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Dear DAN Business Member,

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that your new DAN region is DAN World. DAN World has been established to better serve the needs of members and businesses like yours in regions outside of the United States and Canada but previously covered by DAN America.

As a DAN World Business you will still have access to many of your favorite programs, such as online publications, special business pricing on products, and the DAN Diver Identification System. Other programs will now be available in a limited fashion, such as points for new members, insureds, and students. These points will still be available, but only if the individual you sign up lives within the United States or Canada. New opportunities also await you when you elect to participate in the program that was designed by the company that will now be handling the assistance programs for your region.

Traveler Emergency Medical Services (Traveler EMS) is now the provider for your Travel Assistance needs. Working closely with DAN World they have developed a program for diving businesses that will allow you to grow a new revenue stream, something very important in today's difficult economy. Since August 1, 2009 you have been able to get information on the new Traveler EMS programs by visiting their website at www.TravelerEMS.com.

If you have been participating in the automatic renewal program, we would like to let you know that we have discontinued that option outside the United States and Canada. You will need to contact Traveler EMS directly if you would like to talk to them about their automatic renewal plan.

One thing that has not changed is DAN's commitment to diving safety, regardless of where you live or do business. The 24-hour Diving Emergency Hotline, the Medical Information Line, the Dive Medical Research Programs, and the Recompression Chamber Assistance Programs are all still in place using the same professionals at the same phone numbers that you have counted on for nearly 30 years.

If you have questions about your current DAN Business Membership contact us at +1-919-684-2948 Ext 295 Monday - Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm Eastern Time, US. Or for more information about your new opportunities with Traveler EMS call +1.202.470.0929 (English), +52.55.8421.9866 (Spanish), or +55.11.3711.7063 (Portuguese). Contact them on Skype as "travelerems," or visit their website at www.TravelerEMS.com.

Celebrate Safe Diving!

DAN America
DAN World
Traveler EMS

I'm reading between the lines here and giving my opinion. Correct me if I'm wrong!
DAN, the insurance company that has insured all the local dive masters for the last 3 decades has decided the insured outside of the US are to much of a risk and expense to cover anymore and have excluded them form buying a policy.
They are pushing them off to another company but still asking them to join as an uninsured member for all the silly perks you got when you where an insured member...sort of like Meat and Potatoes but with out the meat.
PADI in the past made it mandatory all 5 star Dive Centers joined DAN, I wonder if that is still policy at Headquarters?

This is a very marked degradation of what DAN offers to people in this region. I haven't yet checked what insurances cover is available and at what prices, but I expect it to be a worse deal. Inevitable perhaps with the rising cost of everything, but bad news for us.

AFAIK PADI has never required DAN membership of anybody. I started a PADI 5* centre and I became a DAN Business Member, but the two were unrelated.

I have actually always had two different DAN memberships. Business membership of DAN Americas, which effectively gave zero benefits, and dive centre facility/divemaster/instructor membership/insurance through DAN Europe. I need to check how that might be affected by this announcement.

Not being active in the dive industry any more I hadn't seen this until you posted it. Where did you see it?

does this just apply to business? or does it affect personal memberships also>

Yes, the business membership program for persons/dive shops not in the US can no longer purchase the insurance portion of the plan, they are suggesting another company at twice the price.
The suggested company is TravelresEMS
http://www.travelerems.com/common_questions.html
I visited the Belize Social Security Board this morning to see if Divemasters would be covered if hurt on the job with Decompression Illness (DCI).
Their position is that DCI is a third category illness therefor not covered by Belize Social Security. They probably should be challenged on this but I'm not the guy saving the world today.
Most Divemasters on the island are not in the social security program because hotels and diveshops treat them as contractors.
Could be a good way to win over the divemasters and get them in the SS program by offering to insure them and let them sign up as self employed people.

I see the point. This could be very serious.

What is the position of the hyperbaric chamber vs. DAN? Will they be able to reclaim what they always have done?

The hyperbaric chamber in San Pedro,SSS (Sub-aquatic Safety Services).
Their policy is vague or gray at best. Their program of collecting money from the diving community is deceptive. No one seems to be able to pin them down on what were paying for.
There insurance is not assuring or insurance at all!
Please let me qualify that by saying the treatment, medical service and facility is top rate and if your a US citizen with Dan insurance your in.
Its the treatment for the local divemasters and instructors that I'm speaking of.
Its how to pay for it that is the problem.