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  Today Online 29 Jun 07
Diving risks: When panic can be fatal
Doctor starts blog to help divers understand risks when underwater
Lin Yanqin

EACH year, five to six diving deaths occur in South-east Asia, and about 25 Singaporean divers fall victim to decompression sickness — a potentially fatal condition that can occur when divers surface too quickly.

Poor technique, poor planning and carelessness can contribute to such tragedies, but often overlooked — yet equally important — are the psychological reasons behind diving deaths and accidents.

To help spread awareness on dealing with stress and panic underwater, Dr Michael Ong, medical director of Hyperbaric Medical Services at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, has started a blog for divers to share their experiences on diving accidents and fatalities (divingsafety.wordpress.com/).

Earlier this year, two Singaporeans were involved in serious diving incidents — one diver died while diving at Pulau Hantu; the other nearly drowned while diving in Australia and went into a coma.

These reported incidents may just be "the tip of the iceberg", said Dr Ong, who was speaking ahead of the 4th Public Seminar on Diving Medicine and Diver Safety held yesterday evening.

"There are probably many more near-misses," he said. "Hopefully, the blog can help spread awareness about what to watch out for when diving."

Diving instructor and trainer Simon Kee has seen panic get the better of many divers. "They find themselves in a situation beyond their skill level or they suddenly realise they are low on air, and they start to panic, and forget what they've learnt about dealing with such situations," he said.

To improve psychological fitness, Dr Ong suggests that divers take short pauses between each phase of the dive to compose themselves: "It helps them feel more in control, because breaking up a complex task will make it easier to handle."

Dr Ong pointed out that problems could also occur because of an incompatibility between the tasks needed for safe diving, and the personality of the person attracted to the sport.

"Many divers are attracted to the sport because they like risks and danger," he said. "But diving requires the meticulous checking of details."

A better understanding of the risks could prevent unrealistic fears from taking over. "For example, sometimes divers are low on air, but they might minimise the seriousness of the problem because they are under stress," he said. "They think that it will go away, and that leads to a dangerous situation."

Even experienced divers are not immune to panic attacks underwater, Dr Ong said. "They might be doing a more difficult dive, and they might underestimate the difficulty. That also leads to accidents."
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