Scuba Medical

Scuba diving and free diving require a minimum level of health and fitness. Chronic health conditions, certain medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a physician before diving.

Avoid disappointment, download and review the Diver Medical form to ensure you meet the medical fitness requirements for diving. Instructors, divemasters and dive shop staff are not physicians and should not be asked for medical advice; only medical professionals can give medical clearance to dive.

From PADI:

"Before participating in PADI courses or programs, all student divers must complete paperwork, such as a brief scuba medical questionnaire that ask about medical conditions that could be a problem while diving.

Important Note Regarding Medicals: Your PADI Instructor will have you complete a Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire, which you can download below to take to your physician. Its purpose is to identify possible medical conditions that may have risk while diving and therefore require further examination by a medical doctor prior to diving. The Questionnaire was developed by an independent international group of dive medical experts (the Diver Medical Screening Committee – DMSC) and is used by the global dive community. Please note that should approval be required, your doctor should simply mark it Approved or Not Approved. Per DMSC design, no limits or conditions for Approval may be added by the evaluating physician. Should such limits or conditions be added, diver professionals are required to consider it Not Approved."

If you (or your physician) have questions about medical fitness to dive, contact the experts at Divers Alert Network (DAN).

Review the medical questionnaire, and follow the instructions on the form.  PADI requires either all NO answers, or the doctor's unconditional approval for you to participate in the class.  There are no exceptions allowed.   The form must be filled out completely, including the approving signature in the blank provided for it, and dated.  This is a legal document and must be filled out correctly or it is invalid and will have to be corrected.  PADI Requirement for Minors ***A parent or legal guardian must sign the document. *** 

If you answered YES to questions 3, 5 or 10 on the medical OR to any of the questions on page 2 of the medical form, take all three pages of the medical form to your physician for a medical approval.  Bring the completed form (whether or not you required approval) to the class.

IF you did require approval:

*** As soon as you obtain approval  ***, forward a copy of your form to slim@blueskydivers.com and bring in the original to the class.  If there are any conditions or exceptions noted on the form it will be forwarded to PADI for their acceptance.   In the event that PADI does not accept, you will have to obtain further clarification / approval.  Don't wait until class starts if you are at all unsure about what your physician wrote on your form.  Neither your instructor nor the dive shop can decide if the form is acceptable.  PADI makes the final decision if the form is acceptable.

Here is a good article about common medications and diving.

Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) physician referral info

If you are looking for a physician to conduct a diving physical to be medically cleared for diving or would like a consultation from a diving medical specialist in your area, you can call DAN at 919-684-2948 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Eastern time zone)