The recreational season in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel has put many of scallop divers’ lives in danger. A number of cases have been reported where divers have been surviving for life or have met with serious injuries.

A few days ago, one diver almost drowned, another suffered decompression sickness, the bends, while some suffered barotraumas an injury to the sinus and ears. Yesterday, three divers were hurried to hospital after accidents while diving for scallops.

Dr. David Smart, a doctor at Royal Hobart Hospital's hyperbaric unit who treated two injured divers warned the divers to take precautionary steps. He told that in 1990s three divers met with fatalities and others risked death, lung rupture and permanent disability, including brain injury. He further suggested that the untrained divers should not be allowed to go for scallops.

The temperature under water is only 10C, which is very cold, dark and churned up, moreover there is no possibility of getting the scallops this year. Divers have to go down 13 meters or so instead of five, six or eight meters.

“Some divers probably only dive occasionally for seasons such as the scallop season. It’s a combination of not knowing their equipment and also the fairly difficult conditions that apply in Tasmanian waters in July”, he said.