Severe DCS in the South Pacific

Severe neck and shoulder pain plagued one diver after a day of scuba diving in the South Pacific. The pain worsened and other symptoms developed, but local treatments were not an option. Thanks to DAN, treatments were coordinated.

A diver fights strong currents by holding a line

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.

two men smile in front of a hyperbaric chamber

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 […]

Not in Denial

HAVING DONE THOUSANDS OF DIVES since I started in 1964, primarily off the coast of North Carolina, the shipwrecks and dive profiles there are familiar. Overall conditions couldn’t have been […]

The Trip of a Lifetime

IN 2018 AND 2019, MY HUSBAND AND I traveled to 50 locations in 35 countries over 14 continuous months, spending more than 250 hours underwater to research a dive travel guidebook for National Geographic.


In 2018 and 2019, my husband and I traveled to 50 locations in 35 countries over 14 continuous months, spending more than 250 hours underwater to research a dive travel guidebook for National Geographic, A Diver’s Guide to the World: Remarkable Dive Travel Destinations Above and Beneath the Surface.

Broken Leg in Bonaire

While walking from the truck to a dive site entrance on Bonaire, my wife, Deborah, caught her foot under a root and hyperextended her leg when freeing herself. Falling to the ground, she exclaimed that she had broken her knee.

broken leg required two plates and nine screws

Wrecked in Namibia

A DAN member was in a horrible car accident in the Namibia savanna. He was left badly injured and had to wait hours for emergency services. Read more about how DAN was there for this member.

Man lies in hospital bed. He's shirtless and hooked up to electrode pads.

An Unconscious Ascent

WHILE DESCENDING ON OUR SECOND DIVE, I was at around 60 feet when I unexpectedly started ascending rapidly to the surface.

I Didn’t See That Coming

MY HUSBAND, BARRY, AND I got our dive certifications in Cozumel, Mexico, in 1994, and since then it has been one of our favorite destinations. We spent three weeks diving […]

Painful Swelling on a Pacific Island

After acquiring a severe infection on a remote Pacific island, one diver had to be medically evacuated to Queensland, Australia.

In a stock image, a female snorkeler is surrounded by blue waters