Paralyzed in Grenada
Soon after surfacing from her first dive of the day, Deborah Newman felt a spasm in her upper back followed by a squeezing sensation in her chest, hypersensitive skin, weakness and nausea.
Alert Diver Category: DAN Was There for Me
A Shark Tale
While trying to eat a fish for lunch, a shark accidentally nipped a diver’s hand instead. The injury was bloody but thankfully, DAN provided needed assistance and guidance.
It Can Happen to Anyone
My buddy and I ascended to 20 feet for our safety stop. As soon as we surfaced I thought I saw the boat moving away from me but quickly realized I was disoriented. It felt like vertigo, but I managed to get on board the boat. I removed my gear and was talking to my buddy when I started involuntarily leaning forward until I lost my balance and collapsed face-down on the deck. I felt paralyzed and couldn’t get up.
Heart Trouble in Tahiti
While on a trip to Tahiti, a 71-year-old experienced diver and competitive rower coughed up foamy blood after making three recreational dives on nitrox. He called DAN for advice and later saw a cardiologist, who diagnosed him with exercise-induced mitral valve prolapse. This diver recommends that divers continue to educate themselves, maintain their DAN membership and insurance coverage, go slowly if they haven’t dived in a while, be prepared and practice for emergencies.
Just Another Day at the Office
A DAN member and dive instructor’s routine day was faced with setback after setback. She ended up needing a hyperbaric treatment. Read more about how DAN helped this member.
A Hole in My Heart
I HAVE BEEN A CERTIFIED DIVER since 1986 and have logged hundreds of recreational and technical dives. Since 2014 I have primarily been doing technical rebreather diving with a close group of experienced rebreather divers from Northern California. During the summer of 2019, our group visited Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Michigan […]
Touch and Go in Tonga
A ruptured appendix ruined what should have been a fantastic whale adventure. Thanks to DAN, the adventurer was able to receive life-saving evacuation and care. Read more about this DAN member’s story.
Concussed in Colombia
DAN not only provides emergency resources to divers, but sailors, too. Read one couple’s harrowing story of a concussion at sea and how DAN was able to provide assistance.
Mistakes and Bad Decisions
I WAS ON A TRIP TO TULAMBEN to dive the Liberty wreck for three days. The first day was recreational dives followed by two days of technical diving. I had a cold and sinusitis leading up to the trip, but the conditions had cleared up …
An Unusual Diagnosis
Doctors and other specialists were not listening to one DAN member. After experiencing symptoms for weeks, he finally called DAN and was lead to a diagnosis.
