The Business of Protecting Paradise 

Our oceans are under siege. Destructive industrial-scale fishing is causing widespread species decline. Ocean warming due to human-induced climate change is triggering episodes of mass coral bleaching with increased vigor and frequency.

Aerial view of the Wakatobi Resort and house reef.

Connecting Voices of Safe Diving

The DANcast, DAN’s official podcast, has significantly grown its reach as a resource for recreational divers.

The DANCast podcast studio.

Underwater Photography with Models: The Magnificent Seven

Working with models underwater has been a fundamental cornerstone of my career for more than four decades. I love shooting images of marine life, but for magazine editorial assignments, advertising photographs, and stock photography with model-released people, collaboration with a skilled underwater model has been paramount. 

Underwater model poses in front of the camera next to coral.

Craig Nelson, MD

As someone who loves, teaches, and works in the world of scuba diving while also focusing on community service and improving safety, I am often surrounded by amazing people, such as Craig Nelson, MD.

Craig Nelson

A Simple Twist of Fate

We are the product of our cultures and our life’s experiences, but a simple twist of fate can alter our life’s trajectory. That’s what happened for Jade Hoksbergen. It’s hard to imagine, given her underwater photography, that she was afraid of the water as a child.

A pair of juvenile longfin batfish.

Beauty and Brawn

At 18 feet (5.5 meters) above sea level, Solares Hill is the highest point of land in Key West, Florida.

Jim Hench (right) installs a sensor at Eastern Dry Rocks with Mission: Iconic Reefs specialist James Emm.

Discovery of the Dunraven

Wreck diving became the rage of dive tourism in the wake of the 1977 blockbuster movie The Deep.

Soft corals grow on the upturned stern of the Dunraven wreck.

Adrift

Have you ever asked yourself, “What is my biggest fear in diving?” My fear has always been getting lost at sea. I am a technical diving instructor with almost 4,000 dives, and I’ve done plenty of boating, drift diving, and dealing with current.

After being lost for six hours, the author speaks to his wife as the Coast Guard arrives.

Farewell

After 26 years at DAN, I am moving on to the next chapter of my career. I’ve served as president and CEO of DAN for 16 years, but my involvement with the organization started even earlier.

Bill Ziefle headshot.