WHO MAY NEED THIS INFORMATION
• All divers, freedivers and spearfishers of any age
• All people who know someone who freedives…pass it on!
• Dive buddies
• “Accidental Rescuers”, you never know when you might need
to rescue someone!
WHO IS MOST AT RISK?
-Studies show that the most common victim of Shallow Water Blackout (SWB) is:
Male
Ranging in age from early teens to the thirties
Of competitive nature
This DOES NOT mean that others are not at risk however!!
WHAT IS…
-SKINDIVING: Any activity that takes a person below the surface of the water
without a supply of oxygen; with only a single breath of air.
-FREEDIVING: The same as skindiving but usually refers to a person reaching
deeper depths on a single breath of air.
-APNEA: is being in a state of breath-hold
-SHALLOW WATER BLACKOUT / SWB: is the sudden loss of consciousness caused by
oxygen starvation. 1) Basic SWB can occur at depth, while the freediver is ascending
or after the freediver has already broken the surface. It is called SHALLOW water
blackout because it usually occurs on the divers accent, within 30-15 feet of
the surface where, expanding, oxygen-hungry lungs literally suck oxygen from
the divers blood. It occurs quickly, and without warning.
2) Static-apnea blackout. This refers to a black out that doesn’t involve
a deep dive; it is generally related to breath-hold attempts in a shallow pool.
Beware that a more controlled environment, such as a pool, can give a false
sense of security.
DID YOU KNOW?
-A freediver can experience a SWB even after surfacing and even after taking
a few breaths! It takes several seconds for the oxygen in a much-needed breath
to circulated throughout the body and replenish the divers oxygen depleted blood.
This makes it EXTRA important for the dive buddy to get a verbal and physical
OK sign from the freediver that just surfaced. If the diver seems disoriented
in any way, they may be experiencing a SAMBA and will need assistance.
-SWB usually happens to the more
experienced freedivers, as they are more likely to push their limits. *Damiano
Aannini, M.D. reports that approximately 70% of the Italian divers who regularly
compete in national and international spearfishing competitions have suffered
one or more blackouts.