Section 4. The Diving Incident Reporting System (DIMS).

Abstract

The format of Edition 2019 is similar to that of previous editions. In Section One, we present 2017 fatality data. At the beginning of this section are summary statistics for fatalities in the U.S. and Canada followed by a series of case studies that offer further insight into causes.

This year’s report features enhanced spatial/geographic data. Section Two includes a series of maps of fatal and nonfatal dive-related injuries around the U.S. and the world. For the first time, we have county-level data in Florida and California, the states with the most diving. These popular dive destinations accommodate various scuba diving activities, including wreck diving and underwater harvesting. We are pleased to have reached this level of geospatial analysis and will continue to work with public health officials in these counties for the next 10 years.

In Section Three we present the summary statistics of nonfatal injuries, based on data from the DAN Medical Services Call Center, as well as an in-depth review of select cases. Section Four focuses on incident reports, most of which did not involve any injury, provided voluntarily by divers. The breath-hold diving portion of the report follows in Section Five. DAN employs various injury and fatality prevention strategies, so we added a section, Section Six, about training programs, which target individual divers, and hazard identification and risk assessment (HIRA) programs, which promote operational safety.