Having known Vitali, he was such a nice guy and was such a shame to hear that he died. He always seemed so happy and nice, such a loss to the security community.
Scuba diving apparently is incredibly dangerous as an activity relative to how common it is.
Perhaps it's a lot easier to get overconfident compared to something like skydiving, as it's not immediately obvious what actions need to be avoided or what the biggest dangers are.
The story doesn't really give enough information as to the risk profile of the dive of the person in question.
Recreational dives are fairly safe since you can do a emergency fast ascent, and PROBABLY be OK though its still discouraged. It all depends on how long and deep you are and for most recreational dives, its not usually a huge issue. There is no info on what the dive plan for this dude was, so can't know the risks.
Normally you should have a dive buddy who will help bail you out if something goes wrong, and the article doesn't mention if a dive buddy was there.
Really the big problem is that Scuba gear is super reliable if you maintain and inspect them properly, which is something many recreational divers dont do, since they tend to be reliable. And without practice, gear failure leads to panic which leads to death.
Many people panic badly because they don't keep their training up to date
A top security kind of person shouldn't panic even if they had to watch Jaws on a moonless night then go solo night diving in a wreck at below 40m. There are indoor deepwater pools with complex structures for gaining training
What you’re taught as an entry-level diver: if you don’t have a clear path overhead, you’re at way more risk. 30m down with a clear view overhead is less dangerous than 5m down in a shipwreck, and there are other counterintuitive things you have to internalize. Decompression sickness from a too-fast ascent is treatable (especially from the 30m limit of the entry-level licenses) - drowning, not so much. Brushing your flippers against the ground can knock up a potentially hazardous amount of silt/sand. You can have trouble telling up from down (look for your bubbles).
I’ve not been in nearly 15 years, so more experienced divers PLEASE correct me.
It's pretty well drilled into your head in most lower-level license courses that you should never be in an enclosed/overhead environment without proper training AND equipment like a bail-out bottle. One of the basic requirements of Decompression (Tec) diving is a fully redundant second air supply, which is generally not necessary with rec diving for the very reason you stated: an emergency ascent within deco limits is generally very safe even without the (optional) safety stop.
Most deaths of rec divers are caused by a lack of training that leads to panic and drowning at depth or the surface. For this reason, more advanced (and arguably all) scuba diving is the province of those with complete focus and mental fortitude.
I’m a fairly well experienced diver. The “closest call” I had was while fighting a strong current on a wall (Yapak in Boracay,Philippines). I was working hard to keep up with my instructor and using a lot of air. My reg could not keep up and I started feeling like I was not getting enough air. Felt the beginning stages of panic kicking in. I knew technically what was happening , but I had to really mentally focus on my breathing to remain calm. I could definitely foresee situations where someone panics underwater.
I’m glad I did my training through US Army MWR while working on a post in Germany, because they had far less economic motive to hurry us along.
It gave me enough appreciation for how risky diving can be, and how much your safety depends on the state of your equipment, and your and your diving buddies’ staying aware and calm that I’ll probably never do it again.
And from your and others’ responses, there’s enough I’ve forgotten that I’d have to approach it as a beginner again if I changed my mind.
It’s also important to know that there is no difference between hard ceilings (caves, wrecks, etc) and artificial/decompression ceilings if you are doing that type of dive profile. Most of those dives will be 3 or more tanks or rebreathers though.
It’s a fairly complex problem. Diving is almost entirely self regulated and while there are certification bodies like PADI/SDI, they are essentially industry groups that exist to legitimize the hobby. That isn’t to say there aren’t standards or that most shops require proof of certification when renting you gear(primarily for insurance/legal liability reasons), but if you went online, bought gear/tanks, many if not most dive shops would fill air without any checks.
There is also a lot of non reputable people in the industry, focused on trying to make money on a hobby with low margins. Many don’t care when your last dive was or even if you know what your doing, so long as you have your certification card. A diver with 5 dives 10 years ago on a cruise in their eyes just as qualified as someone with thousands of dives. Hell, I remember once being with a friend who specialized in underwater EOD and they wouldn’t let him dive without his PADI or SDI card.
There are such varying degrees of professionalism, equipment maintenance, policies and knowledge that comparing to skydiving is really hard.
Everything you said is 100% correct, and I personally just take it to mean when I go diving I have a heavier personal responsibility for my own safety than when I do other activities.
It’s on me to check over the gear, asses my diving buddy and plan and execute the dive given the location and conditions. It is perfectly possible For me to screw up And kill myself if I’m not concentrating and giving the situation the respect it demands. This is not a holiday.
So crazy. I was out fishing with him 2 weeks ago in Ft Lauderdale. On the trip he was talking about how he had an underwater e-bike and would go 1-2 miles off shore and look for shipwrecks etc. He was very experienced in diving. I'm almost wondering if there was something else at play here. He's had a few stories of things happening to him / where he lives due to the nature of his work (reporting the innerworkings of all the BIG ransomware gangs).
