Deaths in triathlons may not be so mysterious; panic attacks may be to blame – The Washington Post

Deaths in triathlons may not be so mysterious; panic attacks may be to blame – The Washington Post.

In the course of reading this article about deaths in triathlons, it occurred to me that the same thing happens in many scuba related fatalities: panic. Most in the scuba industry are aware of how cardiac incidents play a major role in diver fatalities, but panic is an underlying cause of many accidents. When we are teaching a Rescue course for example, we stress to the students in the initial phases of their training to be aware of self rescue techniques and what a panicked diver will do or not do when faced with an emergency. The novice diver also needs to be made aware of how panic can trigger incorrect or even dangerous responses to the problem that caused the panic in the first place. The article refers to individuals who started a triathlon and after realizing they were having a problem, exited the water on all fours. This concept should also be part of every diver’s preparation; namely any dive can be cancelled for any reason, with no questions asked. So, next time you are out for a dive, be sure to share this idea with your dive buddies, and see what their reactions are. I’d bet they would all agree it is better to cancel a dive and go home safely than to risk making a dive in strong currents, low visibility, cold water, etc. and have a problem.