RESEARCH:
Snorkelling and Scuba Diving Deaths in New Zealand, 1980 - 2000
UNIVERSITY OR ORGANISATION: /
SUBJECT: Diving & Underwater
TYPE: Study
DATE: 2002
Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death in New Zealand (NZ). The Injury Prevention Research Unit (IPRU) recently analyzed drowning related incidents in NZ for the period 1980 1994, using linked data files. A brief section on diving fatalities in this report prompted one of the authors (MD) to review these data in greater detail and to update these with Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) records to year 2000. There were three purposes in mind. Firstly, to provide a comprehensive review of the epidemiology of diving related deaths over a 21-year period in NZ. Secondly, to report on diving practices and other factors that might contribute to these deaths and thirdly to document the way diving accidents were reported.
COUNTRY
New Zealand
AUTHORS
Michael Davis
Margaret Warner
Brendon Ward
JOURNAL / PUBLICATION
South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society (SPUMS) Journal
RESPONDENTS
Suba and snorkelling related deaths database WSNZ individual case files
Coroners reports
186 diving drownings recorded
Regions:
Northland
Auckland
Hauraki Golf
Coromandel
Bay of Plenty
Hawkes Bay
Gisborne
Wellington
Marlborough
Tasman
Canterbury
Otago
Southland
ACTIVITY
Diving
Snorkelling
Scuba
ENVIRONMENT
Ocean
Lakes
Rivers
AGE
10+
GENDER
Male
Female
ETHNICITY
Maori
NZ European / Pakeha
Asian
Pacific Peoples
Other
