Coroner urges safety after four Tasmanians die while hookah and scuba diving

A coroner has reminded hookah and scuba divers of the “vital importance” to follow safety protocols to avoid tragedy, following the deaths of four Tasmanians.

Two Tasmanians died from scuba diving – one after consuming cannabis and prescription medications, and the other while heavily intoxicated with alcohol.

A coroner has reminded hookah and scuba divers of the “vital importance” to follow safety protocols to avoid tragedy, following the deaths of four Tasmanians.

On Friday, Coroner Olivia McTaggart published findings in four anonymised cases – three from drowning and one from a gas embolism.

She said in December 2019, a 58-year-old Montumana man drowned while hookah diving with another man, collecting rock lobsters at Sandy Cape, after purchasing equipment second-hand on Gumtree.

Ms McTaggart said she couldn’t determine exactly what happened, but that it was likely during the dive, the man was unable to draw enough air from his regulator, partly due to unsafe equipment.

He then could have ascended to the surface in a panicked state, when he removed his regulator, only to struggle with buoyancy due to thick kelp, then drowning as he was pulled beneath the water.

Ms McTaggart said hookah gear was cost-effective, non-bulky and provided a continual supply of air – but also didn’t require any training or qualifications to use and could often have home-fabricated parts.

“There may be good reason for introducing regulatory oversight of recreational hookah diving, and an inspection system to assess apparatus safety and maintenance schedules,” Ms McTaggart said.

The coroner investigated a similar case, the death of a 57-year-old St Helens man in December 2021 who had also used unsafe hookah equipment while catching crayfish.

Aa forensic pathologist determined he likely died from a cerebral arterial gas embolism – gas bubbles to the arteries – which may have occurred from ascending to the surface too quickly.

Ms McTaggart said the man had been using unsafe and poorly maintained hookah equipment, limiting his ability to breathe, and that he may have ascended too quickly due to a lack of consciousness.

In September 2021, a 42-year-old scuba diver drowned in “very shallow water” at Bicheno after consuming a range of prescription medicines and cannabis.

Ms McTaggart noted the woman was considered an excellent diver and had a range of qualifications, but also took a range of medications, had a history of illicit drug use, and also hadn’t dived in the previous three years.

A forensic pathologist said the combination of substances “would cause central nervous system depression, making drowning more likely”.

“It is plausible that, as a result, she entered into a state of altered consciousness and was unable to protect her airways or ditch her weights,” Ms McTaggart said.

Finally, the coroner noted a 34-year-old man had drowned while diving alone for abalone at Sullivan Point in March 2022 – not wearing a wetsuit and having consumed alcohol immediately before diving, as was his practice, “to combat the cold”.

On the day in question, the man had drunk about half a bottle of vodka after drinking half a carton of beer the night before.

His housemate and uncle located him lying unresponsive on the sea floor, weighed down by a heavy bag of abalone in excess of legal limits.

Ms McTaggart said he was highly intoxicated with alcohol, and this might have led to him neglecting to monitor the air remaining in his cylinder, and failing to surface when he should have.

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Originally published as Coroner urges safety after four Tasmanians die while hookah and scuba diving