{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T22:17:01Z","timestamp":1780525021849,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diving Hyperb Med"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: This study investigated snorkelling and breath-hold diving deaths in Australia from 2014\u20132018 and compared these to those from 2001\u20132013 to identify ongoing problems and assess the effectiveness of countermeasures. Methods: Media reports and the National Coronial Information System were searched to identify snorkelling\/breath-hold diving deaths for 2014\u22122018, inclusive. Data were extracted from witness and police reports, medical histories, and autopsies. An Excel\u00ae database was created and a chain of events analysis conducted. Comparisons were made with the earlier report. Results: Ninety-one fatalities (78 males, 13 females, median age 48 years [range 16\u221280]) were identified with one third likely doing some breath-hold diving. Fifty-two of 77 with known body mass index were overweight or obese. Approximately two thirds were inexperienced snorkellers and 64 were alone. Fifty-one were tourists. Planning shortcomings, such as solo diving and diving in adverse conditions, as well as pre-existing health conditions and inexperience predisposed to many incidents. Primary drowning was the likely disabling condition in 39% of cases with drowning recorded as the cause of death (COD) in two thirds. Cardiac events were the likely disabling conditions in 31% although recorded as the COD in 21% of cases. Conclusions: Increasing age, obesity and associated cardiac disease have become increasingly prevalent in snorkelling deaths and there is a need for improved health surveillance and risk management. Closer supervision of inexperienced snorkellers is indicated. Apnoeic hypoxia from extended breath-holding and poor supervision remain a problem. The increased risk of harvesting seafood in areas frequented by large marine predators needs to be appreciated and managed appropriately<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.28920\/dhm53.3.210-217","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,19]],"date-time":"2023-09-19T00:55:09Z","timestamp":1695084909000},"page":"210-217","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Snorkelling and breath-hold diving fatalities in Australian waters, 2014 to 2018"],"prefix":"10.28920","volume":"53","author":[{"name":"Australasian Diving Safety Foundation, Canterbury, Victoria, Australia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Lippmann","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"Royal Life Saving Society Australia, Sydney, Australia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"11463","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,30]]},"container-title":["Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,19]],"date-time":"2023-09-19T00:55:19Z","timestamp":1695084919000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.dhmjournal.com\/index.php\/journals?view=article&id=321"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,30]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,30]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.28920\/dhm53.3.210-217","relation":{},"ISSN":["2209-1491"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2209-1491","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,30]]}}}