supply of breathing gas is limited, can easily lead you to panic and, as a result, to an accident.

But equipment failures are not the most common cause of diving accidents.

This may be a misunderstanding and, as a result, wrong decision a problem that has arisen, an incorrect assessment of the situation, a suddenly worsened state of health, a psychological breakdown.

Your buddy partner is, first of all, a duplication of your “head”, your consciousness, and not just a duplication of life support systems.

Not so long ago, such a funny incident took place: my friend, a fairly experienced diver, got into a completely ridiculous situation from which he could not get out on his own. He is a man of solid build, he decided to take a course in underwater navigation. Cold water, dry suit. And it is not clear how, he is still surprised himself, he wound the cord to which the marker buoy was tied, simultaneously on his arm and leg, fixing them in a bent position. Depth 5 m. He cannot move. Without outside help, he could not free himself. His buddy partner smiled for a long time about this, and still drinks beer at his expense.

Per recent times, there were several cases with a tragic outcome among technical divers.
Like recreational diving, technical diving has several different training systems. Some of them promote solo diving, motivating this approach by the fact that if something happens, it will happen to one person. And it happens.
A detailed analysis of the incidents that occurred in the Red Sea shows that one of the reasons for the death of technical divers was precisely diving alone.

Technodiver, this is a person who, in terms of his training, understanding of diving and skills, must be a person who is completely independent and self-sufficient, able to cope with equipment failures and emergencies alone, who has undergone serious training.
All life support systems in techno diving must be duplicated.
And the only system that remains without duplication in solo diving is head- the most important and vital device.

Correct assessment of forces, personal capabilities and equipment capabilities.

Closely related to the previous question is the question correct assessment available opportunities.
This also applies to personal capabilities and psychological characteristics of a person, and equipment capabilities, and financial capabilities, as mentioned above.

The personal capabilities of the diver are limited:

Each of the above elements practically cannot be replaced by another. We add here the capabilities of the equipment. And we understand that it is on this basis that dive planning and assessment of personal readiness for the upcoming dive are made.

Is the underwater animal and plant world dangerous?

Absolutely YES if you are trying to treat wild animals and plants as pets or endow them with human qualities.

Most people have a very poor understanding of the terrestrial living world, and absolutely do not know anything about the underwater.

There are a few simple and unshakable rules that must be observed under water and which are very easy to follow:

Touching some plants and animals, shells, jellyfish carries a potential serious danger for health, up to death.

Man for underwater animals is not an ordinary and familiar food. They do not have deliberate aggression, the desire to kill and maim everything that falls within their reach. Unlike a human...

But, any animals will defend themselves if your behavior and attitude is pushy and aggressive. What would you do if a huge head of an unknown animal popped into your house? So what kind of reaction can you expect from a moray eel, or even a small and beautiful anemona fish (better known from the cartoon as Nemo), trying to climb into its shelter, or trying to stroke it, or pull its tail?

Extremely dangerous, poisonous animals most often do not flee from you anywhere, unlike the rest, they are either brightly colored (such as lionfish) or vice versa are masked (stone fish).

The main rule of communication with an underwater animal and flora: “We only take photographs with us. We leave behind only bubbles.”

What functions do the mentioned dive centers perform, and how can I explain to them that I am already a diver or how to start training?

Firstly, choose a dive center, collect as much information as possible about it, check your professional status and come to it, say hello, smile :-)

In the dive center, if you are already a certified diver, you must present your certificate international standard and sign the Acceptable Risk Understanding document.

Your certificate is a plastic card that contains information about you:

This card is issued to you upon completion of any PADI course, program or specialization.

Secondly: upon request, present your completed log book (dive record book). You can buy it at the nearest dive center.

Thirdly: if you are not a diver, sign up for courses.

Existing dive centers, in addition to conducting courses, simplify the organization of diving as much as possible, and perform the following functions:

I am a certified diver, why do I have to do a paid escorted dive (check-dive)?

90% of the time you dive in a group, and most likely you will not like the presence of an inadequate personality in your group, because of which the whole group will be lifted up every dive after 10-20 minutes. One of the tasks of check-dive is a well-formed group.

In any case, this is an additional guarantee of your personal safety, health, and a guarantee that there will be no problems for the entire group.

There are very interesting rule assessment of the group's capabilities:

A group is only as strong as its weakest link.

I am a certified, EXPERIENCED diver, why do I have to pay for a dive guide, which is mandatory in many dive centers?

Dive center policy, striving to reduce the number of accidents to zero is such that if you dive with them, then the presence of a paid dive guide in the group is mandatory.

Where is it better to learn diving - at home or at a resort? What is safer?

Taking courses at home allows you to slowly and at a time convenient for you and in the required volume, without cuts, go through the entire training program, sort out all the incomprehensible moments with the instructor, perfectly master the necessary skills and, first of all, neutral buoyancy - one of the main skills, guaranteeing the enjoyment of daving.

At home, you have the opportunity, in addition to the number of hours and dives provided for by the course program, to receive additional extensive consultations and come to additional practical classes at any time.

Arriving at the resort, you should be prepared for the fact that training is put on stream, a specific, strictly certain time and no more. Often we are faced with the fact that the initial course ( OWD) at the resort takes only 1-2 days!!!

More often than not, the resort instructor may not achieve the appearance of a stable skill in performing certain exercises. It will be enough for him that you made the appearance or unconscious correct execution of the skill. It is not profitable for anyone to get this sustainable skill from you, since there is a resort formula known to everyone: time + flow of vacationers = big money.

Furthermore, mastering neutral buoyancy, allowing you to feel yourself in weightlessness, requires a certain amount of time and number of dives, slowly, deliberately, with a conscious repetition of each skill. It is not at all a fact that after training at the resort, you will be able to repeat everything the next time from the first call.

Besides, you didn’t go to the resort to practice your skills in the pool for several days and sit down to do the exercises in the classroom?
In other words, spending time studying at the resort, you reduce the time of your interesting vacation, which you have already paid for.
Don't spend your money twice!

After completing the course primary education at home, you can start preparing for the program of the next course ( AOWD), which will make it possible, when traveling to the resort, to make interesting night and deep (up to 30 m) dives on really best places diving, and not floundering in a puddle for beginners.

Many people forget that club system of work of dive centers in your places of residence, allows you to make new acquaintances among experienced, enthusiastic divers and instructors in your area.
And many incomprehensible questions for you regarding the theory of diving, and the configuration of equipment, and the choice of the most interesting dive sites, you can discuss right there in the club, after classes. And more experienced comrades, with pleasure, will answer the questions that arise, since no matter how much the instructor would take time for classes, it is impossible to embrace the immensity within the framework of one course.

The conclusion about the quality and safety of diving, after completing courses at resorts, we suggest you do it yourself.

Are there any dangers in test diving at resorts?

In many resorts, usually in hot countries and beautiful seas, visitors are invited to make a trial dive, or the so-called " intro dive».
It is assumed that this introductory dive will be no deeper than 12 meters and all the necessary manipulations with the equipment will be performed for you by a dive guide.
Usually such a dive should be preceded by a brief briefing on the necessary actions on your part in the water, the functionality of the equipment, signs, pressure equalization in the ears and sinus sinuses, instruction on how to breathe properly underwater.

But such briefing, often conducted in a language that is not your own, is half listened to, and stories about unprecedented beauty, and unheard of impressions and pleasure, only increase the desire to quickly get into the water.

And as a result, a dive guide enters the water, ( most often a divemaster, not an instructor, despite the requirements of the standards) who has such an “intro-diver” put on stream (many of us personally saw how dozens of people were “redeemed” in a row from a barge, in groups of 6-8 people. Believe us, this is a lot and on many this divemaster almost didn’t watch) and you, who don’t understand what awaits you and how to deal with it, end up with instead of “unearthly pleasures” standard consequences of "resort introdive", which, alas, may be from bad mood before serious injury, further down the list:

Program Discover Scuba Diving(DSD) is primarily aimed at improving the safety of your first dive. After all, the first impression is the most lasting and if you like the diving process, most likely you will continue your studies and pass full course learning.

Our dive center occasionally runs promotional DSD test dives, BUT only in a shallow pool where, if necessary, you can stand with your head above the water.
These dives are carried out exclusively in the ratio: one instructor - one introvert.

So what are the main causes of divers' deaths?

As major The causes of divers' deaths are as follows:

1. Solo diving!!!

2. Exceeding the established limits of preparedness.

Such as: depth limits; no decompression limits; own physical limits in obviously difficult dives; psychological unpreparedness; lack of planning.

3. Misuse or use of equipment known to be defective and inappropriate equipment for known, specific diving conditions.

4. Lack of training, necessary knowledge and skills, qualifications, necessary experience.

5. Misjudgment of dive conditions.

6. Neglect of the rules of communication with the underwater animal and plant world.

7. Alcohol abuse.

8. Syndrome "experienced amateur".

-------------------
(c) Dudoladov S.G., Miroshnichenko K.G.

This is an author's article, which is the property of its authors. Any reproduction, full or partial copying or any other use of these materials, including on the Internet, is possible only with the written permission of the site administration.

Diving itself is a fairly safe activity, of course, provided that a person has completed a special training course and knows how to dive correctly. Leaving for the underwater world, the diver finds himself in three-dimensional space, while experiencing a feeling of complete weightlessness.

But some lack just a calm and measured observation of underwater inhabitants, they want extreme sports. For those who like to tickle their nerves, there are places where diving ceases to be an easy and carefree form of recreation, but turns into a real test:

Blue Hall, Egypt.

This place is located near Dahab in Egypt and is a 130-meter sinkhole surrounded by corals. At a depth of 55 meters there is a passage connecting the cave with the sea - an arch. The danger of this place is in the depths and enclosed space. Very often, divers, admiring the coral reefs, miss the passage and go too deep, from where they never return. On the reef walls of Blue Hall hang many plaques with the names of the dead.

Dangerous reef, Australia.

Extreme divers come here to meet great white sharks.

Diving in this area is dangerous due to severe climatic conditions. Any under-ice diving is already a test, so the diving depth in such conditions is small - up to 20 meters. Under water, you can see penguins and sea lions here, and the sun, refracting through the ice floes, creates an unusual spectrum of colors.

This place is a well about 4 meters wide and 10 meters deep, then it diverges into several narrow caves, which are of interest to fans of underwater extreme sports. The danger lies in too narrow aisles and poor visibility. Many divers have not been able to get out of these places.

This place is a funnel that goes under water for 315 meters. It is this depth that poses a danger to those who dive. Unbeknownst to himself, the diver goes too deep, where nitrogen intoxication sets in, under its action control over what is happening is lost. Thus, this dive site has claimed more than one life.

Despite all the danger that these places are fraught with, thousands of divers visit them every year, challenging nature.