News
DAN Appoints Francois Burman as Director of Diving and Hyperbaric Safety
Divers Alert Network (DAN) has announced the appointment of Francois Burman Pr. Eng, Int PE (SA), BSc, MSc, MSAIME, FSAIW as their new Director of Diving and Hyperbaric Safety.
Before joining DAN, Burman received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town. He then served two years as a naval officer where he gained hands-on experience in naval engineering and ship design. He went on to become a Professional Engineer with the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and Welding. In 1994, Burman joined an organization specializing in life-support and underwater engineering. Shortly after, he helped establish the first private hyperbaric oxygen therapy company in Southern Africa and was accepted into the Executive Committee of the Southern Africa Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Association.
Burman joined DAN Southern Africa in 1997 as the Operations Director. He was later appointed the CEO, responsible for all aspects of DAN and its programs. He serves on the board of International DAN and is the technical consultant for various international recompression chamber assistance programs. During his time as CEO, Burman earned a Master of Science degree in Medical Sciences (Baromedical Sciences) at the University of Stellenbosch.
In 2016, Burman was chosen as the recipient of the Wilbur T. Workman award. The award is presented to an individual who shows enthusiasm in the fields of aerospace and hyperbaric medicine and is instrumental in establishing and maintaining safety standards for the specialized field of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.
“Francois’ contributions within the dive industry, as well as the DAN organization, are significant and he brings an extensive set of skills to this position,” said Bill Ziefle, President and CEO, Divers Alert Network. “His expertise in developing safety and risk mitigation protocols specific to the dive community is unparalleled. We are excited to have him aboard to help expand our resources and take our programs to the next level,” added Ziefle.
As Director of Diving and Hyperbaric Safety, Burman will place emphasis on developing and promoting programs to improve safety through risk awareness and mitigation, reducing liabilities, preventative training, and prompting appropriate response to safety violations and injuries.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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