Alert Diver Category: Incident Insights

It’s important to put breathing gas considerations into your dive plan. Read an incident of three divers who exercised poor gas management.

BEING STUNG BY A LIONFISH is like being bitten by a poisonous snake. I found that out the hard way.

A diver experienced nausea, vomiting and other severe symptoms hours after a dive. Read more about the incident and how it was handled.

A hike through the Andes had two college students ascend about 4,000 feet in just 48 hours. One student felt symptomatic and they descended to seek medical care. However, they faced complications. Read more about the incident.

The spiny devilfish (Inimicus didactylus) is a member of the family Scorpaenidae, which also contains the venomous lionfish, stonefish, and scorpionfish. These fish conceal glandular venom-producing daggers within their dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins. Divers — especially underwater photographers who may focus on one creature while others sidle up under their legs — must be aware of these animals’ subtle defense maneuvers.

A diver felt pressure in his teeth during a descent but dismissed the pain. The pain became worse, forcing him to cut the dive short. Read more about this tooth-related dive incident.

A female diver’s routine dives went south when she had trouble equalizing. Postdive, she had discomfort in the ears that eased, but never fully healed. Read more of her incident.

During a recent dive trip to Chuuk, I really wanted to see the San Francisco Maru wreck. I never imagined, however, that I would have a near-death experience immediately upon entering the water. 

During a dive trip in Hawaii, a diver had a panic attack thinking he was running out of air after an equipment malfunction. Read more of his story.

Small, easy-to-ignore symptoms are often the first signs of decompression sickness. Read more about one diver’s incident.