Safety in Freediving
Posted By Paul Kotik on 20 May 2002
The year 2001 in competitive freediving saw our top-drawer competitors going deeper, longer and farther than anyone thought possible, and all this without fatalities or serious injuries. Sadly, on the recreational side of the sport we lost a number friends, colleagues and loved ones . This morning I learned of yet another drowning, this time an experienced diver in superb physical condition with whom I'd been fortunate enough to spend a week last year. He died ( an apparent shallow water blackout ) in his home waters, spearfishing as he had so many times before.
The fact is that a competitive freediver going for a depth record - approaching or passing the 100m /330 ft mark - is much less at risk than the average recreational diver playing in 20m/66ft of water. We would be wise to understand the fundamentals of competition safety and transfer the risk management techniques to recreational diving.
We must reduce the body count for 2002. Enough. No more.
Sanctioned competitions and record attempts are bound by draconian safety protocols specified by organizations such as AIDA, IAFD and FREE. The provisions in place to keep competitors alive and well are comprehensive, redundant and thus far totally effective. Martin Stepanek, 90m/295ft down on game day, is eyeball-to-eyeball with an experienced tech diver on trimix, ready to shove a regulator into his face if he runs into trouble. Even at this extreme depth Martin's prospects for survival are excellent. That tech diver is one of a small army of scuba and freediving safety backups deployed to take charge whenever and wherever needed.
Alan Averagediver, snorkelling the reef solo after work, 35 feet down and panicked, is on his own. His outlook is poor. Even if he makes it back to the surface a blackout or samba puts him in the category the New York City Police Department calls "LTD" : Likely To Die.
In the space between the ideal conditions provided by an event support team, at one extreme, and the borderline-lunatic dangers of solo sessions at the other lies a continuum of risk mediated by the buddy system.
We are not going to replay the solo freediving "controversy" here. There is no controversy. To the extent that you wish to live, avoid freediving alone. Going freediving alone is like drinking a quart of vodka and driving at high speed against the traffic on a freeway. Yes, you may survive, but it won't be your fault if you do. It will be because the universe decided to let you live that day.
The following discussion assumes the reader is familiar with freediving safety fundamentals, particularly the one-up / one-down protocol, and is proficient in basic rescue technique. If you are not, you and your diving companions are at grave risk. Get educated and get trained - now. If you don't know where to turn for freedive education and training, go to the head of this article, click on "E-Mail Author" and I'll help you get there.
That established, let's look more closely at the buddy system and consider how it is that another diver's presence can enhance prospects for survival.
The term buddy system conventionally refers to a set of rules which divers follow to enhance safety and enjoyment, the cardinal rule being "always dive with a buddy." In this discussion I've expanded the concept: buddy system here means a group of two or more divers who have agreed to comply with a set of rules which regulate their diving practices. The buddies are a component of the system.
Here is an obvious but widely-ignored truth: there is nothing at all about another diver's presence, per se, that enhances safety ! Just because somebody has jumped off the boat with you and is splashing around in your general area doesn't mean that a buddy system is happening. As Kirk Krack likes to remind us, " Same day, same ocean doesn't count !"
A shocking number of the freedivers who drowned last year were not alone in the water. As far as risk management is concerned, the mere presence of another diver adds nothing to the safety level. In fact, it could even endanger one or both divers if expectations are at variance with reality.
The safety value of any buddy system is a function of awareness, capabilities, balance, and consistency. Everything depends on what the divers do, what they are able to do, and the mutuality of actions and expectations.
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