ABSTRACT
Sudden death has been observed and described since antiquity. In modern times there is little doubt that the immediate cause of many scuba fatalities is either a myocardial infarction or a cardiac dysrhythmia. This is increasing in frequency, possibly due to the increasing age of the diving population. On land, ventricular fibrillation is the commonest cause, followed by bradyarrthymias and torsade de pointes. In the water, the ratio is uncertain.
