This issue of Alert Diver marks the 10-year anniversary of the Winter 2009 redesign of the magazine as a coffee-table quarterly. The new Alert Diver also celebrates the scuba lifestyle with articles about dive travel, underwater photography, ecology and marine biological science. The magazine is also available as a free download for both Apple and Android devices via the Alert Diver app and as an online flipbook.
If you notice health changes during or soon after a dive, you should assume that it is related to diving. The most likely culprit is decompression illness (DCI), the likelihood of which increases with the severity of the dive. If DCI is suspected, you should receive first aid surface oxygen and a proper medical evaluation. Even if your condition is not DCI, first aid oxygen may still help and will not worsen your condition.
Traveling with dive gear isn’t easy. Between the stress of lugging around a bag of heavy yet fragile equipment and hoping that its valuable contents make it intact to your destination, you might spend more time worrying than thinking about the fun you are about to have. If you’re tired of fretting about gear or hauling around more than you need, consider the following points before you pack your bags.
Teaching someone to dive doesn’t happen without risk. If an incident or accident occurs, students may find themselves footing expensive medical bills for which traditional health insurance provides minimal or no coverage. DAN Student Medical Expense Coverage is dive accident insurance designed specifically for new divers in training that DAN fully subsidizes, so there is no cost to students or their instructors.
Consumers who use sunscreen have both environmental and health questions about these products, especially as cities and states in the U.S. as well as Caribbean and Pacific destinations begin to either enact or consider sunscreen bans. The ingredients and effects of commercially available sunscreens are controversial among health experts as well as ecologists, and it’s difficult to determine the effectiveness of sunscreen. Other considerations are the link between sunburns and cancer as well as the varied uptake of sunscreen application for people of different races, sexes and levels of outdoor activity.
The sensations started in the left foot but symptoms spread and worsened. Although in a remote location, one diver shares their story of emergency evacuation and treatments through DAN.
Flying and encircling birds often act as beacons to what underwater predators and creatures could be below. Learn a geographic location’s bird species to gain a better understanding of a locale’s marine life.
An adaptation in male copepods enable them to quickly change from bright gold to near transparency — thwarting any possible predators. The gold flashes earned the name “jeweled water.”
Maui is composed of several islands and offers divers of all abilities a range of attractions to see. While navigating trade winds can sometimes be a challenge, divers can work around these to find their right adventure.
Climate change poses a serious risk to the world’s oceans. Ecosystems are damaged and altering the physical nature of the ocean: its circulation, temperature, chemistry and color. Divers can help thwart climate change through their actions.