Although the risk of serious injury while scuba diving is small, the possibility still exists. You can protect yourself during your training by enrolling in DAN's complimentary student membership program.

DAN's student membership provides insurance coverage for decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism. As you'll learn later in this course, these injuries require hyperbaric chamber treatment, which can be extremely costly and are not covered by many health insurance plans. DAN's student membership coverage lasts for the duration of your entry-level training, but expires after six months if your training is not completed.

Your scuba instructor can enroll you in this program. If he or she hasn't already offered it to you, be sure to mention that you are interested in the program. You can also enroll online at the DAN website.