A Near-Fatal Field Trip
Two DAN members share their stories of separate field trips going array and how their safety training skills were incredibly helpful.
Alert Diver Category: Skills in Action
Clarify Hand Signals Before Diving
Divers spend much of their time underwater with a select group of buddies — the ones we trust to get us through the dive and surface with fresh experiences and stories to tell. Newly certified divers have had limited interactions underwater, having dived only with classmates, instructors, and assistant instructors during their classes.
Teamwork and Training
About to start a dive, a group of divers were asked to help a potential drowning victim. Training kicked in and they provided relief. Read more about this heroic story.
Dive Decisions
Dive training and skills can prevent emergencies. Read the story of how one diver repeatedly met situations where their dive training was crucial.
When the Unexpected Happens
The onset of pain in my left ear was sudden and excruciating. I knew something was wrong, so I gripped the anchor line and stopped ascending. My buddy saw me stop, and I communicated via hand signals that something was not right with my ear and that I needed to pause our ascent.
A Unique Solution
In an effort to improve the facility’s diver rescue capabilities, Dutch Springs recently upgraded its rescue vessel to a custom-built pontoon boat with a platform for transporting an injured diver.
Where’s Dave?
When a diver popped up before his buddy, he started immediately coordinating with the divemaster and boat operator to coordinate a search. Thankfully, the buddy was found unharmed.
Chumming the Waters
Getting to the wreck of the Caribsea off the coast of North Carolina can take up to an hour and a half. While traveling to the dive site, I regrettably ate a prepackaged lunch with an indecipherable expiration date I had purchased the night before.
CPR Training Pays Off
First aid training may come in handy at any moment and could save a life. A DAN member’s CPR training helped him save the life of a young drowning victim.
Be Informed and Stay Calm
Even when in distress, it’s important to keep your regulator in place. Securing it can be the difference between a bad situation and a potentially life-threatening one.
