Alert Diver Category: Features

The chronology of my last sojourn to French Polynesia was much longer than the travel time from Seattle, Washington, to the capital Papeʻete on the island of Tahiti.

Shallow coral heads are on both sides of the M’il Channel opening as we slow down to locate our mooring ball. The incoming tide brings clean, blue water into the lagoon, creating opportunities for encounters with one of Yap’s main attractions just a few feet below the surface.

I was in Little Cayman this past May, and a lyric hit me on the first dive: “Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last.” I had been invaded by Simon and Garfunkel’s 1966 hit “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).” 

Cayman’s Sister Islands, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, offer divers a lot of explore — amazing marine life, geography sculpted by volcanic activity, mangrove-shrouded lagoons and much more.

With the COVID-19 pandemic curbing international travel, divers can still choose to dive locally. Andy and Allison Sallmon take us along on their road trip to Central California dive sites, where we can discover macro subjects in Morro Bay and bountiful marine life at the well-protected sites at Carmel and Monterey Bay.

The breathing of compressed gas while submerged and exposed to increased ambient pressure imposes significant homeostatic challenges on the body. This article discusses the important mechanisms of these challenges, with particular attention to the respiratory system.

The “twilight zone” is a narrow band of ocean that falls between 150 and 500 feet — a space well beyond a diver’s limits. Read more about this unique area of ocean.

The Bahamas is vast — with 100,000 square miles of oceanic wilderness. Four photojournalists chronicle their adventures in the Bahamas.

Sea turtles have been around for millions of years, and underwater photographer Doug Perine has captured images for every living species of sea turtle.

We’re all getting older — aging is inevitable — but our eagerness to dive is undiminished. This report by DAN’s senior director of research provides insights to help us continue diving for years to come.