Scuba Diving Injuries

Recreational scuba diving, or pleasure diving to a depth of up to 130 feet without decompressing, has gained greatly in popularity in the past 20 years. There are approximately nine million certified divers in the United States. Scuba, by the way, is an acronym that stands for self-contained breathing apparatus.

But while scuba diving can be very enjoyable, the sport carries some risk. The most common injuries include minor cuts, scratches, and what is known as a squeeze, fortunately neither of which are usually serious. A squeeze occurs when as the diver descends, the increasing water pressure squeezes the air spaces in the facemask and middle ear, causing pain. A squeeze can be more serious, however, if it affects the inner ear or the sinus cavity.

Other serious injuries can include:

• Decompression sickness (the bends)
• Sinus barotrauma
• Otic (or middle ear) barotrauma
• Pulmonary barotrauma
• Arterial gas embolism

Decompression sickness, also known as the bends, can occur during, or after, a drivers ascent. While submerged, the underwater pressure causes nitrogen from the air the diver is breathing to absorb into the blood and body tissue. The amount of nitrogen dissolved depends on the depth and amount of time spent under water. If too much nitrogen is absorbed, the nitrogen may not dispel properly when the diver ascends quickly. The resulting nitrogen bubbles can injure body parts or obstruct blood vessels, potentially causing blindness, paralysis, or death.

The physical damage caused by a rapid change in air pressure is called barotrauma. Pulmonary barotrauma can be serious enough to cause a lung to collapse. Air can also escape into the blood and cause an arterial gas embolism.

Fortunately, serious diving injuries are rare. But too many of the ones that do occur are preventable.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a scuba diving accident, you may be entitled to compensation, even if a waiver was signed. Cases in which claims have prevailed despite a waiver having been signed include those in which:

• The injuries were related to the dive boat or other craft, such as when safety flags were not used, or an engine with an unprotected propeller was left in gear.
• Negligent diving instructions were given to a novice diver.
• A diving buddy did not take necessary safety precautions or failed to take appropriate measures during or after an accident.
• Defective scuba equipment, such as a malfunctioning regulator, a failed valve on a BCD, contributed to the accident.

Contact an experienced scuba diving injury attorney for an evaluation of your case.

See also:
Scuba diving safety
Boating accidents