Tank Valves and Out-of-Air Emergencies

Out-of-air situations are the most common cause of fatal diving accidents. Surprisingly, these problems sometimes occur at the very beginning of dives when the diver should still have a full tank of compressed gas. How is this possible?

Female diver makes an out-of-air hand signal

Hyperbaric Chambers for Dive Injuries

Hyperbaric chambers are often the definitive treatment for decompression illness. There are also several different types of chambers, not all are suitable for treating decompression illness. Read more about hyperbaric chambers, treatments and availability.

Hyperbaric chamber with five people — three people in chairs and two people in hospital beds.

Immersion Pulmonary Edema

Immersion pulmonary edema (IPE) is observed in swimmers and divers with no apparent underlying medical condition. Pulmonary edema is an abnormal leakage of fluid from the bloodstream into the alveoli. Our experts answer your IPE questions.

Drysuit diver surfaces and gasps for air

The Validation of Dive Computer Decompression Safety

How do you determine what’s safe and what’s not? Dive computers have mostly replaced the common usage of decompression tables in rec diving. However, there is a lack of hard data on the validation of decompression safety. Read more.

Female diver looks at dive computer attached to left wrist

Oxygen as Definitive Treatment

Can oxygen first aid be considered a definitive treatment for post-dive symptoms? Our experts weigh in on this treatment option.

Man in blue T-shirt prepares a green oxygen tank for use

Scuba Diving and Life Expectancy

A lot of research has been done on life expectancy, but does recreational diving make an impact? We asked the experts some burning questions.

A group of divers dawdle on a dock at sunset. A boat is in the background.

Up to the Challenge

Cave diver Ben Reymenants discusses the challenges of rescuing young soccer players from a cave in Thailand.

Thai Navy SEALs and civil engineers prepare more pipelines to pump more than 3 billion liters (nearly 800 million gallons) of water out of the flooded cave.

Sunscreen Safety

Consumers who use sunscreen have both environmental and health questions about these products, especially as cities and states in the U.S. as well as Caribbean and Pacific destinations begin to either enact or consider sunscreen bans. The ingredients and effects of commercially available sunscreens are controversial among health experts as well as ecologists, and it’s difficult to determine the effectiveness of sunscreen. Other considerations are the link between sunburns and cancer as well as the varied uptake of sunscreen application for people of different races, sexes and levels of outdoor activity.

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Head Injuries and Diving

If you have a history of head injuries, it may impact your ability to dive. Our experts answer questions pertaining to head injuries.

A woman holds her head. Her head is injured.