Okaloosa County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with Divers Alert Network, a nonprofit organization recognized globally for its expertise in dive safety, medical response and research.
- Under the agreement, DAN will provide $10,000 annually over five years, totaling $50,000, to support dive safety initiatives and the SS United States artificial reef project.
The funding will be used at the county’s discretion for eligible activities including the reefing effort itself, the development and operation of a visitors center and/or gift shop, and programs promoting dive safety, marine education and underwater resource management. The agreement also includes a commemorative plaque provided by DAN to be placed on the SS United States prior to deployment.
Alex Fogg, the county’s Natural Resources Chief, told commissioners the partnership goes beyond the financial contribution, pointing to the depth of expertise DAN brings to the table.
“I think what’s most important about this potential partnership is the knowledge that they bring to the table,” Fogg said. “They have dozens of medical doctors that are highly trained in hyperbaric medicine that can provide guidance to our facilities and to our staff.”
Fogg said DAN can also advise on establishing a hyperbaric chamber in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area, drawing on experience setting up similar facilities worldwide. Northwest Florida currently lacks an emergency hyperbaric treatment facility, with the nearest option located in Mobile, Alabama, and the next closest in Orlando.
- “We know that we do not have emergency hyperbaric treatment in the northwest Florida area,” Fogg said. “That’s a problem for a diver who may be injured and needs treatment immediately.”
Fogg credited the county’s public safety department with reducing the response time for injured divers from more than 12 hours to approximately six, but acknowledged that the gap in local hyperbaric treatment remains unresolved. He said the county has explored options with local hospitals and private practices and is hopeful a solution will materialize in the coming months.
Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who has been vocal about the need for local hyperbaric treatment, noted that while the area has 12 hyperbaric cylinders spread across Destin, Niceville, Fort Walton Beach and Eglin Air Force Base, none are equipped for dive emergency situations.
“We really need to work this out if we are to be the nation’s greatest diving destination,” Ketchel said.
Commissioner Paul Mixon suggested the county could create a tourism-funded grant structure to help a hyperbaric treatment business get established in the area, an idea Ketchel supported as long as it qualifies as an allowable use of tourism development funds.
- “I think we could probably take some tourism monies over the future and create a grant structure,” Mixon said. “Not necessarily pinpointing the business, but creating a grant structure that people could apply for to be able to help one of these businesses stand up in the area.”
The 990-foot former ocean liner, currently undergoing final remediation in Mobile, Alabama, is expected to be deployed in the Gulf in the coming months and will become the world’s largest artificial reef. It will be positioned approximately 21 miles from Destin Pass and about 30 miles from Pensacola.
The DAN partnership adds to a growing list of project partners that includes the Florida Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, Visit Pensacola, Force Blue, NAUI Worldwide and the Explorers Club. The county has raised more than $4 million in outside funding for the project to date, and no property tax dollars are being used.
