List of Diving Hazards and Precautions - Failure of Diving Equipment Other Than Breathing Apparatus

Failure of Diving Equipment Other Than Breathing Apparatus

Hazard Consequences Cause Avoidance and prevention
ballast weight loss Possible inability to establish neutral buoyancy leading to uncontrolled ascent Loss of diving weights.
  • Inspection of weight belt buckle or weight pocket clips for good condition and correct function before dive.
  • Use of correct length weight belt.
  • Use weight harness or integrated weight system if weight belts tend to slide over hips and fall off.
  • Carry weights in secure method which can not easily be accidentally released.
  • Carry the amount of weight appropriate for regaining neutral buoyancy on a releasable system, and the rest securely attached to the harness.
Water ingress into dry suit, and associated loss of air from dry suit.
  • Insulation loss, accelerated loss of body heat, potentially leading to hypothermia.
  • Buoyancy loss - potential inability to establish neutral or positive buoyancy, and difficulty or inability to ascend.
 Catastrophic leak in dry suit:
  • Zipper bursting.
  • Tear of latex neck seal.
  • Maintenance and pre-use inspection of dry suit zip and seals.
  • Use of a dry suit undergarment which retains moderate insulation properties when flooded (e.g. Thinsulate B).
  • Use of a drysuit material which has significant inherent insulation properties (e.g. foam neoprene).
  • Training and practice of skills for recovery from this situation.
  • Use of a buoyancy compensator with sufficient volume to compensate for the suit buoyancy loss.
  • Use of a lifeline with a surface tender.
  • Sufficient ballast weight ditchable to recover neutral buoyancy at depth.
  • Use of a DSMB or surfave marker buoy with sufficient volume to compensate for loss of buoyancy.
Drysuit blow-up Uncontrolled ascent with possible decompression problems Inflation valve jammed open.
  • Use of low flow rate inflator hose connections.
  • Training and competence at emergency procedures for inflation valve failure.
Loss of propulsion, maneuvering control and mobility
  • Inability to swim against current.
  • Inability to exit overhead environment before running out of gas.
 Loss of swimfin(s). Most often due to strap or strap connector failure.
  • Pre-use inspection of straps and strap connectors.
  • Practice skill of finning with one fin.
  • Spare fin strap in emergency spares for team.
  • Replace original straps with more reliable type.
Loss of mask Inability to focus underwater:
  • High level of stress.
  • Inability to read instruments
 Failure of mask strap or buckle.
  • Broken lens/faceplate due to impact with hard object.
  • Mask knocked off and lost
  • Inspection of the mask and strap before use.
  • Hold mask in place with hand.
  • Practice diving with no mask.
  • Spare mask in emergency spares for team.
  • Use of full face mask which is more securely attached to the head and tethered by the hose.
Buoyancy compensator blow-up. (uncontrolled inflation) Uncontrolled ascent with possible decompression problems Inflation valve stuck open.
  • Inspection and testing of inflator mechanism before use.
  • Appropriate maintenance after use.
  • Training and practice of skills to control situation.
  • Use of buoyancy compensator with moderate volume.
Uncontrollable loss of air from buoyancy compensator Inability to achieve neutral or positive buoyancy, and potential difficulty or inability to make controlled ascent or to ascend at all. Catastrophic leak in buoyancy compensator:
  • Loss of manifold fitting.
  • Corrugated hose failure.
  • Torn bladder.
  • Maintenance and inspection of BC before use.
  • Use of drysuit as emergency buoyancy control device
  • Use of reel and DSMB of sufficient volume as shotline and buoyancy aid for ascent.
  • Use of lifeline and surface tender.
  • Use of double bladder buoyancy compensator.
  • Ditching of sufficient weights to allow ascent.
Blunt edged cutting tool Inability to cut free from entanglement, possibly resulting in drowning. Poor maintenance and pre-dive inspection procedures.
  • Inspect and test cutting edge periodically
  • Sharpen or replace tool when blunt

Read more about this topic:  List Of Diving Hazards And Precautions

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