WHY DIVERS DIE: DELVING INTO LA COUNTY SCUBA FATALITIES IN 2023

When there is a scuba fatality in Los Angeles County, the Office of Medical Examiner-Corner is charged with finding out why. Sometimes it’s medically related, many times it is diver error, but all are thoroughly investigated to determine what went wrong. This very popular 90 minute panel discussion is the annual review of actual scuba fatalities from L.A. County that occurred during calendar year 2023. The actual cases will all be presented, covering the accident, the attempted treatment of the victim at the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, what the accident analysis discovered, and what the takeaway lessons are. So by coming and listening to what is presented from the actual cases, people might pick up some pointers and safety ideas that will prevent them from being one of the subjects in our 2025 presentation.