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D.A.N.
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Divers Alert Network. Nonprofit organization that provides emergency and informational advice and assistance for diving injuries, promotes diving-related medical research and education, collects injury statistics, and offers dive safety services to its members and the diving community.
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Dalton's Law
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The total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the pressures of each gas of the different gases making up the mixture. Each gas acting as if it were alone were present and occupied the total volume.
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Deco Mix
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Gas mixture used during decompression.
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Decompression
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Any change from one ambient pressure to a lower ambient pressure, always results in a reduction of gas pressure within the body.
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Decompression dive
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Any dive where the diver is exposed to a higher pressure than when the dive began, the decompression occurs as the diver ascends.
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Decompression illness
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DCI; a term to encompass all bubble-related problems arising from decompression, including both decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism.
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Decompression sickness
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DCS; a general term for all problems resulting from nitrogen leaving the body when ambient pressure is lowered. Can be divided into Type I (musculoskeletal and/or skin manifestations only) or the more serous Type II (neurologic, cardiac, and/or pulmonary manifestations).
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Decompression stop
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On ascent from a dive, a specified time spent at a specific depth, for the purpose of nitrogen off-gassing. When not mandatory it is called a safety stop.
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Deep diving
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For recreational divers a deep dive is a dive below 60 ft.
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DEMA
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Dive Equipment & Marketing Association. Not-for-profit organization of equipment manufacturers, training agencies, dive media, travel companies and dive retailers that seeks to promote scuba diving and snorkeling to the general public.
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Depth gauge
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A device that indicates how far a diver is below the surface.
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Descent/Ascent Line
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A line suspended from a boat, float or buoy used to permit divers to control their descents and ascents and to provide guidance to the bottom in poor visibility or strong currents; particularly useful on ascent to assist divers to make safety or emergency decompression stops between 10 and 15 feet.
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Diaphragm
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A dividing membrane or thin partition; the thin muscle separating the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity; the rubber (or other material) separating the demand chamber in a regulator from the surrounding water.
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DIN
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Deutsches Institut fur Normung. Design of tank valve popular in Europe in which the first-stage regulator screws into the tank valve. Recommended for high pressure tanks.
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Dive computer
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Device that constantly measures depth and time, based on a pre-programmed algorithm, the computer calculates tissue nitrogen uptake and elimination in several theoretical compartments and provides a continuous readout of the dive profile, including: depth, elapsed time of the dive, duration at current depth before decompression becomes mandatory, and a warning if the rate of ascent is too fast.
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Dive Flag
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May be either a red rectangle with a white diagonal stripe or a blue and white double tailed pennant. Flags are used to warn watercraft to stay away because there are divers below.
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Dive lights
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Specially designed underwater lights used for night, cave or wreck diving.
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Dive Tables
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A printed collection of dive times for specific depths, by which the divers can avoid contacting DCS. Most tables are based on Haldanian theory for nitrogen up-take and elimination.
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Diver propulsion vehicle
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Motorized vehicle used by divers to cove long distances underwater without having to kick.
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DOT
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Department of Transportation. U.S. government agency that regulates the manufacture, testing and transport of compressed gas containers, including scuba cylinders. DOT stamp appears on scuba tanks, followed by the alphabetic designation for the steel or aluminum alloy the tank is made of and the maximum fill pressure.
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DPV
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Diver propulsion vehicle, underwater scooter that allows a dive to cover an increased distance underwater. Popular at some resorts.
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Dry Suit
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A water-tight garment that keeps the diver's body warm by providing insulation with a layer of gas, such as air, for diving in waters that are too cold for comfortable wetsuit protection, usually below 65'F.
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