This was a sad incident but I believe that the CDNN reporting was unfortunate if not downright incorrect in its headline.
This type of diving incident is not as rare as we would like to believe. However, the inquest recorded a verdict of death by natural causes. The British Sub Aqua Club had done all in it's power to ensure that the gentleman was 'fit to dive'. Indeed, the BSAC did until 2007 insist on annual medicals which unfortunately partly impacted on their recruitment of new people into the sport. Lots of people decided that the cost of the medical (which some argued was not really 'geared' to ensuring their fitness to dive) added to the costs for training, materials and finally scuba equipment was just too prohibitive for them to take up the sport. BSAC decided that the same sort of 'self assessment' questionnaire was a sensible way to go. Other diving agencies have been using these questionnaires for years.
It was a little dismaying to read that the Chairman of the guy's club actually said that these self-certified medicals were based on how you feel at the time. This is, of course, not the case. The questionnaire is based around ascertaining whether there is a predisposition to any long term conditions that could preclude that person from diving.
I think that this unfortunate incident has brought one question to light. Should Michael Morvan have had a full medical would that not have put his livelihood as a taxi driver at risk? If he was suffering from chronic heart disease why hadn't the company that he worked for not ensured that yearly medical checks were not carried out? | 
BSAC failure to require medical may have killed novice diver 
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