What is the Divers Alert Network?
"Whilst working as a dive Instructor in Dahab, Egypt in 1999, I was fortunate to be present at the time of a dive accident that resulted in an injured diver and their dive partner, one with minor symptoms but the other being afflicted by a severe case of type II DCS. The training that I received as a DAN Oxygen provider, and subsequently administered, helped prevent more serious injury to the divers and gave them a better chance of recovery. It was at this time that I decided I wanted to be a DAN Instructor for their training programs. Even if I never ever used my diving first aid skills again, it would give me the opportunity to promote safe diving and help other divers know exactly what steps to take in the event of a multiple injured diver scenario. The DAN programs that I offer have helped to educate the Instructors I train and to better prepare them for emergency scenarios, but most importantly to give them a means to share their level of diver first aid with the students that they train."
Utila Dive Centre's Director of Training, Andy Phillips
DAN, the Divers Alert Network, is a non-profit medical and research organization dedicated to the safety and health of recreational scuba divers. DAN is associated with Duke University Medical Center. DAN is supported by the largest association of recreational divers in the world. Founded in 1980, DAN has served as a lifeline for the scuba industry by operating diving's only 24-hour emergency hotline, a lifesaving service for injured divers. Additionally, DAN operates a diving medical information line, conducts vital diving medical research, and develops and provides a number of educational programs for everyone from beginning divers to medical professionals.
DAN provides comprehensive training to the dive community by disseminating the latest information on topics related to diving safety through articles, reports, seminars, lectures, and training programs.
Divers Alert Network, a nonprofit organization, exists first to provide expert information and advice for the benefit of the diving public. DAN's historical and primary function is to provide emergency medical advice and assistance for underwater diving injuries, to work to prevent injuries, and to promote diving safety. Second, DAN promotes and supports underwater diving research and education, particularly as it relates to the improvement of diving safety, medical treatment and first aid. Third, DAN strives to provide the most accurate, up-to-date and unbiased information on issues of common concern to the diving public primarily, but not exclusively, for diving safety.
The DAN programs that we offer at Utila Dive Centre have been developed by DAN to make you a better educated and dive-safety orientated professional. In the unlikely event that you are required to use your dive medical training, you can be assured that the training you receive through DAN programs will allow you to provide the most comprehensive, ‘up to date’ first aid treatment and provide the best chances for an injured diver's recovery.
To qualify as a DAN Instructor in a specific specialty, all candidates take the 'Instructor Qualfication Course' (IQC) module and then the provider/Instructor course for each specific specialty (though we can offer combined packages for streamling, efificiency and cost/time savings). The core module will train you to fully understand DAN standards and procedures and how to effectively teach the underlying DAN provider core modules. In just 1 day you can qualify as a DAN Instructor and soon progress to being able to offer the full curriculum of DAN programs. You will gain a full understanding of pioneering techniques of diver injury prevention and safety first aid. Improve your marketability and earnings potential as a dive professional and enjoy the benefits of being certified as a DAN Instructor.
We've listed each specific DAN program at provider/Instructor level in this section of the website so you can read more on each module. When you qualify in 4 modules, we can offer a 'Diving Emergency Management Provider' Instructor certification.
