A Study on SCUBA diving of local fishing community in Okinawa

Abstract

The fishing activity with self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (shortly SAC U B A) diving method and the fishermen's health condition were investigated. Data were obtained by field survey on diving fishermen on two fishing communities in Okinawa in June and July, 1979. Another data were based upon the clinical records of sickness, usually called divers' disease, patients who attended the Hospital, College of Health Sciences, University of the Ryukyus for the hyperbaric therapy from July, 1973up to August, 1979. Results are summarized as follows:(1) Divers' disease patients have increased rapidly among SCUBA diving fishermen in these few years.(2) As to the cases of the patients, the Bends-typed sickness, the comparatively slight one, occupies the highest ratio (59.6%).(3) The failure in the decompression method for the therapy, which has been almost done among the diving fishermen, makes sometimes them more serious sickness.(4) SCUBA diving fishermen force themselves considerably to be engaged in the diving activity as compared with the standard diving method not to be suffered from the divers' disease.(5) Their forcible diving activity is connected with their competition for a good catch, which seems to be leading to the exhaustion of marine resources.(6) The frequent occurrence of the diving fishermen's sickness is closely related to the cultural factor of traditional fishing method, ecological factor of marine resources, and social factor of social structure such as co-operative systems of Okinawan fishermen.