Put Peace of Mind on Your Packing List

When we pack for a trip, our minds are usually filled with checklists that include passports, boarding passes, medications, and an extra phone charger. We rarely consider if we are […]

Someone writing Last Will and Testament.

Seeking an Octopus in the Wild

Octopuses hole up in small dens, are quite excellent at camouflage and are most active at night, so not all divers have seen one on a dive. But biologist Matthew Birk, who studies octopuses, felt that never having seen one in the wild was a blemish on his career and sought to remedy the situation on a trip to Santa Catalina Island off Southern California.

When History Seemingly Repeats Itself

IN 1983-84, REEFS THROUGHOUT THE CARIBBEAN, FLORIDA, AND BERMUDA experienced one of the greatest mass mortalities of a marine species ever recorded when an unknown waterborne pathogen killed more than 98 percent of the Diadema sea urchin population.1 In February of this year, divers in St. Thomas noticed many of the Diadema were suddenly no […]

Diadema urchin

Identifying the Lost Liberator

The small Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) field at Gander, Newfoundland, gained notoriety as the airport to which dozens of international flights were diverted after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Diver Luc Michel ties a heavy line onto the landing gear

Guidelines for Lifelong Medical Fitness to Dive

DIVERS ALERT NETWORK has published a reference document to promote medical fitness to dive throughout divers’ lives. Intended to be used by divers, dive professionals, and doctors, the document establishes a schedule for medical questionnaires and physical evaluations based on age and other relevant factors. The information is presented in both table and flowchart format for quick reference and ease of use.

divers preparing to dive

Curated Corals

This past summer the Florida Keys experienced the effects of a marine heatwave event that lasted longer and was more intense than anything in recent recorded history. By early June 2023 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch (CRW) issued bleaching warnings for some areas in the Florida Keys and other locations in the Caribbean.

coral bleaching

Linden Wolbert

Any child predisposed to a love of nature will likely find their way to natural environments, which happened early and fortuitously for Linden Wolbert. When she turned 1 year old, her family moved to an old farm in Pennsylvania, not far from where George Washington crossed the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.

mermaid

Honoring First Aid DAN Providers

DAN’s first aid courses are designed to provide divers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond in emergencies.

Someone administering first aid to an injured diver.

A Voice for the Ocean

Annie Crawley and her dive team of kids and teens are among the divers who frequent the Edmonds Underwater Park marine protected area just north of Seattle, Washington, in the Puget Sound area of the Salish Sea. With drysuits on and cameras in hand, the young ocean explorers document the underwater world with Crawley as their mentor and guide. Their mission: be a voice for the ocean.

Divers and volunteers help clean the ocean

Diving the Clotilda

IN 1807 THE U.S. PASSED A LAW prohibiting the importation of human beings with the intent to enslave them. Acting on a bet 53 years later, a wealthy Alabama businessman named Timothy Meaher tried to import captives from Whydah, Dahomey (present-day Benin). He hired Captain William Foster to pull off the illicit deed. On July […]