Snorkeling Accidents -- An Open Forum Towards a Better Cayman Islands

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Date Posted: 20:14:37 04/06/02 Sat
Author: anon
Subject: Snorkeling Accidents

I live in the Cayman Islands and have been diving and snorkeling for over 30 years. Every year about a dozen snorkelers die here while snorkeling. For the past 25 years I have always snorkeled wearing a snorkeling vest. I have always used a vest that has a C02 and oral inflator on it. In many of the drowning accidents while snorkeling, the lungs of the victim contain water and the death is therefore considered to have been caused by drowning. May I suggest other causes that would not necessarily be able to be found in an autopsy. If a snorkeler were to have a kidney stone or gallbladder attack he would be helpless in the water for some time because of the acute pain associated with many of these attacks. I am sure that the two cases I have described are only a few of the medical problems that could occur and not be found in most autopsies.
Presently almost all of the snorkeling vests that are offered to people on a snorkeling trip are of the oral inflation type only. You may check with medical experts but I am sure they will tell you that a person in the throes of such an attack would probably not be able to orally inflate his safety vest and might die. The C02 inflation devices which were available on almost all snorkel vests years ago have almost all been replaced with oral only inflators. The reasons given by local snorkel boat operators for not supplying C02 inflator vests, which can be purchased from various companies, on their snorkel boats are given below in order of their frequency:

1 - If the CO2 device fails I will be sued.
2 - The C02 device gives the snorkeler a false sense of security and when it fails he will panic and may drown.
3 - The C02 device may go off accidentally and the snorkeler will panic and/or have a heart attack from the sound of the CO2 cartridge detonation and inflation.
4 - These devices require a lot of expensive maintenance to keep them working.
5 - These vests are more expensive then the oral inflator on type.
6 - When a person is in trouble he will panic and forget to use the C02 device, anyhow.
Examination of these reasons reveals that, except for #2 and#6 which are ridiculous, the major problem they have with C02 vests is liability and costs. The # 7 excuse given
for not offering their customers a C02 inflating snorkeling vest defies reason; " I remember back in the 80s or 90s that a snorkeler died while wearing a vest with a C02 inflator" . These people would ban seat belts because of an accident in which seat belts were used resulted in a death, and therefore eliminating seat belts would save lives.
I hope that all of the certifying organizations will consider what I have presented here, and advise the instructors, and divers they have and will train that a C02 inflating snorkeling vest could save lives and therefore should be offered to anyone who wishes to wear one.

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Replies:

Seat belts and saving lives? -- anon, 01:11:47 04/26/02 Fri