Generally, diving is not hazardous to one's health. But like all sports, there are numerous dangers involved. They can be both physical or biological.
Getting physical
The greatest physical dangers posed to divers, which mostly come down to human error, are the following: insufficient preparation prior to a dive, incorrect judgement of the diving conditions, unreliable equipment, and lastly but most importantly, negligence. This can result in drowning or unconsciousness.
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Decompression sickness (the Bends) and barotraumas (pressure injuries) are also serious medical conditions that can occur from negligence and these are caused by the effect that water pressure has on the human body.
Lastly, overexerting the body when diving, can be dangerous. When suffering from specific health conditions, it is strongly advised to avoid diving. When the body is under pressure, it is working harder and faster and will therefore be subjected to stress that could increase the risk of complications.
Watch out where you dive
Biological hazards such as polluted waters can be dangerous as well. Red tide is an example of this. The body slowly becomes contaminated and infections to the eyes and ears, amongst many others, can occur.
Other hazards which pose a risk to divers are the creatures living in the water – especially the inhabitants of the ocean. Stings and bites can result in serious infections or even death. And then of course there are sharks.
It's really not that bad
These dangers may sound scary, but if one takes extra care when diving, there is very little chance of any of the above happening.
(Health24, June 2006)
Information obtained from Jos Beer, Safety and Training Manager, Cape Diving (Pty) Limited.
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