Welcome!
The Michael John Norwood Memorial Research Fund has been established to advance the research initiatives conducted by Divers Alert Network Research. These comprehensive initiatives address every aspect of divers’ safety and health issues and gather data from
all over the world in order to establish international standards. As an expert technical diver, Michael had a particular interest in the area of mixed gas use. It is appropriate, therefore, that DAN’s Technical Diver Studies, begun in 2004, will be one of the many DAN Research initiatives to be supported by the fund established in his memory. In the three years since it’s founding, the Michael John Norwood Memorial Research Fund has raised over $57,000.00 for DAN.
Michael died on December 6th, 2003 while diving in Palau, Micronesia filming an episode for the History Channel’s Deep Sea Detectives of which he was the co-host. With his co-host and friend, John Chatterton, Michael had the opportunity to combine his skills as a diver and educator. These qualities were developed over many years of work and training in England where he was a detective with Scotland Yard. In his spare time he started diving and eventually helped his friend and dive partner, Richard Stevenson, establish a technical diving school in the North of England. That school, Deep Blue Diving, is still operational and is currently headquartered in Plymouth, England under Richie’s leadership.
Divers Alert Network, DAN America, is a 501 © (3) non-profit medical and research organization dedicated to the health of recreational scuba divers and is associated with Duke University Medical Center. Founded in 1980, DAN has served as a lifeline for the scuba industry by operating the only 24-hour diving emergency hotline, a lifesaving service for injured divers. Additionally, DAN operates a diving medical information hotline, conducts vital diving medical research, and develps and provides a number of first-aid and continuing education programs for everyone from beginning divers to the medical professionals. For more information on DAN, visit www.diversalertnetwork.org.
