Fortunately, you don’t have to be an olympic swimmer to scuba dive, but you do have to be in good health. Before you begin your PADI course, you will have to have a medical examination. Your dive centre should be able to give you a list of doctors in your area who are qualified to do the scuba examination. Not all doctors will do these so don’t be surprised if your own doctor says that they can’t.
As long as you have a reasonable level of competency in the water i.e. you can swim 200 metres and float for 10 minutes, you should be OK. At the end of the day, you know how confident you are in the water. If you’re not very confident in the water, maybe consider some one on one lessons. Something to keep in mind – when you’re kitted up for scuba diving, you’ll be wearing a BCD (vest) that is fully inflatable and makes you totally buoyant. So another words, if you’re tired in the water, you’re BCD will make you float comfortably on the surface.
When you go to see the doctor for your dive medical, you will be asked lots of questions about your health history. Below is a list of possible health questions to consider.
Basic Dive Health Assessment
- Could you be pregnant, or are you attempting to become pregnant?
- Are you presently taking prescription medications? (with the exception of birth control or anti-malarial)
- Are you over 45 years of age and can answer YES to one or more of the following?
- Currently smoke a pipe, cigars or cigarettes
- Have a high cholesterol level
- Have a family history of heart attack or stroke
- Are currently receiving medical care
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes mellitus, even if controlled by diet alone
Have you ever had or do you currently have…
- Asthma, or wheezing with breathing, or wheezing with exercise?
- Frequent or severe attacks of hayfever or allergy?
- Frequent colds, sinusitis or bronchitis?
- Any form of lung disease?
- Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)?
- Other chest disease or chest surgery?
- Behavioural health, mental or psychological problems (Panic attack, fear of closed or open spaces)?
- Epilepsy, seizures, convulsions or take medications to prevent them?
- Recurring complicated migraine headaches or take medications to prevent them?
- Blackouts or fainting (full/partial loss of consciousness)?
- Frequent or severe suffering from motion sickness (seasick, carsick, etc.)?
- Dysentery or dehydration requiring medical intervention?
- Any dive accidents or decompression sickness?
- Inability to perform moderate exercise (example: walk 1.6 km/one mile within 12 mins.)?
- Head injury with loss of consciousness in the past five years?
- Recurrent back problems?
- Back or spinal surgery?
- Diabetes?
- Back, arm or leg problems following surgery, injury or fracture?
- High blood pressure or take medicine to control blood pressure?
- Heart disease?
- Heart attack?
- Angina, heart surgery or blood vessel surgery?
- Sinus surgery?
- Ear disease or surgery, hearing loss or problems with balance?
- Recurrent ear problems?
- Bleeding or other blood disorders?
- Hernia?
- Ulcers or ulcer surgery?
- A colostomy or ileostomy?
- Recreational drug use or treatment for, or alcoholism in the past five years?