Understanding Oxygen Kit Components

Oxygen is the standard of care for first aid in dive injuries. You do not need to determine if the injured person is experiencing decompression sickness (DCS), arterial gas embolism (AGE), or nonfatal drowning, as oxygen can be beneficial in all these situations.

Assisting with oxygen kit

Malaria Risks and Prevention

Malaria is a serious infectious disease threat that primarily exists in many of the world’s subtropical and tropical regions — areas popular with divers — where the environmental conditions support a stable, infected population of Anopheles mosquitoes.

mosquito

Flipping the Script

Maintaining a respectful distance from potentially harmful species underwater is a tenet of good recreational diving and a frequent topic of charter boat predive briefs. But those venomous fish you have learned to avoid might save your life someday.

Scorpionfish is a common tropical coral reef resident in both Pacific and Atlantic/Caribbean waters.

DAN Research Internship

This year DAN interns participated in two field studies — a cardiac study and a venous gas embolism study — where they had the opportunity to work directly with participants […]

DAN 2024 interns and research staff

Photographing Cetaceans 

Capturing good pictures of whales is among the most rewarding photographic experiences an underwater photographer can have. These majestic and charismatic creatures evoke wonder, and the time spent with them will likely be unforgettable. The environments where you find them, however, along with their sheer size and elusive nature present challenges.

Humpback whales

DAN Medic Exchange

The DAN Emergency Hotline provides 24/7 emergency medical assistance to divers worldwide without charge and regardless of DAN membership status. DAN medics and physicians working in shifts across different time zones make this continuous service possible, ensuring that a dive medical expert is always available.

DAN medic exchange

Transforming Ocean to Art

David Doubilet said it first and best. “He uses boundless imagination and a keen eye to peel back the surface and expose a world that is beautiful, bizarre, and wonderfully unexpected,” Doubilet said about Alex Kirkbride’s remarkable underwater photographic journey through all 50 states for his book American Waters.

leopard seal

Pete Murray

When Pete Murray was 12 years old, Master Chief Petty Officer Williams at the Orlando Naval Base approached him and asked if he was “Murray’s kid,” referring to Major Daniel Murray.

Pete Murray

Mangrove Forests

Mangroves matter. They are unique, complex habitats that guard shorelines. They connect the land to the sea, house a diverse range of animal and plant life, and reduce the impacts […]

hawksbill sea turtle

Developing Oxygen Toxicity Guidelines

In 1943 a hyperbaric chamber in London reached an air pressure equal to 300 feet (91 meters), and nitrogen narcosis hammered the three dry divers inside. They reached for the rubber mouthpieces of their dive gear, which delivered 100% oxygen.

A U.S. Navy SEAL prepares to emerge from a SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV)