Garmin inReach Now Links Divers Directly to DAN Emergency Support

When a diving emergency happens in a remote location — a liveaboard far from a chamber, a shore dive with no mobile signal — the hardest part of the response is often coordination. A new collaboration between Garmin and the Divers Alert Network (DAN) is aimed squarely at that gap.

How it works

Divers who carry a Garmin inReach satellite communicator and hold an active inReach subscription can now add their DAN membership number to the "Emergency Notes" section of their inReach account.

If a diver then triggers an SOS from the surface, the alert goes to Garmin Response, the company's 24/7 professional emergency coordination centre. From there, Garmin Response can share the diver's details — including their DAN membership — directly with DAN, so the dive-medicine specialists get involved in the response from the start.

The point isn't to replace DAN's emergency hotline. It's to make sure that when a remote SOS fires, the people coordinating the rescue already know a diver-specific medical organisation is in the loop.

Why this matters

For most recreational diving, an emergency is handled locally: the dive boat, the nearest clinic, a call to a chamber. But in remote or expedition diving, the chain is longer — and every link matters.

Satellite messengers like the inReach work where mobile phones don't: offshore, on isolated coasts, on liveaboards between islands. Tying that SOS pathway directly into DAN's dive-medicine network closes a real gap in the emergency chain.

A few practical notes:

• You need an inReach device and an active plan for the SOS feature to work at all
• The DAN link requires an active DAN membership
• Your membership number lives in your inReach account's Emergency Notes, so it's worth setting up before you travel

The bigger picture

The move reflects a broader trend: dive-safety organisations and hardware makers are starting to integrate rather than operate in silos. For divers heading anywhere off the beaten path, that's unambiguously good news.

As always, gear is a supplement, not a substitute. Carry the messenger, join DAN, plan your dives — and dive within your training.

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More on staying safe underwater: browse our Safety articles.