Message from Francois Burman

Celebrating

diving safety

With dive safety in mind, DAN-SA has grown from a hotline service into a pioneering safety forum, offering practical medical advice, training courses and personal service.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S DESK

Ever since its foundation in 1996, DAN-SA has been working tirelessly to develop and offer safety-based programmes and services for its members and the diving community at large. The years have not been without their challenges, yet DAN-SA has grown in size, strength and sustainability as it persisted in its mission of offering a hotline and a diving medical advice service, conducting recreational diving related research, and presenting various diving first aid and advanced safety training programmes and initiatives.

Founded firmly on Dr Frans Cronje’s original vision and immense personal contributions, DAN-SA has continued to evolve into a dedicated team of board members, several committed full- and part-time staff members; a large, highlyskilled group of diving medical consultants and 7 000 loyal DAN-SA members – all of whom make up this wonderful organisation. In spite of trying economic times, DAN-SA is solidly set to continue its mission: To ensure ongoing support and effective assistance to DAN-SA members in need and to offer diving safety training and materials relevant to today’s recreational diving world. To this end, DAN-SA has also embraced modern, paperless communication methods to bring the full benefit of interactive electronic information and services directly to our members, without the adverse environmental impact of printed media.

Upon being accepted into the international DAN confederation of organisations in 1997, DAN-SA has had the benefit of receiving input from, and the opportunity of contributing toward, this global forum. In many ways, DAN-SA has been leading the charge, especially in terms of the Dive Safety Partners (DSP), the international Recompression Chamber Assistance and Partnering Programme (RCAPP1), and the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) programmes. DAN-SA has also initiated various ideas which have helped DAN to grow

Francois Burman

CEO DAN Southern Africa

FOOTNOTE:

1. The Recompression Chamber Assistance and Partnership Programme (RCAPP) is dedicated to developing chambers around international diving locations.

internationally, including international and local DAN publications like diving and hyperbaric medical books. As such, we have also ensured that our members receive the best support no matter where they travel or dive. We have also created opportunities for international diving medical training such as the sponsorship offered by means of the DAN Fellowship award. In addition, DAN-SA has been pivotal in pioneering three internationally recognised academic and practical diving medical officer education and qualification courses. We have participated and contributed extensively toward diving research efforts conducted through the DAN diving safety laboratory. All of these activities have been spearheaded and supported by DAN-SA for the benefit of our members as well as for the international diving community.

In response to the ever-increasing autonomy of its member organisations, DAN international has recently restructured its original geographic delineation into a more flexible and collaborative federation of fully independent organisations. Jointly, and individually, we are now able to extend our services into various new and growing diving regions, some of which are truly huge. This is also facilitating the development of several new diving destinations, which our members will be able to visit with greater confidence knowing that DAN is part of the process.

We are now able to extend our services into various new and growing diving regions, some of which are truly huge.

Personally, I consider one of DAN-SA’s biggest achievements to be the growth and maturity of our very own diving medical and emergency service teams. Many DAN-SA members, local divers and visiting DAN members from other regions have been the beneficiaries of this personal, professional and effective service. Our fellow international DAN organisations regularly express their gratitude as we continue to take care of their members who dive in our waters. We have so much to be proud of and grateful for as a wholly Southern African service.

We hope that you will enjoy reading this edition. Please absorb and comment on the information we have shared. Also consider our safety tips as they are given with your best interests at heart – to allow you to not only enjoy your diving more, but to also do so in safety and with greater confidence. Until next time – safe diving!