Occupational Health and Safety Concerns for Hookah Divers in Small-Scale Fisheries in the Gulf of California, Mexico

This study aimed to evaluate the working and health conditions faced by hookah divers in small-scale fisheries in the Midriff Islands Region of the Gulf of California, Mexico.

The study was conducted in five fishing communities. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 113 fishers (~15% of the commercial divers in the region). Non-probabilistic snowball sampling was used to identify participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; a Chi-squared test was used to identify significant correlations.

Most respondents (98%) were men (average age of 41 years), with an average of 17.6 years of commercial diving experience. Only 27% of the divers were certified scuba divers, and 40% had received some type of dive training. Notably, 64% of divers had some chronic illness, and 75% had suffered some type of diving-related injury. Marine animal bites were the most common type of injury. The majority of respondents (97%) fished without the proper permits, and 67% did not have access to social insurance. Lastly, 50% had suffered symptoms of decompression sickness.

The conditions surrounding the employment and health of hookah divers are extremely precarious in the Midriff Islands Region, as has been identified in other parts of the world. This study highlights the need to improve working conditions, implement appropriate training programs, and establish public policies that benefit the divers and the ecosystems upon which they depend.