Divers Alert Network

Join us in welcoming DAN’s 2026 interns! We’re excited to introduce this year’s exceptional cohort:
• Trystan Cavitt, Dr. Glen H. Egstrom DAN Divers’ Health and Safety Research Intern
• Jacqueline Keleher, DAN Divers’ Safety Intern
• Juliana McKenna, Michael Menduno DAN Outreach Intern
• Alexa Rand, DAN Research Intern

Since 1999, DAN’s internship program has supported more than 100 emerging professionals, providing hands-on experience and helping build the next generation of leaders in dive safety.

Stay tuned throughout the summer for updates on this intern class’s activities and contributions. Read the full announcement at dan.org/dan-announces-2026-interns.

DAN Announces 2026 Interns DAN is proud to introduce its 2026 interns: Trystan Cavitt, Jacqueline Keleher, Juliana McKenna, and Alexa Rand. DAN’s internship program has supported over 100 interns since its inception in 1999, providing qualified candidates with valuable experience in dive safety.

Marina Inserra and Brittany Novick-Fischer, co-directors of Scuba Queen USA, join the podcast to discuss their mission to cultivate confident ocean ambassadors. This episode explores the organization's work providing young women divers with opportunities for advocacy, outreach, and skill development.

Marina and Brittany share their backgrounds in marine biology and conservation, and discuss diving safety — including their experiences with knowing one's limits and calling off a dive — as well as their goal to empower ambassadors from every U.S. state.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/SD0-ngDpoTk.

Marina Inserra & Brittany Novick-Fischer, Scuba Queen USA Marina Inserra and Brittany Novick-Fischer, co-directors of Scuba Queen USA, join the podcast to discuss their mission to cultivate confident ocean ambassado...

The recent DAN Safety Seminars in Medellín brought together divers, instructors, medical professionals, and industry leaders from across Colombia. 🇨🇴

Hosted with support from DAN Business Members and partners, the seminars featured presentations from Dr. Jaime Aquiles Rincón, hyperbaric physician and researcher, and Francisco Ramos, DAN World Business Liaison. Attendees traveled from Medellín, Bogotá, Cali, and surrounding areas to engage in important conversations around operational safety, decompression theory, and accident prevention.

Visit the DAN World Latin America & Caribbean (LAC) YouTube channel to watch both presentations: youtube.com//videos

Pop culture depicts drowning as a dramatic event filled with splashing, waving, and shouting for help. But as divers and water enthusiasts, we should know the truth: Drowning is often deceptively quiet.

Whether you are on a dive boat, at the beach or lake, or by the pool, be vigilant for signs of drowning:

• GLASSY OR CLOSED EYES | Unable to focus eyes; hair over eyes.
• VERTICAL POSTURE | Body upright in the water, head low, or head tilted back with the mouth open at water level.
• "INVISIBLE LADDER" CLIMBING | Arms extended laterally, pressing down on the water to lift the mouth up, with no supportive kicking.
• LACK OF HEADWAY | Trying to tread water, roll over, or swim but not making progress.
• HYPERVENTILATING OR GASPING
• QUIET | Physiologically unable to call out for help.*

🚨 Anyone who plans to go out on a boat or to participate in activities near a body of water should be familiar with the factors involved in drowning and with accepted rescue and resuscitation techniques. Read more at DAN.org/what-drowning-really-looks-like.

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*During the instinctive drowning response, the respiratory system prioritizes breathing over speech — usually rendering the person unable to call for help. Conversely, shouting indicates aquatic distress, a warning phase where the individual can still reach for rescue equipment, but which can quickly progress to full drowning if left unassisted.

In this episode of The DANcast, Andrew Morgan, president of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) and marine operations / boating safety officer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, breaks down the task-focused world of scientific diving.

The conversation explores how AAUS establishes consensus on safety and standards to support reciprocity between universities, government agencies, and other institutions employing scientific divers.

Plus, Andrew shares an inside look at the role aquariums play in conservation, including how the Monterey Bay Aquarium uses field research to battle kelp forest decline and test the reintroduction of lab-cultured sunflower sea stars.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/dhLE96MUh3s.

Andrew Morgan, American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) What separates a scientific diver from a recreational one? Andrew Morgan, president of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), joins The DANcast ...

The DAN Research team attended the 2026 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Undersea Medicine and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Deep Submergence Biomedical Development Program Review.

The event featured presentations from researchers, physicians, and military personnel. Key topics included atmospheric dive suits, dive support technologies, gas physiology, environmental protection, DCS, disabled submarine (DISSUB) response, diving technologies, oxygen toxicity, on-demand oxygen (GILS), and human performance.

The program review highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of the undersea medicine and performance sector, and featured several researchers whose work is partially funded by or conducted in collaboration with DAN.

Learn more: https://dan.org/safety-prevention/diver-safety/divers-blog/onr-undersea-medicine-navsea-program-review/

DAN at the ONR Undersea Medicine & NAVSEA Program Review DAN recently attended the annual ONR Undersea Medicine and NAVSEA Deep Submergence Biomedical Development Program Review.

Regular servicing of dive gear is an investment in its longevity and your own safety.

A recent DAN Annual Diving Report found that 11% of dive accidents result from equipment mishaps. Proper maintenance reduces the risk of these preventable incidents.

Read more about proper gear maintenance at https://dan.org/safety-prevention/diver-safety/divers-blog/gear-maintenance-protect-your-investment-and-prevent-dive-accidents/.

Human ears lack natural defenses to handle the rapid pressure changes divers encounter, leaving them vulnerable to injury. In fact, ear-related issues remain a top reason for calls to DAN Medical Services.

This guide covers anatomy, equalization techniques, and injury symptoms to help divers protect their ears: https://dan.org/health-medicine/health-resource/dive-medical-reference-books/ears-diving/.

Recompression is the standard of care for many diving illnesses, and every diver deserves access to timely, quality hyperbaric care. That’s why DAN invests in programs and partnerships that support the availability of suitable chamber facilities and the readiness of the teams who operate them.

Watch the full video on DAN's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/tG4XdhmQzwA.

DAN Supports Hyperbaric Chambers for Divers Recompression is the standard of care for many diving illnesses, and every diver deserves access to timely, quality hyperbaric care. That’s why DAN invests i...