Niki Roderick has noticed a troubling trend when teaching safety protocols to young people interested in spearfishing through her nonprofit FreediveSafe! Hawaiʻi: People don’t know enough about the risk of losing consciousness underwater.
Recently, she had a class of 30 young divers and spearfishermen. Only two raised their hands when she asked if they understood one of the sport’s biggest killers.
Shallow water blackout is one of the leading causes of fatal drownings for Hawaiʻi residents, with more than 50 free divers dying in the last decade. Even the most experienced divers have had close calls more than once…