Photo by olaszmelo, used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Are you fit to dive?
Photo by PHC John S. Stadelman, used under Public Domain license
Consider a fitness to dive medical evaluation.
Photo by Nick Hobgood, used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
Fitness to Dive Evaluation
Safe diving always begins with a thorough medical evaluation which will identify the individual risk factors for diving. A fitness to dive evaluation is mandatory for all commercial divers and should be the initial evaluation for the individual contemplating recreational diving.
The Fitness to Dive Evaluation includes:
- Medical History
- Complete Physical Examination
- Pertinent Medical Studies which very according to the individual but may include lung function testing, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, exercise stress testing and eye visual acuity/ear audiology testing. Echocardiogram with bubble study is required in individuals suspected to have a patent foramen ovale (hole in the heart) and those with severe or recurrent decompression sickness or decompression illness.
- Identification of Risk Factors
Absolute disqualifying medical conditions for diving:
- Poorly Controlled Asthma
- Chronic Cystic, or Restrictive Pulmonary Disease
- History of Spontaneous Pneumothorax
- Seizure Disorder
- Middle Ear Surgery with Placement of Prosthesis
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Detached Retina
- Patent Foramen Ovale and Ventricular Septal Defect
- Symptomatic Bradycardia (Slow Pulse)
- Pregnancy
Relative disqualifying medical conditions for diving:
- Poorly Controlled Type I Diabetes
- Chronic Tympanic Membrane Perforation (Ear Drum)
- Previous Severe Decompression Sickness or Decompression Illness
- Previous Arterial Gas Embolism
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Angina Pectoris or Cardiac Stent
- Hernias
- Recent Orthopedic Injury
- Radiation Therapy
- Certain Cardiac Arrhythmias
- Mitral Valve Prolapse and other Cardiac Structural Abnormalities
- Many Other Medical Conditions
