Vent: Just read a report that said most inland dive deaths happen in under 30 feet of water

I was looking through some old safety bulletins from the Association of Diving Contractors (you know, the ADC) last night. One from 2022 had a breakdown of incidents, and it said over 60% of fatal accidents in commercial inland diving happen in water less than 30 feet deep. That blew my mind. We always think the big depth, the deco, the mixed gas jobs are the killers. But it's the 'easy' shallow jobs, the quick in-and-out stuff where people get sloppy. Found it on page 14 of their 2022 annual safety review PDF. Makes you rethink every single toolbox talk about complacency on a simple potable water tank inspection. How do you guys fight that 'it's just a shallow dive' mindset on your crews?

4 comments

4 Comments

davidkim2mo ago

Yeah, the "easy" jobs bite you.

daniel_gonzalez2mo ago

What's the one thing you wish you'd checked first? For me, it was always the hidden cleanup time.

the_fiona2mo ago

Ever think about how many shallow dives happen with zero surface support watching the line? That report makes me wonder if guys are skipping a tender because the water's clear and it's only 20 feet down... but then who's your backup if your reg free-flows or you get tangled in some old fishing line nobody mentioned was there?

smith.parker1mo ago

Oh man, I used to be totally guilty of that "it's just 20 feet" mindset. But after hearing stories of people getting tangled or having a freak reg issue in clear shallow water, yeah, that changed my whole view. Having someone topside watch your line feels like overkill until it's the only thing that saves you.