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Incident Report analysis is
THE ANNUAL DIVING INCIDENT REPORT for 2024, which recorded a total of 239 incidents and, sadly, 12 fatalities throughout the UK, has now been released.
As part of its role as National Governing Body, BSAC reports annually on diving incidents in the UK from all diver training agencies. The report is compiled by BSAC Incident Advisor Jim Watson and data analyst Ben Peddie.
The Incident Report and its data analysis aim to promote diver safety, as well as to understand any trends that can support all diving agencies in their diver training programmes and safety advice.
The 2024 report covers incidents from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024. During this period, a total of 331 incidents were recorded in the UK and overseas, which sadly included twelve UK incidents resulting in twelve fatalities. It
Tony Snow – a tribute
DIVERS HAVE PAID TRIBUTE TO Advanced Instructor Tony Snow, who passed away suddenly last month at the age of 61. A well-known face within the South West region, father-of-two Tony was also an Advanced Wreck Diving Instructor and a member of Bromley SAC. He was also an honorary member of Crooklog 2508 and Bexley BSAC.
Here, one of his regular dive buddies, Mick Edwards, writes his own personal tribute.
“ Known to us all as Snowy, Tony was one of those rare divers who seemed completely at home in the water. Calm, capable, and always ready with a laugh, he brought a quiet confidence to every dive and an infectious enthusiasm that lifted everyone around him.
“ Whether exploring the Zenobia wreck, teaching new divers, or sharing a post-dive pint and story, Snowy embodied what our diving community is all about: friendship,
10 notable that the report again shows a higher number of incidents in September than in recent years. However, unlike September 2023, the weather was not as favourable in September 2024. The report comments that these September incidents were, for the most part, linked to diving at inland sites.
The report also continues previous analysis on incidences of Immersion Pulmonary Oedema( IPO) in the reports over the years. Improvements in training programmes mean that divers are becoming increasingly aware of IPO, leading to earlier identification and resolution of the problem, so reducing the seriousness of an incident. Of the seven confirmed and one possible cases of IPO recorded in the report, none resulted in a fatality. Those medically confirmed cases also reflect increased awareness of the condition in the medical community. The report also highlights the importance of getting medical advice to eliminate an IPO before diving again.
adventure, and respect for the sea. He never rushed a dive or a diver, always taking the time to help others grow in skill and confidence. Many of us owe our best dives and some of our best memories to his patience, encouragement, and steady presence.
Snowy believed diving was more than a
Other key features of the 2024 report include:
■ The number of incidents continues to be closely linked to the amount of diving, with diving activity returning to pre-pandemic levels.
■ Advice to ensure that divers have completed drysuit training and that drysuits fit well, especially around the feet and legs, to avoid loss of control of the fins and / or inversion.
■ Experience and qualifications do not necessarily protect from the possibility of becoming a diving casualty.
The full BSAC Incident Report 2024 is now available for members and clubs to download. You can access the report at bsac. com / incidentreport
Help us to keep diving safe
If you have been involved in or witnessed an incident, please report it – in confidence – and help BSAC to continue to shape a safe future for diving. Whether you are a BSAC diver or dive with another agency, a recreational or technical diver, or if the incident happened in the UK or overseas, BSAC wants to hear about it.
You can find the form online at bsac. com / reportanincident
sport; it was a way to connect with nature, with others, and with ourselves. His humour, loyalty, and love of the ocean will be missed deeply, but his legacy lives on in the people he taught, the stories we share, and the waters he loved so much.
Here’ s to Snowy our friend, our dive buddy, and a true ambassador of the sea.”
Tony is pictured, right, with buddy Mick Edwards, left