Alert Diver Category: Incident Insights

I TAKE A GIANT STRIDE off the back of the boat and splash into a cascade of tingling, magical bubbles. The sea’s embrace is chilly; I can feel the 74˚F water through my 5 mm wetsuit and thick 4 mm hood. My vision clears as the …

Learn why I rely on the mouthpiece retaining strap for diving and its importance in enhancing safety during rebreather use.

Although uncommon, unprovoked sea lion bites can occur, and divers should be aware of the potential hazard. Learn more about how one diver received a bite and how the wound was treated.

Skin bends can prevent unfamiliar symptoms and may go unnoticed or underreported. If you’re experiencing skin bends or unknown symptoms, call a doctor. Read an incident of skin bends.

DAN EMERGENCY SERVICES RECEIVED A CALL via satellite phone from a liveaboard anchored off a remote island in the Galápagos. A DAN member was concerned about their bunkmate exhibiting symptoms […]

Read one diver’s story about how a routine dive resulted in vomiting and other uncomfortable symptoms.

A mother opens up about losing her daughter in a dive accident. The incident was a result of her daughter and the dive buddy being inexperienced for the dive. Read more of this painful story.

A COMMERCIAL DIVER FRIEND TOLD ME YEARS AGO that people like me — recreational divers who do commercial diving work — are often referred to as yahoos.
I was always comfortable underwater and, at 78 years old, still am.

A young diver performed a shallow dive and later ascended very rapidly. Symptoms were severe but were not decompression sickness. Learn more about the incident.

Proper care of injured divers means ruling out all possibilities. Read the story of a dive incident and differing diagnoses.