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Current Research

Today’s research gives rise to tomorrow’s standards. DAN Research plays an important role in improving human understanding of diving medicine and physiology and, in turn, shaping dive safety guidelines to make the sport safer for everyone.

DAN’s research department leads several in-house studies and oversees studies at collaborating universities and institutions. As a nonprofit organization, DAN has become a unique hub for a wide network of diving researchers and a respected source of information for divers and dive medical professionals alike.

If you are curious what DAN researchers and collaborators are working on, view all of our ongoing studies.

Cozumel DCS

Venous gas emboli (VGE) are bubbles that form and grow in a diver’s tissues and bloodstream during the decompression phase of the dive. Although VGE has long been associated with […]

Harvester Study

SCUBA diving involves complex processes such as decision making, memory, motor coordination, and spatial orientation. Given that human error has been attributed to nearly 90% of diving incidents, it is […]

NEW Bubble Study: Inter- and intrasubject variability in post-dive venous gas emboli

Venous gas emboli (VGE) are bubbles that can appear in the blood after a dive due to decompression. These bubbles are detectable using ultrasound imaging and provide a measure of […]

Diver Return After COVID-19 Infection (DRACO): A Longitudinal Assessment

Since the declaration of the pandemic, the pulmonary effects of COVID-19 have been causing concern. DAN is looking for divers who have recovered from suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection for a long-term study on the effects of COVID-19 on divers’ health and fitness to dive.

Cardiac Arrythmias in Scuba Divers

Heart issues are frequently implicated in scuba diving fatalities. Abnormal heartbeats, also known as arrythmias, can be a marker of cardiac compromise. This study follows 110 divers during six scuba diving trips and characterizes the factors that contribute to any post-diving arrythmias.

Diving Incident Reporting System

The diving incident reporting system (DIRS) is one of the tools we use to gain insight into the not-so-pleasant experiences divers sometimes have. The purpose of this ongoing study is to collect and analyze voluntarily submitted reports of breath-hold and scuba diving safety mishaps reports in order to reduce injuries and fatalities.

Surveillance of Fatal Injuries in Diving

Until we succeed in making every dive accident- and injury-free, DAN will continue to collect and analyze information about dive fatalities. The purpose of this database is to monitor trends in fatal injuries and identify risk factors associated with fatal diving accidents.

The Mechanics of Spinal Cord Decompression Sickness

Spinal cord decompression sickness is among the most serious forms of decompression illness. This project studies the mechanics of how bubbles damage the spinal cord by using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging to observe bubble growth and tissue damage in decompressing tissue samples. The goal is to improve recompression treatment.

Symptoms After Treatment for Decompression Illness: A Prospective Survey

The purpose of this prospective study is to estimate the occurrence of returning or worsening symptoms of DCI in both divers that fly after treatment and treated divers that do not and to determine how long divers wait before flying after treatment for DCI.

Exploring Decompression Bubbles Using Advanced Ultrasound Techniques

Venous gas emboli (VGE) are bubbles that can appear in the blood after a dive due to decompression. These bubbles are detectable using ultrasound imaging and provide a measure of decompression stress. Advanced ultrasound imaging techniques are being developed at UNC for detecting these microbubbles and differentiating them from VGE.

Accelerating Diving Research Toward More Continuous Bubble Assessment

VGE evolution postdive varies dramatically, so frequent measurement may be important for understanding the influence of VGE on other physiological mechanisms in diving. UNC researchers are working on obtaining a large number of ultrasound recordings to be used in refining algorithms for VGE detection.

Freediving and DCS

While DCS in scuba diving is a well-recognized disease, much less is known about breath-hold divers who suffer DCS. With improvements in technology and training methods, today’s divers dive longer and deeper than ever before. The primary goal of this study is to collect high-resolution data on breath-hold divers’ depth/time profiles to further our understanding of decompression illness.