X-Ray Mag

Diver Health & Safety

DAN Publishes Guidelines for Lifelong Medical Fitness to Dive

3 years ago By Matthew Meier

The document, which is intended to be used by divers, dive professionals and doctors, establishes a schedule for medical questionnaires and physical evaluations based on age and other relevant factors. 

“Scuba certifications are generally valid for divers’ entire lives, but everyone’s health status changes over time,” said DAN medical director Jim Chimiak, M.D. “Our goal with this schedule is to provide useful guidance that divers can rely on to feel safe and confident in the water.” 

DAN Answers FAQs About Returning to Diving

3 years ago By Matthew Meier
Covered topics include safety practices for retail areas, staff and client interactions, dive boat operations, gear disinfection protocols and more. As dive professionals, dive operators and dive business owners prepare and develop plans to resume operation, DAN encourages all to review Dive Operations and COVID-19: Prepping for Return. In addition to taking a look at these frequently asked questions, be sure to check out some of our other articles and resources at DAN.org/COVID-19.

Diving in the Era of COVID-19

Words
Douglas Ebersole, MD
Diving in the era of COVID-19: How do we safely go diving again?
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎

April 2020 — I come to you as a recreational and technical diving instructor, as a physician consultant for Divers Alert Network, and as a COVID-19 survivor. For me, it was just an occupational hazard. I tested positive for COVID-19 after seeing a patient in my cardiology clinic for an unrelated condition who seemed quite short of breath. He was admitted to the ICU and tested positive for COVID-19.

Sea Legs — Power, Strength & Endurance for Diving

Words
Gretchen M. Ashton
Images
Gretchen M. Ashton
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎

When shore diving, divers often have to overcome an obstacle course to get to their favorite dive spot. Beach access may be by stairs and always includes walking across grass, concrete, sand or rocks. Entries and exits are in varying surf conditions and divers regularly “kick out” or “turtle” for extended distances on the surface to conserve air before dropping down to dive.

Dive Fitness: Scuba Shoulders

Words
Gretchen M Ashton
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎

Healthy shoulders are vital to a positive scuba diving experience.

The mobility of the shoulder joint exceeds every other joint in the human body. It enables divers to reach behind, under, around, above and beyond in nearly unlimited directions and rotation. Consequently, by design the shoulder joint and its musculature are highly susceptible to injury all of the time and especially during scuba diving activities.

Are you Scuba fit?

Words
Gretchen M. Ashton
Images
Gretchen M. Ashton
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎

Long after the jet lag and the first day back to work, you slip into your favorite dive T-shirt eager to keep the essence of your most recent underwater experience pulsing through your mind and body. Proudly wearing large print logos across your chest is a way of celebrating your passion for diving and sharing it with the rest of the world.

Subscribe to Diver Health & Safety