Few people were diving in the freezing ocean around St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, in the winter of 1986. I still had my Poseidon Unisuit, which I had used for several years of commercial diving in British Columbia in the late 1970s. I had not been in the water for several years but wanted to get started again.
When I was young I read about Antarctic expeditions and was mesmerized by the alien worlds found under the ice. As incredible as it looked, I never imagined seeing it for myself. I enjoy all types of diving and underwater environments, and ice diving was another unique and challenging realm to explore — one that required furthering my dive education and skills.
Seventy miles west of Key West, Florida, lies one of the most remote and beautiful national parks in the United States: Dry Tortugas National Park. Sitting isolated in the Gulf of Mexico, these islands mark the westernmost edge of the Florida Keys archipelago.
Our group of six researchers back rolled off the vessel near Jupiter, Florida, and began our descent to the sandy bottom nearly 80 feet (24 meters) below. As the wreck became visible, our team streamlined into formation to begin our task: searching for goliath groupers.
Sandbags are versatile training tools for a total body workout. These dynamic exercises incorporate nontraditional lifting methods that mimic real-life movements. This sandbag workout builds functional and grip strength, balance, endurance, and stability, making it ideal for divers of all levels.
The common seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) is anything but. Found only in Australia’s temperate coastal waters, this spectacular seahorse relative — also called the weedy seadragon — grows up to 18 inches long and is painted beautiful colors and whimsically festooned with teardrop-shaped skin flaps.
Cruise ships have extensive safety protocols in place, focusing on passenger safety in areas such as overboard incidents, onboard fires, illness outbreaks, and large-scale ship disasters. Accidents and incidents can happen, however, and traveling on cruise ships is not without risk.
As a passionate diver since 2009,I planned a Galápagos liveaboard trip for November 2024. The logistics included considerations for being a solo female traveler in her 60s and dealing with my trepidation about cold water with heavy currents.
To advance DAN’s mission to help divers during emergencies and to make diving safer, DAN launched the Continuing Education for Dive Professionals program in 2024. The program’s second course, which focuses on boat diving safety, is now available.
Divers generally use lift bags to raise submerged objects to the surface. The lift bag is filled with gas until the object exhibits neutral buoyancy so divers can bring it to the surface with minimal exertion.
