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Divers Alert Network

image by Zachary Harden, 21 February 2021

Overview
Flags

See also:

International Organizations

Overview

Divers Alert Network, DAN (formally International Divers Alert Network, IDAN), is the largest association of recreational scuba divers in the world. It is supported by membership dues and donations. DAN's mission is to help divers in need of medical emergency assistance and to promote dive safety through research,education, products and diving services. Membership to the Regional chapter is according to country of residence. It is a group of not-for-profit organizations geographically located to cover worldwide activities, dedicated to improving diving safety for all divers.

In 1977, Undersea Medical Society (later the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society introduced the concept of a national organization (to replace LEO-FAST at Brooks Air Force Base, directed by Colonel Jefferson Davis, M.D.) where a diving medicine specialist could be contacted by telephone 24 hours a day. Dr. Peter B. Bennett received a two-year grant from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in September 1980 to form the "National Diving Accident Network" at the Frank G. Hall Hyperbaric Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

It was founded in Durham, North Carolina, United States, in 1980 at Duke University by first providing 24/7 telephonic hot-line diving medical assistance. The need for an international organisation that would be available to all divers, wherever they dived around the world, became increasingly apparent and, during a meeting at DAN Headquarters in Durham, N.C., US, in February 1991, the process to form an International DAN was started. The four existing organisations decided to adopt the common name of DAN and International DAN – also known as IDAN – was established to support the regional IDAN members - DAN America, DAN Europe, DAN Japan, and DAN Asia-Pacific. Since then the organization has expanded globally and now has independent regional organizations, each with its own area of coverage in North America (now covering most of the American continent and known as DAN America), DAN Europe (previously designated as International Diving Assistance, IDA, established in 1983), DAN Japan (previously designated Civil Alert Network, CAN, established in 1987), DAN Asia-Pacific (previously designated S.E.A.P., South East Asia-Pacific and before that known as DAN Australia) was established in 1994, DAN Southern Africa (which joined IDAN in 1996) and DAN Brazil established in 2008. Each IDAN organization is a nonprofit, independently administered organization. Each DAN depends on the support of local divers to provide its safety and educational services, such as emergency hotlines. In addition, each country has its own rules and regulations regarding insurance. Each regional DAN is cognizant of the insurance regulations of its territory.(Source and Source)
Esteban Rivera, 31 December 2020

Flags

Its flag is horizontal, displays the logo which resembles the "Diver down" signal flag and on the top right corner it features a white cross, as a symbol representing an aid/relief organization (similar to the Red Cross) over white, but with inverted colors since the Diver down flag precisely displays the color red in the background with a diagonal white stripe from left to right). The red color is Pantone PMS 485 C
Esteban Rivera, 31 December 2020

image by Zachary Harden, 21 February 2021

At some point, a square-shaped ICS Alpha flag plus the white cross in the top right corner was used as well, since this flag also stands for a diving flag.
Esteban Rivera, 31 December 2020