The indigenous fisherman divers of Thailand: diving practices

Diving practices of a group of indigenous people living on Thailand's west coast were investigated. Village chiefs were first interviewed using a questionnaire. Three hundred and forty-two active divers were then interviewed by health care workers using a second questionnaire. Field observation was used to further develop information and confirm diving practices. Divers in 6 villages, whose basic means of making a living is from diving for marine products such as fish and shellfish, have diving patterns that put them at substantial risk of decompression illness. Breathing air from a primitive compressor through approximately 100 m of air hose, these divers have long bottom times coupled with short surface intervals. Forty-six point two percent of the divers indicated that they would not make a stop during ascent from a long deep dive (40 m for 30 min). When comparing their previous day of diving to the U.S. Navy Standard Air Decompression Table (U.S. Navy, 1993), 72.1% exceeded the no-decompression limits set by the tables. Diving patterns point to a need for more in-depth research into the diving patterns of this indigenous group. Future research should include the use of dive logging devices to record depths and times. There is also a need to provide divers with information and training to reinforce positive practices and strengthen knowledge of the risks associated with their current diving practices.