Emergency contacts for divers
The numbers to have saved before you get in the water — and what to say so help arrives thinking about hyperbaric chambers, not just ambulances.
One number for the whole EU, free from any phone, English spoken. Outside the EU, use the country table below.
Divers Alert Network emergency lines. You don’t need to be a member for emergency advice — call, and they’ll guide the treatment and the routing.
Where’s the nearest hyperbaric chamber?
The honest answer: you don’t navigate to one — you get routed to one.Chambers open, close, and go off-line for maintenance, and a casualty needs assessment, oxygen and sometimes a doctor’s escort before the chamber is even the right destination. Driving to a chamber unannounced can land you at a locked door two hours from the one that was ready for you.
So the drill is: 112 first, DAN second. The dispatcher handles evacuation; DAN’s doctors know which chambers in your region are staffed today and will coordinate with the local services. Your dive centre’s briefing also includes their local emergency plan — it’s worth actually listening to that part.
A verified directory of hyperbaric facilities for our destinations is in the works. We publish phone numbers on this page only after we’ve confirmed them ourselves — a stale chamber number is worse than none.
National emergency numbers
The first-call number for popular dive destinations. Save the one for your trip before you fly.
| Country | Emergency number | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | 112 | |
| Greece | 112 | |
| Spain | 112 | |
| Italy | 112 | |
| Malta | 112 | |
| Croatia | 112 | |
| France | 112 | |
| Portugal | 112 | |
| Turkey | 112 | |
| Egypt | 123 | ambulance |
| United Kingdom | 999 | 112 also works |
| United States & Canada | 911 | |
| Mexico | 911 | |
| Thailand | 1669 | medical emergency |
| Philippines | 911 | |
| Indonesia | 119 | ambulance |
| Maldives | 102 | ambulance |
| Australia | 000 | 112 from mobiles |
When you call, say:
- “Scuba diving accident” — those words first, so the dispatcher starts thinking about hyperbaric care
- Exact location — and how to reach you: shore access, pier, boat name and channel
- The diver’s state — conscious or not, breathing or not, symptoms and when they started
- The dive — depth, time, gas, ascent — and that oxygen is being given, if it is
- Stay on the line— don’t hang up until they tell you to
Two minutes before the trip
- Save the local emergency number and both DAN hotlines in your phone
- Check your dive insurance card is in your bag and its hotline is saved too
- At the briefing, note the centre’s emergency plan — oxygen location, who calls, evacuation point
- Tell someone on shore where you’re diving and when you’ll be back
No dive cover yet? See diving insurance — an air evacuation without it is a five-figure bill.