Diving Health & Safety Articles

Bends, DCS (Decompression Sickness), Embolism

For Undercurrent Online Members, articles with are available to all Hanging Out in a Philippines Recompression Chamber, 8/24 Scorkl: Why Divers See Its Potential Danger , 1/24 Emergency Evacuation , from Revillagigedo Islands, 1/24 Getting Bent Four Hours from a Chamber, and then a PFO diagnosis, 10/23 PFO a Higher Danger to Divers Than Thought, 10/23 An Encounter with SIPE, 9/23 It's Not Always the Bends, 3/23 Don't Let Bonaire's Easy Diving Fool You, 1/23 Anyone Can Get Bent, So Get Insured, 1/23 Available to the Public We Asked: Do You Download Your Dives?, the digital revolution is big in scuba, 8/22 Decompression Stops: What We Don’t Know, it’s still an imprecise science, 7/22 PFO – That Perfectly Formed Hole, your heart and DCS, 11/21 Covid Patients are Filling Hyperbaric Facilities, 9/21 Understand Your Diving Computer, a Galapagos diving incident, 9/21 Is Your Computer Too Conservative? Not On Your Life!, 9/21 Is it Bad News for Divers Who Suffer COVID-19?, could the effects have contraindications for diving?, 5/20

Diving Accidents & Incidents

For Undercurrent Online Members, articles with are available to all Shark Attack in Israel, 5/25 The Tragedy of the Liveaboard Industry, it must adopt a robust safety culture, 5/25 The Call for Regulation of Liveaboards, but who or what can regulate?, 5/25 Last Breath - a Dramatic Diving Story, 3/25 Lost at Sea - Again?, it happens more often than it should, 2/25 Held Hostage Until Signing a Liability Waiver , the BBC tells the whole story, 2/25 Unqualified Red Sea Liveaboard Crews, 2/25 Could This Happen in America?, 2/25 Correction: It was Not a Fire, 1/25 The Red Sea Sea Story Liveaboard Disaster, there's more to the story, 1/25 Double Heroism and a Miracle, 1/25 An Aging Liveaboard, a Dangerous Dive Deck, Undercurrent's readers go exploring, 11/24 Death and the Full-Face Snorkel Masks, 11/24 The Diver & The Cook, Fascinating Nonfiction, 11/24 DEMA Working Hard To Pass The Dive Boat Act, 11/24 Another Liveaboard Lost in the Red Sea, 11/24 Two More Liveaboards Lost to Fire, 11/24 Bonaire Boating Incident , 10/24 An Ill-Fated Cruise , when divemaster are experts and divers are idiots, 10/24 Presumption is the Mother of Disasters, Part II , some mistakes are worse than others, 10/24 Always Do a Buddy Check , 10/24 It Takes Hope to Save Yourself , 10/24 Adrift for 40 Hours, the Makers are Back Diving , 10/24 What No Chase Boat? A Basic Safety Precaution, 9/24 Presumption is the Mother of Disasters, some diving mistakes are worse than others, 9/24 North Carolina Diver Rescued, 9/24 Closed Circuit Rebreathers are for Solo Divers, 9/24 A Diver Death in Tubbataha, 8/24 Hanging Out in a Philippines Recompression Chamber, 8/24 Boylan Ordered to Pay Minimal Restitution, 8/24 Oklahoma Diving Couple Spends 39 Hours Adrift, lots of wisdom, perseverance, and a bit of luck, 8/24 Diver Pulled into Boat's Propeller, 7/24 Don't Hide Your Diving Mistakes, let others learn from them, 7/24 Another Bad Accident Waiting to Happen?, tiger sharks are not pussy cats, 7/24 Dive Ladder Severs Fingers, 3/24 An Unpleasant Experience for a Novice Diver, 3/24 San Diego, A Hotbed of Diving Casualties, 2/24 What's Happening with Liveaboards? , caveat emptor rules, so act accordingly, 2/24 Attitude Keeps You Alive, 2/24 The Most Dangerous Thing You Will Meet is Your Boat, 2/24 Technology Used to Find Lost Guam Divers, 1/24 Emergency Evacuation , from Revillagigedo Islands, 1/24 A Stroke While Diving is Serious and Often Preventable , 1/24 Belize Aggressor IV Grounds on Reef, 1/24 DAN Accident Insurance, 1/24 Liveaboard Capsizes in Thailand, 1/24 Another Red Sea Liveaboard Damaged, 11/23 Conception Captain Found Guilty, in Southern California liveaboard fire that killed 34, 11/23 Conception Fire Appears To Have Started in a Plastic Trash Can, 11/23 A PADI 5-Star Center Takes Issue, 10/23 Getting Bent Four Hours from a Chamber, and then a PFO diagnosis, 10/23 An Encounter with SIPE, 9/23 Key West Dive Instructor Disappears, 9/23 Four Divers in North Carolina Rescued Far at Sea, 9/23 The Dive - 90 Minutes on Amazon with 22 Minutes of Air, 9/23 The Deadly MY Hurricane Fire, yet another liveaboard tragedy, 8/23 When a Dive Guide is Wrong Make Sure Your Weight Belt is Not Impeded, 8/23 The Deepest Breath, a great documentary but it all ends in death, 8/23 Reflections on the Philippines Capsizing. Carrying Four Divers to the Depths, 7/23 Don't Snorkel with a Saltie, 7/23 Carlton Queen Capsizes in the Red Sea, what happened next, 7/23 A Serious Shark Bite After the Dive Ended, 7/23 Legal Remedies for Overseas Injuries Unlikely, 7/23 Are You Safe on a Liveaboard?, Not all liveaboards show adequate concern for your safety., 5/23 Two Liveaboards Capsize and Sink in April, 5/23 A Unique and Serious Injury at Ramon's in Belize , a tough fight for compensation in another country, 5/23 What’s Going on in Chuuk Lagoon?, 4/23 Punishment Abroad for Training Deaths, but it will never happen here, 4/23 Free Diver Pipin Sues Netflix for Defamation, 4/23 Surviving a Liveaboard Emergency, 3/23 PADI Pays Up After a Training Death, It's settled, but expect no public insight about PADI, 3/23 Insurance Claim Denied, But I'm a New Person, 3/23 Another Cozumel Propeller Accident , 2/23 Lost and Found - How Lucky He Is , 2/23 Cozumel Diver Disappears from Surface , what you need to know about down currents, 2/23 And Don't Forget about RipTides , 2/23 Red Sea Liveaboard Smacks into a Reef at Night , Are liveaboards getting reckless?, 2/23 Malta Dive Accident Ruled Involuntary Homicide, CCR and traditional SCUBA do not mix, 1/23 Conception Deaths Spark New Owner Liability Law, 1/23 Conception I-Phone Video, trapped below deck, divers sought a way out, 1/23   Available to the Public Stay Away from Those Propellers: The Most Dangerous Thing You Meet is a Boat, 11/22 Unsafe at Any Depth?, 11/22 Instructor Killed by Blasted Tank Valve, 11/22 Lack of Progress in Implementing Conception Safety Recommendations, 10/22 The Short Cut Mentality in Divers, a road to disaster, 10/22 Diving Instructor Arrested, 10/22 Mother and Her Sons Get Left at the Surface, 10/22 Unexplained Snorkel Deaths in Hawaii, the same issue for scuba divers, 9/22 How Safe Are You From Fire?, lessons from the Allegro Cozumel Hotel fire, 9/22 Diving Accident Stats are "Inaccurate ... Manipulated ... Misrepresented", 8/22 Never Forget: Let Your BC Find the Surface, 8/22 PADI Responds to Cancun Diver Fatalities, 8/22 The Perils of Coral Cuts in Tropical Climates, 7/22 Nobody Gets Away Scot Free, diving death shuts down dive operator decades later, 7/22 The Yucatan Stonewalls its Diving Deaths, and the streets can be dangerous, 7/22 An Opinion about Liveaboard Safety, who’s driving the boat while you sleep?, 7/22 Scuba Scene – Another Liveaboard Burns, with conflicting perceptions of the aftermath, 6/22 Have Dive Accidents and Fatalities Increased?, 6/22 In One Month, Five Divers Have Died in Florida, 4/22 Diving With Grim Purpose (continued), 4/22 Sydney Shark Kills Swimming PADI Instructor, 4/22 Boy Dies When Trainee Divers Go Missing, 4/22 Cancun Dive Boat Propellers Kill Two American Divers, 3/22 That Snorkel Can Save Your Life, 2/22 Conception Tragedy Leads to New Safety Rules, 2/22 The Rescue – Unmissable, 2/22 IPE and Why It’s Good to Feel the Need to Pee, a cause of fatality that often gets overlooked, 1/22 Diving with a Grim Purpose, 1/22 Anything It Takes to Get My Shot, 11/21 Wearing Fins on Deck Proves Fatal, and the British boat captain is found liable, 10/21 Put Your Fins On Last and Avoid Taking a Tumble, 10/21 Freak Needlefish Accident, 10/21 The Risk of Selling Second-hand Dive Gear, 7/21 The Tragic, Unnecessary Death of an AOW Trainee, is it time to rethink regulating dive instruction?, 7/21 Have You Ever Surfaced and Been Lost?, sensible divers take steps to avoid it, 5/20 Florida Dive Boat Prop Kills Diver, 4/20 Why You Need Medical Evacuation Insurance, 3/20 Two Shark Attacks on Divers, you can be unlucky or very unlucky, 3/20 The Death of an Insured Diver, and why his wife could not collect, 3/20 When Dive Gear Evidence Goes Missing, 2/20 That Weight Belt Can Kill You, 2/20 The Conception had been Exempted from USCG Fire Safety Standards, 2/20 A Template for Liveaboard Safety Precautions, From the Undersea Hunter fleet, 2/20 The Ins and Outs of Trip Insurance, if you’re over 70, DAN think you’re too old for coverage, 2/20 Lawsuit over Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Sting, 2/20 A Chance to Get Shark Bytes at Half Price, 2/20 A Row Erupts Over a Great White Shark’s Death, 1/20 Harrowing Tales from the Red Sea Aggressor I Fire, errors led to the disaster and post-disaster mismanagement, 1/20 U.S. Coast Guard Regulations under Criticism in Wake of the Conception Tragedy, 1/20

Medical Studies & Other Afflications

For Undercurrent Online Members, articles with are available to all It Takes Hope to Save Yourself , 10/24 Hawaii Snorkelers Drown Using Full-Face Masks , 10/24 A Stroke While Diving is Serious and Often Preventable , 1/24 Hey, What About Sudafed?, 11/23 PFO a Higher Danger to Divers Than Thought, 10/23 How Strong is Your Heart?, 7/23 Insurance Claim Denied, But I'm a New Person, 3/23 Don't Let Bonaire's Easy Diving Fool You, 1/23   Available to the Public Hydration, Diving, and SIPE, the Killer, when too much water is a danger, 11/22 The Short Cut Mentality in Divers, a road to disaster, 10/22 Unexplained Snorkel Deaths in Hawaii, the same issue for scuba divers, 9/22 SIPE - Be Aware of the Symptoms, 9/22 Diving Accident Stats are "Inaccurate ... Manipulated ... Misrepresented", 8/22 Decompression Stops: What We Don’t Know, it’s still an imprecise science, 7/22 Have Dive Accidents and Fatalities Increased?, 6/22 More on PFO, “That Perfectly Formed Hole”, 2/22 IPE and Why It’s Good to Feel the Need to Pee, a cause of fatality that often gets overlooked, 1/22 PFO – That Perfectly Formed Hole, your heart and DCS, 11/21 Be Concerned About the Guy Across the Aisle, 10/21 Covid Patients are Filling Hyperbaric Facilities, 9/21 Back in the Water Again, and a look at the options for dive travel, 7/21 Diver and Instructor Fitness, 5/20 Shark-Free Fish ’n Chips, 5/20 Is it Bad News for Divers Who Suffer COVID-19?, could the effects have contraindications for diving?, 5/20 The Excess Weight We Carry, should dive operators reject high BMI, plus-size divers?, 3/20 That Weight Belt Can Kill You, 2/20 Head/Mares Discovers the Reason for Full Face Mask Deaths, 1/20

Diving Diseases & Drugs

For Undercurrent Online Members, articles with are available to all The Water May Look Lovely ..., 1/24 Liveaboards: Fertile Ground for COVID , 11/23   Available to the Public Don't Ignore it My Friends: COVID Preys on Traveling Divers, 9/22 Traveling Divers are Quarantined, and yet, no COVID testing is allowed, 2/22 Another COVID on Liveaboard Story: Hope for the Best and be Prepared for the Worst, 1/22 The Ugly American Unmasked, on divers respecting and protecting others, 11/21 Vaccinated and Wonder If it’s Safe to Travel?, risks to consider and mitigate, 9/21 Is it Bad News for Divers Who Suffer COVID-19?, could the effects have contraindications for diving?, 5/20 Stranded in Honduras: Our Utila Escape, how two American divers struggled to get home, 4/20 Diving, Travel, Coronavirus, Chaos, What’s happening to the traveling diver and our destinations?, 4/20 Avoiding Any Infections from Scuba Equipment, are you confident your regulator remains pathogen-free?, 4/20 Don’t Worry about Coronavirus in Your Scuba Tank, 4/20 Coronavirus – Will it Affect Your Dive Travel Plans?, some thoughts to help you decide whether to embark, 3/20 The Best Traveler’s Diarrhea Drug, unaffordable in the U.S. so turn to Canada, 2/20

Stings, Burns & Other Nuisances

For Undercurrent Online Members, articles with are available to all No Gloves When Diving? A Senseless Rule, but maybe controversial, 9/24 The Water May Look Lovely ..., 1/24 Novel Emergency Treatment for Lionfish Envenomation, 8/23 Available to the Public The Perils of Coral Cuts in Tropical Climates, 7/22 Jellyfish Mucus Found to be a Cause of Sea Itch, 3/20

Diving Practices

For Undercurrent Online Members, articles with are available to all That Big Boat Swing, 3/25 How Not to Become an Iron Diver, 3/25 Why Do You Dive Alone? Part Three, the reasons are many, 3/25 That Diver's Medical Form , what's it mean for you?, 3/25 Lost at Sea - Again?, it happens more often than it should, 2/25 Abbreviations: Writing in Shorthand, 2/25 Full-face Snorkel Masks ... Specifications, 1/25 Diving Solo: Part II, a bad buddy is like no buddy at all, 1/25 Air Supply Problem, 11/24 Would You Dive Alone? Part I, many subscribers would, and many won't, 11/24 Presumption is the Mother of Disasters, Part II , some mistakes are worse than others, 10/24 Always Do a Buddy Check , 10/24 What No Chase Boat? A Basic Safety Precaution, 9/24 Presumption is the Mother of Disasters, some diving mistakes are worse than others, 9/24 Closed Circuit Rebreathers are for Solo Divers, 9/24 Oklahoma Diving Couple Spends 39 Hours Adrift, lots of wisdom, perseverance, and a bit of luck, 8/24 Don't Hide Your Diving Mistakes, let others learn from them, 7/24 Hearing Aids and Diving, 4/24 Dive Ladder Severs Fingers, 3/24 Liveaboards: Fertile Ground for COVID , 11/23 Hey, What About Sudafed?, 11/23 Four Divers in North Carolina Rescued Far at Sea, 9/23 When a Dive Guide is Wrong Make Sure Your Weight Belt is Not Impeded, 8/23 It's Not Always the Bends, 3/23 Another Cozumel Propeller Accident , 2/23 Lost and Found - How Lucky He Is , 2/23 Cozumel Diver Disappears from Surface , what you need to know about down currents, 2/23 And Don't Forget about RipTides , 2/23 Avatars' Actors' Amazing Breath Holding Skills, 1/23   Available to the Public The Short Cut Mentality in Divers, a road to disaster, 10/22 SIPE - Be Aware of the Symptoms, 9/22 Common Sunscreens Can Damage Marine Life (and You Too), 8/22 We Asked: Do You Download Your Dives?, the digital revolution is big in scuba, 8/22 Never Forget: Let Your BC Find the Surface, 8/22 Don't Be Reluctant to Use Air: It's What We Did When That's All We Had, 8/22 Overtaken by the Race for Certification or Age?, some very experienced divers may be turned away, 6/22 Are All Diving Instructors Up to The Job?, what works in the book may be unsafe in the water, 4/22 That Snorkel Can Save Your Life, 2/22 Do You Use a Backup Computer, Part II, only your computers count, 2/22 Put Your Fins On Last and Avoid Taking a Tumble, 10/21 Covid Patients are Filling Hyperbaric Facilities, 9/21 Understand Your Diving Computer, a Galapagos diving incident, 9/21 Diver and Instructor Fitness, 5/20 Those Full-face Snorkeling Masks – More to the Story, 3/20

Dive Travel

For Undercurrent Online Members, articles with are available to all Could This Happen in America?, 2/25 An Ill-Fated Cruise , when divemaster are experts and divers are idiots, 10/24 Airlines Take Lithium-Ion Batteries Seriously, 7/24 Under the Volcano, 6/24 Medical Examiner's Evaluation Form, 4/24 What's Happening with Liveaboards? , caveat emptor rules, so act accordingly, 2/24 Attitude Keeps You Alive, 2/24 Divers of a Certain Age , get your insurance and paperwork in order, 11/23 Divers of a Certain Age: Part I, The Freedom to Dive, 9/23 Reflections on the Philippines Capsizing. Carrying Four Divers to the Depths, 7/23 Carlton Queen Capsizes in the Red Sea, what happened next, 7/23 What’s Going on in Chuuk Lagoon?, 4/23 Surviving a Liveaboard Emergency, 3/23 Mexico Closes Down Great White Shark Cage Diving , and there are questions why, 2/23   Available to the Public Carbon Monoxide is a Killer, 11/22 Equipment Checks to Prepare for Diving, 11/22 Lack of Progress in Implementing Conception Safety Recommendations, 10/22 Don't Ignore it My Friends: COVID Preys on Traveling Divers, 9/22 How Safe Are You From Fire?, lessons from the Allegro Cozumel Hotel fire, 9/22 The Perils of Travel Remain in the Time of COVID, a cautionary tale of our times, 8/22 Scuba Scene – Another Liveaboard Burns, with conflicting perceptions of the aftermath, 6/22 Country COVID Entry Rules, 3/22 Conception Tragedy Leads to New Safety Rules, 2/22 Traveling Divers are Quarantined, and yet, no COVID testing is allowed, 2/22 Another COVID on Liveaboard Story: Hope for the Best and be Prepared for the Worst, 1/22 Dive Travel in the Time of Coronavirus, when the passengers and crew test positive, 11/21 The Ugly American Unmasked, on divers respecting and protecting others, 11/21 Be Concerned About the Guy Across the Aisle, 10/21 Vaccinated and Wonder If it’s Safe to Travel?, risks to consider and mitigate, 9/21 The Loss of a Diving Icon, 9/21 Back in the Water Again, and a look at the options for dive travel, 7/21 Can You Trust Your Dive Guide?, are they as careful and responsible as they should be?, 5/20 Stranded in Honduras: Our Utila Escape, how two American divers struggled to get home, 4/20 Diving, Travel, Coronavirus, Chaos, What’s happening to the traveling diver and our destinations?, 4/20 Coronavirus – Will it Affect Your Dive Travel Plans?, some thoughts to help you decide whether to embark, 3/20 When Your Cabin Mate Gets Sick, can you count on the crew to help you avoid contagion?, 2/20 The Best Traveler’s Diarrhea Drug, unaffordable in the U.S. so turn to Canada, 2/20 A Template for Liveaboard Safety Precautions, From the Undersea Hunter fleet, 2/20 Lithium-ion Battery Safety: Industry Experts Give Their Points of View, 1/20 U.S. Coast Guard Regulations under Criticism in Wake of the Conception Tragedy, 1/20

Other Dangers in Diving

For Undercurrent Online Members, articles with are available to all Badges Can Be Misleading, 5/25 Never Know What You'll Find On A Leisurely Dive, In Hong Kong, it was a live 500-pound Japanese bomb, 1/25 LiPo Bags Halt Battery Fires , 10/24 Another Bad Accident Waiting to Happen?, tiger sharks are not pussy cats, 7/24 Belize Diving Death; Always Test Your Air, 7/24 South Carolina River Diver Attacked by a 'Gator, 6/24 DAN Insurance: Age is no Barrier, 6/24 The Astounding Rate of Liveaboard Deaths, 4/24 More Details of the Sinking of MY Sea Legend, 4/24 Playing with Sea Lions, 3/24 Be Wary of Drug-Crazed Sharks?, 8/23 Don't Snorkel with a Saltie, 7/23 Are You Safe on a Liveaboard?, Not all liveaboards show adequate concern for your safety., 5/23 Full-face Snorkeling Mask Implicated Again, 5/23 We Can Only Dream About Petit Mustique, Or can we?, 5/23 Should Divers Fear an Orca?, 4/23 A Painful Ear Infection from Polluted Indonesian Seas , 2/23 Red Sea Liveaboard Smacks into a Reef at Night , Are liveaboards getting reckless?, 2/23 Socorro Aggressor Fails the Test, dumped at last from the Aggressor Fleet, 1/23     Available to the Public Carbon Monoxide is a Killer, 11/22 When You're Adrift in the Sea, a personal locator beacon will save your bacon, 11/22 Mother and Her Sons Get Left at the Surface, 10/22 How to Avoid a Shark Attack, 9/22 An Important Advance for Closed-Circuit Divers, 8/22 Nothing But Bad Luck, 7/22 The Yucatan Stonewalls its Diving Deaths, and the streets can be dangerous, 7/22 An Opinion about Liveaboard Safety, who’s driving the boat while you sleep?, 7/22 The Bicycle Thief, 4/22 The GoPro Selfie-Stick as Unwanted Shark Bait, 11/21 Freak Needlefish Accident, 10/21 Keeping the Shark Myth Going, 4/20 Letters to the Editor: Too Much Weight to Dive?, 4/20 Those Full-face Snorkeling Masks – More to the Story, 3/20 An Investment for the Gullible, 2/20

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