BSAC

The BSAC have monitored and reported on Diving Incidents since 1964. The latest report can be viewed at NDC Diving Incidents Report and is produced by The British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) in the interest of promoting diving safety. It is important to note that it contains details of UK diving incidents occurring to divers of all affiliations, plus incidents occurring world-wide involving BSAC members.

As has been stated many times before, most of the incidents reported within this document could have been avoided had those involved followed a few basic principles of safe diving practice. The BSAC publishes a booklet called 'Safe Diving' (latest edition November 2006). This booklet summarises all the key elements of safe diving and is available to all, free of charge, through BSAC HQ.

Remember you can never have too much practice and the further you stay away from the limits of your own personal capabilities the more likely you are to continue to enjoy your diving.


Please browse through the details in the 2006 and previous reports and use them to learn from others' mistakes. They have had the courage and generosity to record their experiences for publication, the least that we can do is to use this information to avoid similar problems.

Brian Cumming,
BSAC Diving Incidents Advisor,
December 2006,

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Statement for Press Inquiries by Clare Peddie
National Diving Officer

There are few if any sports that present the challenge and potential risks to human life as that of scuba diving and snorkelling. No other sport requires the participants to completely immerse themselves in an environment that is not designed to support human life without assistance. To be able to do this safely we rely on specialised equipment and even more importantly specialised training in the use of that equipment.

Participation in the sport continues to grow in the UK and although there are no definitive numbers for the extent of participation in our sport, estimates made by different agencies all put a conservative figure for the UK at around 2 million dives per year. (See Information Sheet M4 for BSAC estimates). From this a significantly small number of fatal diving incidents, averaging around 17 per year, occur given the nature of the environment. Each and every one of these incidents is of course a tragedy and all diving Associations and emergency services are working to continue to promote safe and responsible diving.

The BSAC have a comprehensive and cohesive Diver Training Programme developed in the UK for the prevailing UK conditions over the last 50 years. This Training Programme is delivered by Instructors who have received the same training themselves and in addition have received a comprehensive training and assessment in Instructional Technique through the Instructor Training Scheme. Ancillary training further supports this through the provision of Skill Development Courses including a comprehensive range of Rescue Skills some of which (Oxygen Administration and Practical Rescue Management) are an integral part of Diver Training.

A BSAC Publication 'Safe Diving' collects together Guidance on safe diving practices which supports and enhances the messages contained within the Diver Training Programme. In addition to this specific initiatives such as the BSAC Safety First and CDA Guidance for the Safe Operation of Member Club Boats promote continuing and refresher training and facilitate safer diving. In addition to this during 2006 we introduced 'Safety Talk' a monthly bulletin where key safety issues are reviewed and discussed to raise awareness of relevant issues.

Within the UK there are a number of Fora where All Diving Associations, UK based (BSAC, SAA & SSAC) and US based commercial operations (PADI, TDI, IANTD), and related agencies (MCA, RNLI, HSE, DDRC) meet to discuss diving safety and develop and promote initiatives to improve the safety of the sport.

Clare Peddie,
BSAC National Diving Officer,
January 2005,

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Related Links

Training
Diver Training Programme
Instructor Training Scheme
Skill Development Courses

Safety Information
'Safe Diving'
BSAC Safety First

'Safety Talk'
CDA Guidance for the Safe Operation of Member Club Boats

Related Organisations
MCA
RNLI
HSE
PADI
SAA
SSAC

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Annual Diving Incident Reports
NDC Diving Incidents Report 2005

further reports to be added shortly

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Incident Report Forms
You can download the PDF file containing all 4 pages of the report form. You will need Acrobat Reader to open and compete the form and you can save a copy to your own computer and Email the completed form to safety@bsac.com . This will allow you to complete, save and print the entire document off-line.

Download PDF file of all 4 pages

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Fatal Diving Incidents Register

This is a listing of all recreational (See *Note below) diving related fatalities that have occurred in UK waters (including inland locations) during the years 2006 & 2007 and during 2008 to date. Data are not recorded for fatalities that have occurred outside of UK waters and this includes Southern Ireland.
Please Note: Data are for all Training Agencies and do not reflect BSAC only incidents.