Divers Alert Network - Europe (DAN Europe), specialized for many years in First Aid courses for divers, not only offers first aid training in the use of oxygen (the Oxygen Provider course), but since the end of 2001, DAN also offers an Advanced Oxygen (advanced resuscitation techniques with oxygen), Marine Life injuries (general first aid for marine life injuries) and AED (Automated External Defibrillation) Course.

After a dive a diver suffers from pain in his knee and feels tired. What might be the reason?

Most probably you are making the link to DCI right now. It’s evident that this will be the answer when you see this question in a diving related magazine.
But on the dive site or after a dive away from that site most divers would ignore or not recognize these signs and symptoms, and DCI would not pop in their minds. The signs and symptoms can be caused by anything….. anything but DCI.

DCI is something which is know by most of the divers, but is something we never expect to happen.

The link which, seems obvious now, was not even in the diver’s mind when the signs or symptoms occurred.

When signs and symptoms are recognized, a lot of divers tend to think that the "others" know what to do and are trained in the use of oxygen or other first aid techniques. But, do the other divers know it?

Every diver should be properly trained in the recognition of the signs and symptoms of injuries which a diver can suffer from, before, during or after a dive.

Keeping in mind that DCI, an injury described in most of the student manuals from dive organizations, is not recognized in a lot of cases, what to think about the injuries not described in those manuals?

Although, we follow diving courses to improve our diving and rescue techniques, we do not always see the need for proper first aid training.

First aid training means recognizing the signs and symptoms and knowing how to react when they occur. Just as breathing air, providing first aid is as simple and easy to learn and can be fun.