RISKS IN DIVING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 762, 10 March 1910, Page 4

RISKS IN DIVING.

WHAT'A BATHS;CUSTODIAN SAYS; ■ The accident, fortunately .a -minor one',which occurred.at the To; Ai'b-Municipal Baths' on Monday morning should serve as a warning, to'all;.those who.find pleasure in sea' bathing. In this case a Mr. Allen, who had not gone, in'regularly for diving, essayed a dive l'roin • a • board over lti feet above the level .'of the water, at a spot whero.it was about 8 feet deep, and struck his head and twisted his arm on the-bottom;' Most people would.say that', a man .who would touch.bottom in 8 feet of water boouM never attempt to dive from such; a height, and that may bequite true, but is beside the point desired to be raised in connection with high.diving at the-baths or anywhere else.. Mr. Wilton, custodian of' the' baths, '. a man who has; been' associated with baths for over a quarter of a century, states that as a rule the accidents occur to those who are not regular /frequenter's of the baths, and have not kept lip any diving practice. "Take the case of Mr. Allen," said Mr. Wilton.. ""Ho. used,to be-quite good in the water, T am told, but has. not taken-swimming and diving on for some years. Yet without considering his want of practice..and form, and that a man becomes stiffer and more set as he gets older, he goes off the high-diving board for a start, thinking no doubt that he could do all he used to.be able to do when younger and in form. My advice to thoso about to take on swimming and diving.after a few years' spell is not to take on too much for a start. ... "There is another point I would like to' warn the public, about while I am at it, and that is being led astray by the diving of one who is perhaps an expert. A young man might dive from a height of'lo feet into 3 feet of water, and not touch bottom; and often a learner* or at least one who is not. nearly so good a diver, will say to hiinsolf that 'if he can do that I can.' Ho tries, and finds- his hands ploughing into-the sand, and sometime's gets a bump. Only the other day a six-footer was in the baths, and took a high dive in. a fow feet of water. Ho came up a little dazed,. rubbing the top of his head. I asked him what ho did it for, and he said that he hadn't thought about the depth when.ho jumped and dived. There is plenty of.deep-water in the baths for those .who want to- high-, dive—those who attempt it in shallow water aro running;"a needless' risk of an accident,.which might easily.moan death or a permanent injury to the spinal column. -The skilful diver can show how clevor he is in deep water just as easily as in shallow, without running any risk."