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 […]

Wildfires and Breathing-Gas Contamination

WITH WILDFIRES RAGING IN CANADA, ITALY, GREECE, THE U.S., and elsewhere, divers and dive operators have called DAN Medical Services and DAN Safety Services with concerns about whether the smoke from wildfires may contaminate breathing gas.

wild fires outside the city limits

What To Look for on a Dive Boat

When you are in an emergency while diving from a boat, you and the crew can’t waste precious moments looking for safety equipment. Whether on a day boat or liveaboard, some safety items should be readily available.

The Philippines: A Beacon of Hope for the High Seas

The high seas have long represented a frontier of wild adventure — a place where people took significant risks and untold fortunes were waiting to be snatched from the jaws of a capricious ocean.

clownfish with anemone