420 Dive Log Australasia OCTOBER 2026

towing his hookah which was mounted on a float. It was later found submerged, with the diver’s body nearby. It is likely that the hookah sank and cut off his air supply causing the diver to drown. The other diver was highly experienced but hadn’t used his hookah for a year and it was in very poor condition. He aborted his first dive complaining to those on his boat that he wasn’t getting enough air. After banging the compressor throttle with his knife, he moved to a shallower site and redescended alone as the boat drifted with a lookout watching the hookah hose. After a few minutes, the hose appeared to tighten, and the diver was soon seen unconscious near the surface, before sinking. He appears to have suffered an arterial gas embolism, likely from an interrupted air supply. Neither diver carried a bailout bottle, and neither had ditched their weights. Relevant training for hookah use is important, and correct equipment configuration and maintenance essential. In addition, hookah divers should carry a bailout bottle and readily ditchable weights.

Click here to read about more than 50 years of SSBA fatalities in Australia. From 2000 to 2021 in Australia there were an average annual frequency of 9 scuba, 14 snorkelling and one SSBA death. As shown in Figure 1, despite peaks and troughs, there was a slight upward trend in snorkel deaths but no clear trend with scuba or SSBA. Participation declined from 2019-2021 inclusive due to COVID restrictions.

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DIVE LOG Australasia #420 Oct ‘26

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