Divers Alert Network

05/28/2026

The recent DAN Safety Seminars in Medellín brought together divers, instructors, medical professionals, and industry leaders from across Colombia. 🇨🇴

Hosted with support from DAN Business Members and partners, the seminars featured presentations from Dr. Jaime Aquiles Rincón, hyperbaric physician and researcher, and Francisco Ramos, DAN World Business Liaison. Attendees traveled from Medellín, Bogotá, Cali, and surrounding areas to engage in important conversations around operational safety, decompression theory, and accident prevention.

Visit the DAN World Latin America & Caribbean (LAC) YouTube channel to watch both presentations: youtube.com//videos

05/27/2026

Pop culture depicts drowning as a dramatic event filled with splashing, waving, and shouting for help. But as divers and water enthusiasts, we should know the truth: Drowning is often deceptively quiet.

Whether you are on a dive boat, at the beach or lake, or by the pool, be vigilant for signs of drowning:

• GLASSY OR CLOSED EYES | Unable to focus eyes; hair over eyes.
• VERTICAL POSTURE | Body upright in the water, head low, or head tilted back with the mouth open at water level.
• "INVISIBLE LADDER" CLIMBING | Arms extended laterally, pressing down on the water to lift the mouth up, with no supportive kicking.
• LACK OF HEADWAY | Trying to tread water, roll over, or swim but not making progress.
• HYPERVENTILATING OR GASPING
• QUIET | Physiologically unable to call out for help.*

🚨 Anyone who plans to go out on a boat or to participate in activities near a body of water should be familiar with the factors involved in drowning and with accepted rescue and resuscitation techniques. Read more at DAN.org/what-drowning-really-looks-like.

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*During the instinctive drowning response, the respiratory system prioritizes breathing over speech — usually rendering the person unable to call for help. Conversely, shouting indicates aquatic distress, a warning phase where the individual can still reach for rescue equipment, but which can quickly progress to full drowning if left unassisted.

05/26/2026

In this episode of The DANcast, Andrew Morgan, president of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) and marine operations / boating safety officer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, breaks down the task-focused world of scientific diving.

The conversation explores how AAUS establishes consensus on safety and standards to support reciprocity between universities, government agencies, and other institutions employing scientific divers.

Plus, Andrew shares an inside look at the role aquariums play in conservation, including how the Monterey Bay Aquarium uses field research to battle kelp forest decline and test the reintroduction of lab-cultured sunflower sea stars.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/dhLE96MUh3s.

What separates a scientific diver from a recreational one? Andrew Morgan, president of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), joins The DANcast ...

05/23/2026

The DAN Research team attended the 2026 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Undersea Medicine and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Deep Submergence Biomedical Development Program Review.

The event featured presentations from researchers, physicians, and military personnel. Key topics included atmospheric dive suits, dive support technologies, gas physiology, environmental protection, DCS, disabled submarine (DISSUB) response, diving technologies, oxygen toxicity, on-demand oxygen (GILS), and human performance.

The program review highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of the undersea medicine and performance sector, and featured several researchers whose work is partially funded by or conducted in collaboration with DAN.

Learn more: https://dan.org/safety-prevention/diver-safety/divers-blog/onr-undersea-medicine-navsea-program-review/

DAN recently attended the annual ONR Undersea Medicine and NAVSEA Deep Submergence Biomedical Development Program Review.

05/21/2026

Regular servicing of dive gear is an investment in its longevity and your own safety.

A recent DAN Annual Diving Report found that 11% of dive accidents result from equipment mishaps. Proper maintenance reduces the risk of these preventable incidents.

Read more about proper gear maintenance at https://dan.org/safety-prevention/diver-safety/divers-blog/gear-maintenance-protect-your-investment-and-prevent-dive-accidents/.

05/19/2026

Human ears lack natural defenses to handle the rapid pressure changes divers encounter, leaving them vulnerable to injury. In fact, ear-related issues remain a top reason for calls to DAN Medical Services.

This guide covers anatomy, equalization techniques, and injury symptoms to help divers protect their ears: https://dan.org/health-medicine/health-resource/dive-medical-reference-books/ears-diving/.

05/15/2026

Every diver should have access to quality hyperbaric care. Ensuring that access is a vital part of DAN’s mission. That’s why DAN invests in programs and partnerships that support the availability of suitable chamber facilities and the readiness of the teams who operate them.

05/15/2026

Recompression is the standard of care for many diving illnesses, and every diver deserves access to timely, quality hyperbaric care. That’s why DAN invests in programs and partnerships that support the availability of suitable chamber facilities and the readiness of the teams who operate them.

Watch the full video on DAN's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/tG4XdhmQzwA.

Recompression is the standard of care for many diving illnesses, and every diver deserves access to timely, quality hyperbaric care. That’s why DAN invests i...

05/12/2026

DAN has launched Continuing Education for Dive Professionals – Course 3: Barotrauma Legal Drama.

This free course, now available to dive businesses and professionals via DAN E-Learning, follows a fictional ear barotrauma incident from open water training through a legal deposition. Featuring a cinematic storyline and commentary from DAN’s safety and legal experts, Barotrauma Legal Drama aims to help dive pros promote safe practices and make decisions that protect both their divers and their careers.

For more information, visit dan.org/continuing-education-for-dive-professionals.

To encourage participation, DAN is offering discounted premiums on individual professional liability and group professional liability insurance to DAN members who complete the e-learning. (See the webpage for full details and disclaimers.)

05/10/2026

Applications are now open for the 2051 Sea Odyssey University Challenge! This Office of Naval Research STEM-supported initiative, developed in collaboration with DAN, UNC-Chapel Hill, DEEP, and the University of Utah, invites undergraduate and graduate student teams to contribute to the future of human undersea exploration by tackling a practical problem faced by professional divers.

For more information, visit dan.org/research-reports/university-challenge.

The challenge theme is “Underwater Tools and Logistics Planning.” Students will design and/or prototype solutions that enhance the safety and capability of divers working in naval, commercial, scientific, or public safety environments. The first registration deadline is June 15.

05/08/2026

A routine boat dive quickly deteriorated when a diver panicked and made an uncontrolled ascent, then became unresponsive at the surface.

A DAN Instructor’s training, the team’s adherence to an Emergency Action Plan (EAP), and the availability of emergency oxygen made the difference between a tragedy and a life saved.

When the unexpected happens, readiness is everything.

Read the full “Skills in Action” story in the Q1 2026 Alert Diver: dan.org/dan-instructor-saves-a-life

✍️ by Barry Shively
📸 by Stephen Frink