Effective immediately, the phone number for the DAN 24-Hour SCUBA Diving Emergency Hotline has changed. The new number is (919) 684-9111.
The change, dubbed “One Call,” is part of the continuing mission of Divers Alert Network® (DAN®) to increase the safety of SCUBA divers. With the new hotline number, divers need only to call a single phone number to activate emergency services, regardless of what kind of emergency assistance is needed.
“Over the last few years, as the benefits and resources we provided the dive industry increased, so did the phone numbers to access the assistance,” said Nicholas Bird, MD, vice president of DAN Medical Services. “SCUBA divers were getting understandably confused. By simplifying the process to a single phone number, we’ve given divers needing assistance one less thing to think about in a stressful situation.”
The new number replaces the need to decide whether to call DAN, TravelAssist to facilitate emergency evacuation, or a medical facility. Simply call DAN at the new hotline number, and all emergency assistance will be triaged and facilitated from there.
“We had a goal this year to streamline our emergency assistance resources,” said Dan Orr, president and CEO of DAN. “One Call is a huge step toward that goal, and it’s an extremely positive step in moving SCUBA diver safety forward.”
DAN’s previous hotline numbers will remain in effect for a transitional grace period. However, all divers are encouraged to update their emergency contact information and emergency assistance plans as soon as possible.
As always, in the case of an immediate life-threatening emergency, contact 911 (or the equivalent emergency response system), and then call DAN.
The DAN Emergency Hotline (919-684-9111) is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. It can be reached by collect call or from outside the U.S.