DAN IS FOR DIVERS

By the early 1980s, learning to scuba dive was becoming mainstream.

- Bill Ziefle

After the recession of the mid-1970s, people with good-paying jobs and increasing opportunities to travel were exploring untouched reefs with brand-new scuba gear strapped to their backs. DAN was created in 1980 to connect injured divers with experts who could help get them the care they needed.

The medical professionals answering the phone at DAN were able to direct injured divers from anywhere in the world to the closest facility that could provide appropriate treatment, but emergency room visits could be expensive even in the 80s, and recompression treatment often cost much more. Hospitals, especially those in remote locations, were often reluctant or unable to accept divers’ primary health insurance. Even if a diver found a facility that accepted their medical insurance, language in those policies would often limit or exclude coverage because the diver was injured while participating in an adventure sport.