[Stephan Whelan]

The paramount rule is "Don't Dive Alone - Always With A Buddy".

All clubs, courses, instructors, buddies, manuals and guides I know of tell you this and it cannot be stressed enough.

If you are with a buddy and you have a good system of communication the chances of anything bad happening to you are no higher than other sports (we've been risked assessed for our corporate insurance for the courses we run so can talk with some authority on this).

The reason freedive spearos tend to have more deaths is the fact that they tend to dive alone more and are usually more focussed on the catch than the "freedive". Hence there is sometimes a bigger desire to stay down "just that little bit longer to get the catch".