By Steve Lewis (Originally published in Fall 2022 issue). Participate in DIVER’s survey here. When it comes to the nuts and bolts of making it through to the safe and comfortable side of an emergency, scuba diving is way different to most other outdoor adventures. It’s not like back-country …

Freediver, Marine Educator, Imperfect Conservationist How long have you been diving? 34 years now for freediving…and I for scuba almost exactly 26 years!  What made you want to become a diver? I moved from Minnesota to the Florida Keys when I was 11 years old. The ocean was a …

Words and Photography by Drew McArthur Over the last ten years or so, diving sidemount has become all the rage. After decades of lurking in the depths of cave systems around the globe, it’s almost like one day it crept out of its hole and became seduced by fame …

By Ana Dragu Because there are not many testimonials of people with autism attempting scuba diving, I want to share a personal story, the journey my autistic son made under the care of a very helpful and professional instructor. A journey to not just enabling him to dive, but …

August 11, 2022 – Peter Bennett, PhD, DSc, passed away on Tuesday in the company of his wife, Margaret, and son, Chris. Bennett was a passionate researcher and entrepreneur who founded Divers Alert Network in 1980 and led the organization for 23 years.  Born in Portsmouth, England, on June …

By Heather Creech Scientists and educators have been working side-by-side to develop the concept of ocean literacy—an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean—to address head-on the lack of ocean-related content in education, instructional materials, and assessment. It takes only a little searching …

By Divers Alert Network Dive sites are never constant. From currents to water temperature to depth, environmental variables can offer unique challenges and adventures. But before you embark on a new dive experience, make sure you have the skills you need and are well prepared for the conditions.  Currents …

The DAN Emergency Hotline has been a lifeline for divers around the world since it was launched in 1981. For 41 years, all divers have had access to expert medical assistance 24 hours a day, every day, at +1-919-684-9111. Earlier this year DAN launched a dedicated Spanish-language emergency hotline. …

Today the world’s largest island is being rediscovered – not by vikings, but by divers who travel to the Arctic in search of encounters with modern giants: whales, glaciers, and icebergs Words and Photography by Tobias Friedrich Greenland is unique. The landscape is stunning—so too, the freezing cold and silence. …

By Divers Alert Network While bubble-related injuries get a lot of attention, they represent only a fraction of the trouble divers can face. Similarly, important safety concerns include slips and falls as well as injuries resulting from poor technique or insufficiently maintained equipment. The impact of any given safety …

Words by Cristina Zenato As a firm believer that “one size does not fit all”, I’ll start my first column in DIVER by highlighting some of the considerations a diver should take before embarking on a shark diving trip. I’ll start with picking the operator.  As divers, we are …

Words by Steve Lewis I can’t recall what the original meeting was about. Probably something to do with training schedules or core standards or perhaps what flavour wings we’d order later that evening at ‘beer night’, but I do recall the head of the agency running up the stairs, swinging …

Words By Heather Creech As with just about every other aspect of our lives, COVID-19 has had an impact on marine public education and citizen science projects.   At the time of writing, large institutions like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Ocean Wise (the Vancouver Aquarium) remain closed, while …

By Divers Alert Network Jellyfish are often associated with tropical climates—their gelatinous bodies are commonly seen drifting through warm waters—and they’re known for stinging unsuspecting divers, swimmers, and beachcombers. Cold water divers might be forgiven, then, for thinking that jellyfish stings are a problem they don’t really have to …

Words by Steve Lewis What a strange year 1994 was; not as famous as 1984 perhaps, and certainly not even close to the strangeness of 2020, but memorable in its own sweet way.  The movie Forrest Gump was released in 1994 and—at the other end of the interest spectrum—it was …

When a hyperbaric emergency happens, divers want to know that a chamber is always available nearby. Problem is, it isn’t. Words by Dan Orr In the Winter 2012 edition of Alert Diver Online, Divers Alert Network (DAN) published an article authored by Dick Clarke of National Baromedical Services entitled, …

The Exploration Diving Society of British Columbia has officially launched. The EDSBC is a diverse group of experienced and multi-disciplined underwater explorers discovering new diving opportunities for freedivers, non-technical divers, and technical divers. Like most great ideas, this one started at a coffee shop with a group of people discussing …

Have you heard about the recent sightings of great white sharks in Nova Scotia, Canada? These incredible animals are becoming more frequent in the area, but fear not – there is no need to panic, this ain’t Amity Island! Dr Chris Harvey Clark shares science-based tips on how you …

Joe Grabowski is bringing adventure, science, and global exploration into classrooms around North America Interview by Jill Heinerth Just over five years ago, I visited a small classroom in Guelph, Ontario, to visit with the kids and their teacher Joe Grabowski. He spoke to me about his dream to …

For more than 40 years, DAN has been here to help divers, dive professionals, and health care providers stay safer and better prepared. With its vision of making every dive accident- and injury-free, DAN Medical Services offers an array of essential services trusted by millions of divers worldwide. DAN’s …

By Steve Lewis I was blind to the possibilities…and all the time it was staring me in the face. Every few circuits around the sun, some well-meaning public-relations maven sends out a press-release notifying the dive industry of yet another innovative technology or wonderfully-conceived piece of dive kit that will …

Divers Alert Network has published the latest edition of its Travelers Medical Guide. Created to help divers, boaters, and adventure travelers recognize and manage various travel-related illnesses and injuries, this digital guide explains common symptoms, illnesses, and treatments in an easy-to-understand manner. “DAN members are active explorers, and they …

By Heather Creech In citizen science, there comes a moment when recording observations simply isn’t enough to protect the ocean we love—when it becomes necessary to dive headfirst into the politics and economics of marine conservation. That time has come in South Australia. Divers, scientists, and many others (including …

Even if you won’t be at DEMA next week, you’ll still be able to watch many of DAN’s DEMA seminars. The safety organization will be streaming live from Las Vegas on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, November 16, 17, and 18. Tune in for talks about advances in postdive bubble …

Are you located in British Columbia? Are looking for a new career? The Simon Fraser University Environmental Medicine and Physiology Unit are looking for someone with a keen interest in diving physiology, aerospace physiology, and equipment testing. They will offer training for the right candidate, including training as a …

By Heather Creech Earlier this year, the staff at the Cairns Aquarium in Queensland noticed something unusual: some of the fish stopped eating and began hiding in the dark corners of their tanks. Turns out the fish—inquisitive creatures that they are—were missing their human visitors during the pandemic lockdown. …

By Margo Peyton Continuing diver education builds confidence, instills good habits and creates better, more responsible divers.  Taking a course as a family can be a fun way to spend time together, bond, and improve skills in the process! Here are a few suggestions for courses that are fun to …

By Kirk Krack Who would have known that 2020-21 would look the way it does now? I am sure we all made some sort of diving plan for this year only to have us studying every crack and crevice of our homes and yards as we suffer diving withdrawal. …

Demystifying Dive Computers Words and Photography by Jill Heinerth In my previous article I looked into incident reports that fell outside of the data gathered by organizations such as DAN. In this article, I’m going to dive into the physiology of decompression, gradient factors, and conservatism strategies. When you …

By Heather Creech Citizen science is not just for nature explorers. Two years ago, a group of history buffs and shipwreck divers announced that they might have found the oldest known wreck in Lake Erie: the 47-ft (14m) schooner Lake Serpent, which disappeared in 1829. They are “citizen archaeologists”—divers passionate …

By Divers Alert Network Whether you’re a dive professional or a newly certified diver, diver rescues are something you should be familiar with. Rendering aid to a panicking diver is admirable but can put you at risk. Knowing when and how to help is critical—it’s better to avoid helping …

By Margo Peyton Researching your next liveaboard dive trip? Be prepared to ask some tough questions. The tragic accidents that shook the liveaboard industry in 2019 served to remind us that there is no single set of standards that must be followed by all liveaboards around the world. Make no assumptions …

By Steve Lewis There are few simple questions more difficult to answer than “How much is a rebreather?” More so if the person asking advice is a rebreather newbie about to buy their first unit. On the face of it, all that’s required is a straight dollar amount. Let’s …

By Kirk Krack I’m often asked by students around the world if I freedive in British Columbia where I live, as most of my work and teaching is done globally and usually in more tropical destinations. This question is really about the temperature of the water and the tidal …

By Jill Heinerth The cream of the crop of the diving industry are respected for their work in exploration, science, education, and engineering. They have been bent, and so have I. Each year, members of Divers Alert Network (DAN) receive a link to review the Annual Diving Report that chronicles …

By Heather Creech Sport divers are working with marine science organizations in nearly every region of the world to document the state of our ocean ecosystems. But getting those observations is challenging. In addition to identifying local marine life, volunteer divers need to be able to manage currents and …