Anyone keeping count...

[Mark Y]

I don't know the 'exact' numbers of divers who died while diving on Inspiration rebreathers, but I do keep tabs from several on-site sources.

FYI - From what I've read, most divers 'committed suicide' while diving the Inspiration - the machine itself did not malfunction. And what I mean by suicide is they didn't follow the rules.

I've read of a diver who dove the unit knowing the electronics weren't reading right! Another diver who died didn't have the electronics hooked-up to the machine! It would be akin to violating the 'rule of thirds' while deep or cave diving (or any diving!). When someone violates that premise and dies, do you blame their equipment? Do you blame the training agency or dive philosophy? Who's to blame when divers die while using helium when they don't have training and certification? Not the equipment. I could go on . . . but I hope you understand my point.

I dive an Inspiration, and I know if I don't maintain it properly, follow scrubber use instructions, make sure I KNOW what gases are in my cylinders and know the pressure, do all the safety checks, KNOW MY PO2, etc., my machine will kill me. Now it's not a 'Hal 2000', it is not making a 'conscious' effort to kill me, if the user is lazy and complacent, it might as well be. And I've just thought of a name for my kit . . .

Finally, it will be interesting to find out the reason of asphyxiation.

(Note: Another source for dead divers is the annual DAN report. It is alarming how many accidents are caused by poorly maintained equipment and simple bad judgement. The report also makes it clear that if the authorities don't know why/how a diver died, they chalk it up to drowning.)