THE RAPID GROWTH OF FREEDIVING in the U.S. brings a positive light to a sport that is mentally healthy and physically inspiring but has little tolerance for error. Shallow-water blackout and respiratory barotrauma are the most feared consequences of freediving, but they can be minimized with training and good safety practices.
LAUT ADRIATIK TIMUR sebening kristal memang menjanjikan dan menggoda. Pulau-pulau kecil dengan pantai berbatu, tebing-tebing tegak, dan danau-danau tersembunyi, menawarkan berbagai lingkungan dan ekosistem yang termasuk yang paling utuh dan murni di Mediterania. Bagian selatan Laut Adriatik di Kroasia memiliki dataran tinggi berbatu yang curam dengan banyak jembatan, retakan, dan gua. Laut telah membuka celah-celah di bebatuan berpori, mengukir dan membentuk katedral yang seluruhnya terbuat dari batu kapur.
FISHING AND BEING ON THE WATER with family while growing up influenced Michael Lombardi to study marine biology. He and a friend got certified to dive during his junior year of high school, thinking it would be a useful tool for his desired field. Lombardi had no idea what professional diving meant or where it would take him.
Everything changed for Una-Una on July 14, 1983, when a volcanic eruption destroyed the central hub of Indonesia’s Togean Islands in central Sulawesi. Lava covered 90 percent of the island, and thick, black smoke rose into the sky more than 9 miles high. The Indonesian Navy had evacuated all 7,100 inhabitants when the volcano gave signs of its impending eruption, preventing any loss of life.
FOUR SCUBA DIVERS BECAME TRAPPED and died while working in an offshore pipeline in 2022. This incident was a harsh reminder that commercial diving is a “hazardous occupation that presents many dangers that far exceed the risks in sport diving,” as highlighted in The Simple Guide to Commercial Diving. The typical risks in recreational diving, such as decompression sickness and pressure-related injuries to the ears and lungs, are still present, but commercial divers regularly face additional hazards — such as zero visibility, contaminated water, and pressure differentials — all while simultaneously operating industrial tools.
DAN medics and researchers answer your dive medical questions.
AFTER I SPENT ALMOST 20 HOURS in a hyperbaric chamber over five days, life there had grown tedious. The last 15 minutes, however, were not only exciting but highly instructive. I learned that if you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t touch anything or do anything without first asking permission.
BEING STUNG BY A LIONFISH is like being bitten by a poisonous snake. I found that out the hard way.
