Open Water, Open Mouths: Scuba divers face infection risks

Circling sharks and empty air tanks may haunt scuba divers’ imaginations, but ordinary microbes are a far more probable hazard. A new study takes a stab at quantifying the risks that waterborne bacteria and viruses pose to divers.

While scientists regularly measure bacterial concentrations in waters used by beachgoers, they don’t test all the sites visited by divers, surfers, and kayakers.