Investing in the Future
Simon Mitchell, MBChB, Ph.D., is a leader in dive medicine and is mentoring young scientists in the field. Read their stories.
Alert Diver Issue: Q3 2019
Marine Megafauna Close to Home
Marine megafauna can be found throughout North America — groupers, dolphins, blue sharks and more. Learn about mega fauna encounters that will inspire your next dive trip.
Responsible Tourism in the Galápagos and Beyond
The Galápagos National Park Directorate protects 97 percent of the land in the Galápagos Islands. This protection aims to conserve the habitats and wildlife in this special place while supporting a sustainable economy. Yet increasing tourism threatens to degrade the natural resources that attract visitors here in the first place.
The Paper Nautilus
The paper nautilus is a pelagic octopus in the family Argonautidae. Researchers disagree about the number of distinct extant species. Nautiluses can quickly jet-propel themselves through the water, making it difficult to photograph them.
A Rosy Affair
The rosy razorfish survives with a head as hard and as sharp as a cleaver that enables the fish to burrow beneath the sand when threatened.
Piston or Diaphragm: Does It Matter?
There are two main ways for these devices to respond to changes in supply pressure, demand and depth in real time. Diaphragm-sensed regulators use a flexible element to adjust to these changes and to ensure constant outlet pressure and flow relative to depth; piston-sensed regulators use a sliding metallic piston that moves to adapt to these variations.
Megalodon Ledge Diving
The indomitable megalodon shark, the largest fish that ever lived, tore its way through the whales and dolphins of the world’s oceans for about 13 million years before dying off about 2.6 million years ago.
Where Mermaids Fear to Tread
Technological advances have enabled divers to explore once hard-to-reach caves, including Weeki Wachee Springs in central Florida.
Cryptobenthic Fish
A recent study published in the journal Science shows the unexpected and remarkably large role of tiny, bottom-dwelling reef fishes for coral reef productivity.
DAN Member Profile: Dick Rutkowski
Dick Rutkowski spent six years in government service, co-created NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, wrote dive accident management manuals and more.