Silvia Ferrari
Known for her work in developing sophisticated algorithms and methods for managing and coordinating complex systems, Silvia Ferrari has applied her expertise to integrating scuba diving technology with robotic systems.
Alert Diver Issue : Q4 2024
The Eel Bite That Almost Took My Hand
You might know me already or at least know about me. I came to Key Largo, Florida, in 1978 to open Captain Slate’s Atlantis Dive Center. Early on I had an affinity for the marine life on our reefs, and my earliest mentor, Steve Klem, had established ongoing fish-feeding activity on the City of Washington wreck.
Lionfish Hunting
Spearing fish has been a part of human sustenance since hunters first sharpened sticks. With the advent of masks and fins, spearfishing became its own activity. Whether for sport or to put food on the table, divers and freedivers seek these opportunities around the world.
Speared by a Spearfish
About 12 years ago, a pair of commercial dive operators began offering adventurous divers a chance to go blackwater diving off the coast of Florida. Since then, blackwater dives have become an established fixture in the Palm Beach dive community, and I have been fortunate to log more than 1,000 such dives without incident.
Kentucky Blues
Mammoth Cave National Park and other cave systems are part of a limestone belt that defines Kentucky’s landscape with its gently sloping bluegrass valleys. This geography made way for Kentucky to become the thoroughbred horse capital of the world and drive an economy built around events such as the Kentucky Derby. Beneath this limestone bedrock, a water supply often ranked No. 1 for water quality in the United States fuels well-known and developing dive sites that are surprisingly blue.
The Lives of Spiny Lobsters
Her legs move quickly as she scrambles over the sand toward a large coral reef. It’s a bold and risky move, as the expanses of sand between coral patches are full of predators waiting to take advantage of a lone spiny lobster.
Stand-Up Paddleboard Exercises
Training on a paddleboard requires you to stabilize your body to maintain balance. Working your stabilizing muscles is beneficial for diving because they are helpful in dynamic ocean environments.
Malaria Risks and Prevention
Malaria is a serious infectious disease threat that primarily exists in many of the world’s subtropical and tropical regions — areas popular with divers — where the environmental conditions support a stable, infected population of Anopheles mosquitoes.
DAN Research Internship
This year DAN interns participated in two field studies — a cardiac study and a venous gas embolism study — where they had the opportunity to work directly with participants and collect and analyze data.
DAN Medic Exchange
The DAN Emergency Hotline provides 24/7 emergency medical assistance to divers worldwide without charge and regardless of DAN membership status. DAN medics and physicians working in shifts across different time zones make this continuous service possible, ensuring that a dive medical expert is always available.