Diving and snorkelling deaths spark calls for standards review

A week that has seen the deaths of six divers and snorkellers on Australia’s East Coast has led a call for a review of national standards for aquatic sports.

Australian Underwater Federation President Graham Henderson (pictured) says number of deaths is unusual and industry should look at medical tests for older divers.

The death of two French tourists last Wednesday, possibly as a result of contact with Irukandji jellyfish, was widely reported.

Thereafter, a 60-year-old Englishman died during a Queensland diving trip on Friday, a 49-year-old Tasmanian man died while diving on Saturday afternoon and another diver died in Victoria on Sunday.

A man in his 40s also died while snorkelling near Eurobodalla on the NSW South Coast on Sunday.

Henderson told the AAP that the diving industry was ageing, with older people now having the will and money to take it up as a hobby, and there was a concerning variation in dive course quality.

Henderson stated “to be honest some of the courses that are run ... are pretty minimalistic.

“The Australian standards need to be looked at and talked about more.”

Henderson said people were moving away from diving and snorkelling in large groups or clubs, which increased the danger of something going wrong.

Graham Henderson image courtesy of LinkedIn.

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15th May 2014 - IRUKANDJI ‘FORECAST’ TO WARN AUSTRALIAN SWIMMERS ABOUT PRESENCE OF DEADLY STINGERS

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