With its mission rooted in dive safety, DAN has strived to ensure that every diver has access to crucial emergency medical assistance, lifesaving equipment, and diver health and safety resources. To protect divers’ financial well-being as well as their physical well-being, DAN launched the world’s first dive accident insurance program in 1987.
Not content to simply respond to dive accidents, however, DAN in 1991 created its industry-transforming oxygen first aid training program. The development of several other basic and dive-specific first aid courses followed, and today these courses are all accredited by the U.S. Coast Guard. DAN also offers continuing medical education to physicians.
In 1993, it was apparent that not enough chambers were available to treat injured divers, so DAN established the Recompression Chamber Assistance Program (RCAP) to provide funding and training for hyperbaric facilities worldwide.
Underlying this important work, DAN has both conducted and supported vital dive safety research, which has led to the creation of numerous industry safety standards.