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Category: Education

Phil Nuytten 1941-2023: DIVER

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 8th October 2023

Industry luminaries remember diving legend Phil Nuytten, OC, OBC, DSc (hon), LLD (hon): magazine publisher, engineer, innovator, artist, businessman, eccentric, raconteur, magician, writer, husband, father… and—first and foremost—diver. By Jean-Michel Cousteau, Friend As a world-renowned dive pioneer and undersea explorer, Phil Nuytten was an inventor, entrepreneur, artist, President and founder …

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Think that any old sunscreen will do when diving?

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 7th September 2023

If you’re the kind of diver that grabs whatever sunscreen they have in the store without further thought, think again.   There are several reasons why you should be careful about your choice of sunscreen on your next dive vacation. Let’s start with the obvious: You’ll want to consider …

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UTD Scuba Diving Achieves EUF Certification

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 26th April 2023

UTD Scuba Diving, a leading provider of scuba coaching and education, announced today that it has achieved certification by the European Underwater Federation (EUF). UTD is now certified to be in compliance with ISO 24801 for its diver training and certification programs and ISO 24802 for its instructor and …

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Lionfish Stings

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 13th February 2023

By Divers Alert Network With their fanlike fins and melancholy stares, lionfish are now a fixture at many popular dive sites in the Caribbean and Atlantic. Though native to the Indo-Pacific, their populations exploded throughout the Atlantic due to a lack of predators. In addition to wreaking havoc on …

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Who is the Liveaboard Diver?

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 8th February 2023

By Wayne B. Brown The liveaboard scuba diver. Are they different from lake divers, shore divers, day boat divers? While we all share a passion for this great sport, how we get wet is a road that can be mapped, with detours of course! The majority of liveaboard scuba …

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Questions Cave and Tech Divers Get Asked

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 6th February 2023

Editor’s note: Among other Zen practices, Steve is an ardent disciple of the metric system. For those of you who aren’t, try an online surface gas consumption calculator such as www.divebuddy.com/calculator/sac.aspx Q: Sandra, Open Water Diver In your book Six Skills, what made you mention the importance of breathing? How is that a special …

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Trident trains veteran divers

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 10th November 2022

Many of our fellow dive buddies around the world are or were part of their country’s military. So, today, in honor of Veteran’s Day (U.S.) and Remembrance Day (Canada), DIVER would like to graciously thank all the military men and women around the world for their honor, commitment, and …

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Staying Calm Can Be Tricky

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 17th September 2022

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 …

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DIVER interview: Mehgan Heaney-Grier

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 13th September 2022

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 …

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Openwater: Sidemount vs Backmount

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 25th August 2022

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 …

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Diving With Autism – A Story From the Red Sea

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 22nd August 2022

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 …

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DAN Founder Peter Bennett Has Passed Away

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 16th August 2022

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 …

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Next Gen Citizen Scientists

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 4th August 2022

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 …

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Shake Up Your Environment

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 21st July 2022

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 …

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DAN launches Spanish and Portuguese hotlines

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 15th July 2022

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. …

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Freediving in Epic Greenland

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 20th June 2022

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. …

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Fostering Safety Culture

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 8th June 2022

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 …

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Choosing a shark diving operator

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 25th May 2022

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 …

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Can you benefit from a drysuit cert card…?

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 20th May 2022

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 …

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Going Local with Citizen Science

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 11th May 2022

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 …

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Divers and jelly stings

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 9th May 2022

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 …

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Is Scuba First Aid Really Good Enough?

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 6th May 2022

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 …

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A Crisis in Emergency Chamber Availability

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 25th April 2022

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, …

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EDSBC – exciting new exploration project launched in Canada

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 22nd April 2022

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 …

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Great white sharks in Nova Scotia – everything you need to know

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 21st April 2022

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 …

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Inspiring By The Seat Of Joe Grabowski’s Pants

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 15th April 2022

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 …

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DAN medical services launch new video

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 13th April 2022

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 …

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Should Instructors Wear Full Face Masks?

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 8th April 2022

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 …

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Download the free DAN travellers guide

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 6th April 2022

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 …

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When citizen scientists get angry

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 6th April 2022

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 …

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DAN Announces Livestreaming, In-Booth Safety Consultations at DEMA Show 2021

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 9th November 2021

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 …

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Turn your interest in diving safety and physiology into a career…

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 1st November 2021

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 …

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Your local marine life centre needs you!

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 29th October 2021

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. …

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Continuing Education with Your Kids

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 27th October 2021

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 …

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Take Your Vitamin Freediving Daily

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 22nd October 2021

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. …

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Decompression Illness and Denial – Part 2

  • DIVER Editorial
  • 29th September 2021

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 …

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