The number of diving incidents involving medical problems increased last year, according to a report by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
The 2009 Diving Report said that 18 per cent of diving incidents they responded to were due to an underlying medical problem with the diver.
Ken Bazeley, diving officer for the MCA said personal fitness should be a 'top priority' for safe diving. 'In general, the population are living longer, are fitter and have more disposable income, so it is no surprise that we are diving longer into our retirement age,' he said. 'However, this does bring some risks and divers should be aware they are not invulnerable and a health check would be advisable.'
The coastguard reported 212 diving related incidents in 2009 - an increase on the previous two years. These included cases of decompression illness, medical emergencies and broken down boats.
BSAC's own Incidents Report, which was published in December, painted a similar picture, showing a disproportionate number of fatalities involved divers over 50 years old. While presenting the report, Brian Cummings, BSAC's diving safety and incident advisor, said: 'Divers need to be more aware of personal fitness levels and divers must stay within their personal comfort zones.'
