The History of Divers Alert Network
DAN is a unique organisation dedicated to safety, education and research in the scuba diving community.

DAN was founded in 1980 at Duke University Medical Centre in the United States with a 24-hour Emergency Hotline. This Hotline assisted in the treatment of underwater diving accidents by providing information to injured divers and the medical personnel who cared for them.

To fund its ongoing existence, DAN established a membership program, initially providing subscribers with a diving accident manual and regular newsletter, Alert Diver, which dealt with various issues of diving safety.

As DAN grew, it expanded its operations to provide a free evacuation service to Members, diving injury treatment insurance as well as a variety of other services, including a highly effective and successful oxygen provision program designed specifically for divers. Another important function of DAN became the collation and analysis of data on diving accidents and fatalities to improve the understanding of the causes of such accidents and to develop better treatment methods.

Today, the Divers Alert Network relies on membership, supporters within the dive industry and product sales to fund the provision of the high level of service the dive community has become accustomed to receiving.
The work of the Divers Alert Network is strongly supported within the recreational diving community and this is evident by Membership numbers, which presently exceed 300,000 divers worldwide.

Divers Alert Network began its mission of dive safety in 1980 under the direction of Dr. Peter B. Bennett, Ph.D., D.Sc., Executive Director and President of DAN. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of divers have sought out DAN's advice, seeking help with making informed decisions about diving. Here's a quick look at DAN's history.

1977
Undersea Medical Society (later the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society) introduces the concept of a national organization (to replace LEO-FAST at Brooks Air Force Base, directed by Colonel Jefferson Davis, M.D.) where one telephone call from anywhere could connect the caller to a diving medicine specialist 24 hours a day.

1980
Divers Alert Network becomes a reality in September under the name "National Diving Accident Network," with a two-year NOAA and NIOSH grant to Dr. Peter B. Bennett of the F.G. Hall Hyperbaric Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

1981
DAN's "Underwater Diving Accident Manual" first published. The first emergency calls come into the Hyperbaric Center. DAN receives 305 calls for information and assistance.

1982
DAN implements a medical/safety advisory telephone line (919) 684-2948 to handle questions from recreational divers with non-emergency questions.

1983
DAN changes its name from "Diving Accident Network" to "Divers Alert Network." In August, DAN launches a membership program to provide funding and support for DAN's activities on behalf of recreational divers. Individual DAN members receive an "Underwater Diving Accident Manual," tank/equipment decals and waterproof ID card. The first DAN Diving Accident and Hyperbaric Treatment course with CME credit given is held at the Duke University Medical Center.

1984
Federal grant monies to DAN are decreased (50 percent in 1982 and then by 25 percent in 1983). As of 1984, support comes exclusively from divers and the diving industry. DAN introduces the slogan "Divers helping divers."

1985
Sponsor Program begins for clubs, stores, corporations and sponsoring organizations. The first DAN oxygen unit featuring Life-Support Products' (LSP) unique demand inhalator valve, Pocket Mask ™ with O2 inlet and non-rebreather mask was sold.

1987
DAN pioneers an insurance program - Prepared Membership - to protect recreational divers against the high cost of evacuation and treatment for diving injuries such as decompression sickness, air embolism, and pulmonary barotrauma. DAN receives 3,554 calls, with 2,816 for information and 738 for emergencies.

1988
DAN membership doubles, from 14,000 in 1987, to 32,000 in 1988, with the introduction of DAN's diving accident insurance program from the previous year.

1989
Sponsorship becomes a full-time program and department within DAN.

1990
IRS grants DAN its 501(c)(3) non-profit status. The organization continues to be associated with, Duke University Medical Center. DAN rents office space for membership and non-medical services outside Duke Medical Center.

1991
DAN research reveals that only one-third of injured divers were receiving 100 percent oxygen as first aid; Oxygen First Aid Training Program begins as a response. DAN launches the program in January at DEMA. In February, International DAN - known as IDAN - meets at Duke University. By year's end, International DAN becomes a reality. IDAN members include: DAN Europe, DAN Japan, and Divers Emergency Service (D.E.S.), an affiliate organization in Australia. DAN begins Flying After Diving trials. In July, DAN moves entire staff to new headquarters at University Tower in Durham, N.C. and closes separate membership office at Duke's East Campus. A month later, DAN has trained its 1,000th Oxygen Provider.

1992
The emergency medical evacuation program - later called DAN TravelAssist (see below) - becomes DAN's newest member benefit in February. With this benefit automatically provided to all members, DAN provides free air evacuation for any medical emergency if a DAN member or an accompanying dependent is injured while at least 50 miles from home. DAN is awarded the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society's Craig Hoffman Diving Safety Award in June for its significant contributions to the health and safety of recreational divers. This marks the first time the prestigious award is presented to a group and not to an individual. The first DAN Instructor-Trainer Workshop (ITW) is conducted in September at DAN Headquarters. The first DAN MasterCard® credit card is offered to members in November. Each time the DAN MasterCard credit card is used to make a purchase, a contribution is made to DAN's diving safety research program. DAN also introduces Oxygen Training to DAN Europe in September, with subsequent international distribution of DAN oxygen equipment.

1993
DAN introduces more new programs than ever before. The insurance program expands, with more coverage for the same low price. DAN launches Accident General Insurance (AGI) as a wholly owned insurance subsidiary to provide better programs to DAN members and increased revenue to DAN. The Sponsor Program offers new and improved awards and incentives for DAN Sponsors. DAN initiates programs with an international emphasis: the Recompression Chamber Assistance Program, to aid hyperbaric chambers around the world; and a divers' database research program begins in Cozumel, to study dive profiles. This study becomes the seed for a larger study known as Project Dive Safety (later re-named Project Dive Exploration), an ambitious diving survey by DAN to catalog dive profiles in DAN's continuing efforts to improve dive safety. DAN's ongoing Flying After Diving research reaches new heights by examining the effects of the preflight surface interval and repetitive diving on decompression illness. The DAN Oxygen Program begins in Australia. The 1,000th DAN Oxygen Instructor (a DAN Europe Sponsor Instructor) is trained. DAN's new Oxygen Provider Workbook is released and the "Dive Accident Management: Guidelines for EMS" videotape is produced.

1994
The DAN Oxygen Program recognizes its 2,000th DAN Oxygen Instructor. The Flying After Diving research at the F.G. Hall Hypo/Hyperbaric Center makes steady progress in its studies of decompression illness with further applications of repetitive dives with volunteers. DAN continues the Recompression Chamber Assistance Program, sponsoring the first ever medical conference for chamber personnel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June, followed by a fall Diving Medicine Course at Duke University. The new Alert Diver makes its debut, with the March/April issue, with more substantive columns and features and the first-time use of color within its pages. The Sponsor Program reaches an all-time high, with the participation of more than 300 dive stores. Project Dive Safety researchers start field-testing of computer software by beginning the most comprehensive dive profile database ever undertaken. DAN Headquarters sees internal growth, with the addition of online computer capabilities within DAN and Duke University Medical Center with monitoring of and access to the Internet. The total number of assistance calls to DAN since January 1981 reaches 90,699, with 77,092 being for information and 13,607 for emergency assistance.

1995
DAN continues its growth. The new DAN Rescue Pak Oxygen Unit is introduced. A redesigned model of DAN's standard O2 unit, it offers 20-25 minutes of uninterrupted oxygen flow on demand to a diver. By April, DAN has more than 113,000 Members and more than 5,000 Sponsors. By May, all DAN membership services operate directly from DAN Headquarters in Durham. The annual IDAN summit meets in May in Zurich, Switzerland. DAN's Project Dive Safety welcomes its sibling project in Europe, known as Project Safe Dive. Also in May, DAN changes its insurance into a tiered program, offering three levels of protection to DAN members, the "Standard," "Plus" and "Master" plans. Alert Diver begins its advertising program with the May/June issue, using full-color throughout the July/August issue. In August, the DAN Tag ™, the only diving emergency ID tag available through dive retailers, makes a big splash. In 1995, DAN answers 2,120 emergency calls and 14,642 information calls - its highest call volume since 1981, when DAN began its first full year of operation. DAN's Dive Safety Center debuts on the World Wide Web in the fall, with Medical Line questions and answers from Alert Diver, DAN benefits and services information, a listing of DAN Sponsors worldwide and more. DAN Australia, later DAN SEAP, launched with seed money from DAN America.

1996
By April DAN has reached the 118,000+ mark in membership and more than 5,600 Sponsors, including nearly 600 retail Sponsors. By April 30, DAN has answered 517 emergency calls and 4,451 information calls for the year and 124,193 assistance calls since 1981. In May, DAN names its 5,000th Oxygen Instructor. The Oxygen Provider Award program is instituted this year, and the DAN Oxygen First Aid in Dive Accidents course is taught on all seven continents. At the May meeting of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, DAN Director of Medical Services Joel Dovenbarger wins the Craig Hoffman Diving Safety Award for significant contributions to the health and safety of recreational divers. The DAN Tag establishes a presence in the dive community with more than 9,000 diving tags. DAN's B.C.I.D. Rental Program is begun; aqua teal and electric blue are added to the DAN Tag family lineup.

1997
In June, DAN moves to its new, permanent headquarters, the Peter B. Bennett Center, with plenty of space for all programs and future expansion. DAN's new "Oxygen First Aid for Diving Injuries" workbook is released. DAN introduces the DSS-Guardian Diver First Aid Kits - in a Pelican®, hard case or in a zipped soft-pack. The Rescue Pak Plus is developed, consisting of a standard oxygen cylinder and DAN's DSS-Guardian Diver First Aid Kit. In August "The Best of Alert Diver," a 256-page book of the best articles to appear in Alert Diver's first 15 years, is published. DAN trains its 7,000th DAN Oxygen Instructor and releases new DAN "Oxygen First Aid for Diving Injuries" video. By August, more than 22,000 DAN Tags are in use, and Retail Sponsors total 725. The Charter Boat I.D. System for DAN Tags is begun, with immediate positive response in the dive industry. DAN forms a more cohesive development strategy in order to cultivate significant gifts for sustaining valuable DAN Research projects. DAN Southern Africa is launched with conversion of 4,000 Dive Evac International members to DAN Southern Africa membership.

1998
DAN launches "Partners in Dive Safety ™" Program at the 1998 DEMA Show. DAN's Diving Emergency Hotline answers 2,312 emergency calls; the non-emergency information line and website receive 14,500 non-emergency calls and requests for information. DAN creates a for-profit subsidiary called DAN Services, Inc. which will manage certain services, including insurance products and new safety programs, such as the new "Oxygen First Aid for Aquatic Emergencies" training program. DAN Services will help provide additional revenue to fund DAN's non-profit dive public safety programs and help protect DAN's 501(c)(3) non-profit status.

1999
DAN launches the Remote Oxygen (REMO2 ™) system and training program after extensive research and product development. The REMO2 extends emergency medical oxygen supply by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from diver's expired air. DAN completes data collection in three studies: Research on Flying After Diving and Doppler Determination of Bubbles in Divers. DAN initiates a Study of Ascent Rates. In February, DAN reaches nearly 900 retail Sponsors; its Endowment reaches $100,000. Sponsors generate 35 to 40 percent of members and insured members. More than 35,000 DAN tags are in use. DAN hosts its 37th Diving Accident and Hyperbaric Oxygen Course providing CME credits.

2000
DAN unveils its Guide to First Aid to Hazardous Marine Life Injuries Program, which provides first aid information for those affected by contact with hazardous marine life.

DAN introduces the DAN Preferred™ Plan, offering new levels of dive insurance coverage. For $70 a year, the DAN Preferred Plan provides one of the most comprehensive dive accident plans available.

The DAN Business Member Program is unveiled in December, offering DAN supporters a greater variety of discounts and benefits than ever available. The Sponsorship Department becomes the Development Department to handle a wider variety of outside revenue sources.

DAN Services rolls out its term life insurance plan. DAN Members in America between the ages of 18 to 64 are eligible to apply for the plan, with a choice of limits up to $200,000.

DAN Continuing Medical Education launched "DAN Divers Days," events that provide expert medical information to its members, delivered in a friendly one-day program and offered in locations around the United States.

DAN and Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort partnered to host the first DAN Beaches Dive Festival 2000 on Providenciales. The festival brought together divers who had first-hand information sessions with DAN headquarters staff.

2001
DAN enters a licensing agreement with Skin Diver magazine, which enables DAN Members to receive Alert Diver magazine monthly as well as Skin Diver magazine. This cooperative effort allows DAN to extend its operating hours for the Medical Information Line, increase funding for the Recompression Chamber Assistance program and provide additional support to DAN dive safety research projects.

The Dive Safety and Medical Information Line extends its hours to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Due in part to cost savings gained with the DAN-Skin Diver agreement in 2000, DAN was able to hire to off-site medics to handle information calls between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

DAN offers a new equipment insurance plan to its members, with coverage for dive equipment, cameras, housings, lenses and strobes. Administered through Senn, Dunn, Marsh and Roland of Greensboro, N.C., DAN members can read about the plan and purchase it through links on the DAN website.

DAN adds Automated External Defibrillators for Scuba Diving Injuries to its roster of Training courses.

DAN Training revamps all of its educational materials in response to recent revisions in the American Heart Association’s cardiac care guidelines. The overhaul also helps streamline course information, ending duplication and offering a core manual and binder, with space for the addition of all of DAN’s courses. DAN also added CD-ROMs to the Training materials curriculum.

The Industry Membership publication On Board and the Training quarterly Oxygen Window joined forces in a tandem offering to better streamline DAN’s message.
The DAN term life insurance plan broadens to cover 44 of the 50 states in America, as well as the District of Columbia.

DAN launched a separate dedicated 24-hour diving emergency hotline (+1-267-520-1507) to serve Latin American divers. Answered by trained staff fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, the 24-hour number is answered at DAN's contracted TravelAssist assistance provider, International SOS, in Philadelphia, Pa., in the United States, and, like the regular DAN emergency numbers, accepts collect calls from most areas. A toll call, however, may be made from anywhere.
International DAN introduces new system for assessing the safety of hyperbaric chambers for technical staff. Risk Assessment Guide for Recompression Chambers, authored by noted South African chamber designer Francois Burman, is the first publication jointly produced by the international federation of DAN Europe, DAN Japan, DAN Southern Africa and DAN South East Asia Pacific. The guide was specifically developed to assist marginally supported chambers that exist in remote areas for the principal purpose of treating recreational scuba divers.

2002
Dr. Bennett received the 2002 DEMA Reaching Out Award for his contribution to the dive industry and the Carolinas' Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2002 award for contributions to business in the life sciences. He also announced his retirement as DAN President effective June 30, 2003.

DAN Europe announced in April the establishment of a new affiliate, DAN Israel. The affiliate has its own local emergency hotline.

The recreational dive community and DAN held a workshop on Flying After Diving to discuss the need of revising guidelines after a six-year study by DAN. The workshop concluded that revised flying after diving guidelines were appropriate, and consensus recommendations will be published in 2003. DAN is helping to conduct a second experimental study on flying after diving, funded by the U.S. Navy, that will test additional dive profiles and evaluate oxygen breathing before flying. Study dates began in the fall of 2002 for the three-year project.
DAN Research began a quarterly newsletter to give updates on the department’s latest activities and projects, including updates of the ongoing Project Dive Exploration (PDE) and work being done by the department’s six summer interns in 2002.

The licensing agreement between DAN and Skin Diver magazine for the latter to distribute Alert Diver ended when Skin Diver went ouf of business. Alert Diver continued to be published and distributed independently but reverted to bimonthly rather than monthly publication at the end of 2002.

DAN Training added Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for Aquatic Emergencies, Advanced Oxygen and Basic Life Support for Dive Professionals (BLSPRO) to its roster of courses it offers for dive safety.

The Spanish version of the Instructor Manual for the Training program came out at the DEMA show in 2002.

Beginning in January, a random student diver in the Student Membership Program was chosen each month to receive a DAN First Aid Kit. Also, the instructor of this student was awarded a DAN Rescue Pak or AED Trainer. Information and photos of these monthly winners are on the DAN website to publicize the program and encourage people to participate.

DAN Continuing Medical Education started a series of Divers Days that are planned to connect with divers in their own communities across the nation called "Safer Diving Through Education with DAN." Internationally known and local experts spend the day with attendees to address diving safety and medical topics and other dive-related topics of interest.

The DAN Development Department had a redesigned presence on the DAN website. DAN Development pages include FAQs, designation of gifts, types of giving plus current fund-raising efforts and news about events.

The first DAN Online Auction took place from Nov. 10-Dec. 10. DAN Members and non-members received a chance to buy more than 100 special items for sale donated by DAN Industry Members, including airplane tickets, dive trips, artwork, books, clothing, equipment and more. All money generated from the event benefited the DAN Endowment Fund and DAN research programs.

DAN wins two awards at the 2002 DEMA Show: Best Annual Report and Best Four-Color Ad for a Non-Profit Organization.

DAN Services Inc. teamed with Med-Care Plus to offer DAN Members and their families access to a medical savings plan that offers up to 25 percent and more savings at physicians' locations, hospitals and medical facilities nationwide. The plan is not insurance nor intended to replace insurance, but it does have access to more than 500,000 physicians' locations, 75,000 medical facilities and more than 70 percent of the hospitals in the United States.

2003
Dr. Peter Bennett resigns as DAN President and CEO, but remains active supervising International DAN activities. DAN Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dan Orr is named acting president and CEO.

All current DAN Instructors and Instructor Trainers were converted to ProMembership. The change consolidates the two separate billing statements for DAN Membership and Instructor Renewal into a single fee. Any DAN Member who holds a professional-level credential from a diver training agency is eligible to participate in the ProMembership program. ProMembership, while required for teaching status for DAN Instructors, does not confer teaching status on a ProMember.

DAN established the Peter B. Bennett Research Fund, honoring the founder and CEO of the dive safety organization, within the Endowment Fund. This fund will support research initiatives, enhancing dive safety far into the future.

The "Just One" campaign began, wherein every DAN Member was encouraged to help spread the word about safe diving by telling just one person about DAN and encouraging them to join.

DAN Training introduces the Diving Emergency Management Provider (DEMP) program, a course integrating the knowledge and skills from the Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries, First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for Scuba Diving and Advanced Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries programs into a single eight-hour course.

The Recreational Dive Professionals Study began in June by DAN Research. This two-year study seeks to determine if the incidence of DCI identified among Cozumel dive professionals is higher than to recreational divers making their typical dives.

DAN donated an oxygen unit to NASA for the latter’s search and recovery effort for the Columbia space shuttle, which broke up over Texas during its return to Earth Feb. 1.

Members of DAN became eligible to receive savings of up to 20 percent at more than 4,000 Best Western hotels worldwide as part of the chain’s Member Value Program (MVP).

DAN published The DAN Guide to Dive Medical Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), covering dive medical topics from head to toe on topics such as decompression illness, cardiovascular issues; fitness to dive, dental, ear, nose & throat and ocular issues, psychological and pharmaceutical considerations and much more.
The DAN Preferred Plan became available to Canadian members of Divers Alert Network. The plan costs $70 yearly, in addition to the Member’s annual individual or family membership with DAN.

DAN unveiled its new Spanish-language website. It is similar in format and content to the English-language version. The main difference is that since it is geared toward Latin America, there is a full listing of medical coordinators for emergencies and their contact information in areas stretching from Mexico and the Caribbean to Chile and Argentina in South America.

DAN term life insurance became available in 46 states plus the District of Colombia, with the most recent addition being Hawaii.

DAN Research placed a nine-question survey on the DAN website for divers who have been recompressed for decompression illness (DCI). The results of the survey will be presented in Sydney, Australia on May 24-25, 2004 at the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) Workshop on the “Management of Mild DCI in Remote Locations.”

The DAN Remote Emergency Medical Oxygen (REMO2) system module went back into effect by the fall with the establishment of a new approved oxygen rebreather system supplier.

In cooperation with Duke University faculty, DAN holds its first ever Diver Medical Technician (DMT) course Nov. 1-8. The seven-day, 65-hour accredited course is sold out, and plans are made to make it an annual event at DAN.

DAN unveils a new line of products in the fall that for the first time include men’s and women’s clothing rather than unisex apparel. Included is the Pro Line for ProMembers.