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dan
facts
Practical dive safety tips for divers.
Healthy
Diving
Whatever your
age and athletic ability level, consider the fitness required for scuba. To that
end, DAN offers guidelines for healthy and safe diving.
Predive Physical
Learning to
dive? Been away from the sport? Have certain medical conditions? You may need a
physician’s referral before diving. Do you have questions about your fitness to
dive or do you need an evaluation by a dive physician? DAN can refer you to a
specialist in your area.
Diving on Medications
 If
you take a new medication before a dive, consider possible side effects before
you enter the water. If a medication “may cause drowsiness,” reconsider your
plan to dive. Diving while taking medication? Pay attention to any adverse
effects, which may be due to the medication.
Asthma and Diabetes
Specialists in
dive medicine voice concerns about the advisability of allowing someone with
asthma or diabetes to dive. DAN continues researching safety issues of diving
for individuals with underlying health problems. Potential divers with either of
these conditions need to be evaluated on a case by case basis prior to diving.
Contact the DAN Medical Department for more information. Your DAN membership
helps support these studies.
Enjoy Scuba
Anyone with
good health and fitness can enjoy a lifetime of diving. Follow these guidelines:
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See your
physician for regular checkups.
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Get regular
exercise.
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Be rested,
hydrated and well-nourished before diving,
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Use proper
equipment and exposure protection.
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Plan your
dive, avoiding overexertion.
Don’t hide or
downplay any medical condition or health problem. Address such a problem with a
medical professional.
Questions
about your own diving fitness or about certain medical conditions? Need to find
a doctor in your area? Does your doctor have any questions? Call the DAN Medical
Information Line at 919-684-2948 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
DAN
Medical Information Line: +1-919-684-2948 ext. 222
www.DiversAlertNetwork.org
Divers
Helping Divers
tm
DAN – Development
6 West Colony Place
Durham, NC 27705
DAN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization
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Keeping the "Wonderful" in
Your Dive Vacation
Exploring the aquatic
world can be wonderful adventure. You get to see and experience things that
the rest of the world only wonders about. This is the time of the year that
many of us take the opportunity to explore the tropical waters by going on
dive vacations (or going diving while on vacation). Some planning before
you go can keep the “wonderful” in the adventure.
Many
“mis-adventures” can be avoided or at least minimized with a little
planning, insuring that the diving adventures are the highlight of your
trip. Much of what you need to know can be found on the internet.
The internet is a great resource for current information about what you can
and cannot pack in your bags, how thick of wet suit you need, suggestions
about vaccinations that you may need. In this article, we will discuss
some basic items and give you the resources to insure that the strongest
memories of your dive vacation will be the cool fish you saw, not the hassle
with the ticket agent at the airport.
Traveling with Dive Gear
 Checking in at the airport
can be a real hassle even with the best planning. Minimizing the hassle
starts long before you set foot in the airport. Start by planning what gear
you will take. Airlines and TSA (Transportation Security Administration)
frequently change the rules regarding luggage. Currently the rule is 50 lbs
per checked bag, 2 bags per person. If you’ve picked up your dive bag
lately, you can probably figure out that it’s really easy to get tagged
with an oversized bag fee. To lose weight in your bag- go to your local
dive shop. Something a simple as your choice of BCD can make a big
difference on the scale. Manufactures are coming out with “Travel BCs”
making it easier to find a light weight option without giving up comfort and
functionality.
There is an interesting
thing that happens on vacation, your dive bag gains weight. No, it’s not
the extra desserts that it ate while you weren’t looking. Your dive gear is
probably not as dry as is it was when you started out and you will want to
bring back a souvenirs.
At this time you can carry
on or check regulators, BCD’s, mask, fins and snorkels. Knives and tools
must be in your checked luggage. For the safety of security officers and to
protect the rest of your gear, wrap any sharp objects securely. Rules have
recently been changed regarding items that can be carried on. You should
check the TSA website for the most current rules. (http://www.tsa.gov)
A link can also be found at our website,
divemontana.com.
Insuring Your Investment
There are hundreds of circumstances that
could cause you to cancel your trip, or return home early. Unexpected
events, such as illness or a death of an immediate family member, can change
your plans, causing you to lose the money invested in your trip,and cut your
trip short. Travel insurance can’t prevent these events from
happening, but it can certainly take the some of the sting out of it. Trip
insurance can be purchased with your dive trip package or may be a benefit
in dive accident plans that we will discuss shortly. The cost is usually
based on the cost of your trip, but is very affordable.
Continued on Page 2
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GEAR LOCKER
This really does
change things!!
Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along
that changes everything. The DataMask is not just about having a computer in
your mask – it is about the many practical benefits provided by truly
“Hands-Free Diving.”
 The
DATAMASK contains a miniature liquid crystal display (LCD) panel,
proprietary Digital Optic System, microprocessor, depth transducer, wireless
cylinder pressure receiver, diver replaceable battery, and controlling
software. The miniature LCD allows you to keep your eyes focused on the dive
while presenting critical dive data including: current depth, elapsed dive
time, cylinder pressure, and dive time remaining. The Digital Optic System
provides a clear, highly magnified image of the LCD, which is viewable
regardless of environmental conditions and may be seen clearly by the vast
majority of people, regardless of vision.
Here's what
your fellow divers are saying:
I can honestly say that I loved it. It took a couple of dives for me to get
used to but after that it was as if I'd been using it forever.
I
really liked the experience - everything was clear and easy to see. I liked
the alarms and I really liked the safety stop reminder.
I thought the display would hinder my field of vision. If you don't
consciously look at display you forget it's there. I think it's a great
idea! Thanks.
Stop in
the shop and check the DataMask out. This definitely an innovation in diving!
Click here for complete detail about the mask and how to get yours, click
here.
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