The colorful advertisements, abundant in tourist brochures, are designed to seduce travelers visiting watery, warm-weather locations: "No experience necessary" read the scuba diving ads. But that doesn't mean "no training necessary," warn scuba experts.
During the past decade, about 100 Americans a year have died in scuba diving accidents, according to Eric Schinazi, a medical information specialist with Divers Alert Network, a nonprofit North Carolina-based safety and research association.
In 1996, a total of 89 U.S. recreational scuba divers died. Men outnumber women victims. In addition, 1,132 injuries to U.S. citizens worldwide were reported to the network from scuba accidents in 1995, Schinazi said, compared with 1,163 in 1994 and 958 in 1993.
Put into perspective, Schinazi and others said, scuba diving is a relatively safe sport. But there is much that beginners and veterans alike can do to minimize the risk of injury or death.
"Scuba is, by and large, self-regulating," without specific federal or state laws governing it, said Joel Dovenbarger, director of medical services for Divers Alert.
That makes it imperative for divers to ensure their own safety by training with qualified certified instructors and dive companies.
A number of organizations certify divers and instructors. Two of the largest and most respected are the National Assn. of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) and the Professional Assn. of Diving Instructors (PADI).
NAUI was founded in 1960 and has 33,000 certified instructors or assistant instructors and 2,000 certified retail dive shops. PADI was founded in 1967 and currently has a membership of 70,000 certified instructors and 2,500 certified retail dive shops. Requirements for certification vary by organization. For example, students in the NAUI diver class spend 14 hours in a classroom and 17 in practical applications, including time in the water diving.
NAUI students must complete a diver class, scuba rescue class, master diver class, assistant instructor class or dive master courses before qualifying to take the instructor course, which requires 100 hours of work divided equally between the classroom and the water. Each year, the NAUI-certified instructor must complete 10 continuing education units to remain certified, said spokesman Randy Shaw.
To be certified by NAUI, dive shops must have a store with fully certified instructors on staff and facilities to sell compressed air, Shaw said.
