In Denial
Small, easy-to-ignore symptoms are often the first signs of decompression sickness. Read more about one diver’s incident.
Alert Diver Category: Incident Insights
Don’t Assume
Self-diagnosis can lead to delays in the medical care you need. Never assume — and be sure to contact DAN.
Don’t Be Fooled
Relief from symptoms doesn’t always mean a cure. Read one incident of when a diver presented with a rash and received treatment for decompression sickness — but became very combative.
Full Treatment
Emergency oxygen is only the first step to treating suspected cases of decompression illness. Read more about this serious diving incident.
Know the Risks
Nitrogen narcosis can lead to deadly consequences. Understanding the risk factors and ensuring that you and your dive buddies have discussed how to mitigate risk can potentially save lives. If you are stung by a jellyfish, watch for symptoms associated with Irukandji syndrome. If symptoms develop, know that it is a potentially deadly condition that doctors can help treat. Pay attention to local marine life bulletins and announcements. The best ways to mitigate jellyfish envenomation risk are to wear full exposure suits and avoid jellyfish when they are prevalent in the water.
Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You
With adverse events, there is almost always a cascade in four phases: the trigger, the disabling agent, the disabling injury and the cause of death. Individually, each event is avoidable. Recognizing one at the time of occurrence is an opportunity to react and attempt to mitigate the risk before it becomes a problem. In root cause analysis of adverse events, the most significant factors are the lack of recognition and failure to react to the event.
More Than a Sore Shoulder
I REMEMBER SITTING AT MY COMPUTER while thinking about all the ibuprofen I had been popping for the past 18 hours and wondering why I still had the dull, aching […]
A Little Detail
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 …
Trouble in Galápagos
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 […]
Catastrophic Regulator Failure
During a dive in the Solomon Islands, this diver’s regulator failed, shutting off her gas supply. Although gear failures are usually associated with improper maintenance or use, manufacturing defects are possible.