Asthma/depression - BUT I WANT TO DIVE

[iluvtheocean]

yes, contact dan in regards to the drug interaction (if known)

dan can recommend a doctor who can do a physical for diving...

you CAN dive with excercise related asthma -- plenty of people do... including myself.... pulmonologist had said it went away.. but after getting pneumonia last year, it came back... but doesn't affect my diving... you aren't doing heavy exertion during a rec dive... unless it's very strong current.

you still can do rec diving -- up to and including DM & instructor possibly.

 

[cogaritis]

Forgive me, but what is DM?

I'll definitely contact DAN for advice and assistance.

So far I've seen two recreational diving responses, but no commercial. I'll have to look up the requirements for certification - does anyone know where they are?

I'm dead set on pursuing this as a career. But I need to know if I can get certified and dive professionally. If the major/most common diving certifications do not allow certification for divers with EXTREMELY-WELL-CONTROLLED asthma... I guess I'll be pursuing a degree in chemical or mechanical engineering. But I have to try. I have to.

 

[Wookie]

DM= Divemaster. They assist the instructor, or lead dives. They are considered dive professionals, but I haven't met one who made enough to live on yet.

 

[Skittl1321]

There is a commercial diving sub-forum- maybe you would get more targeted responses if you post there? I think most posters on this board are recreational divers, or if they are professionals, they work with recreational divers. If your doctor cleared you for rec diving, you could work your way up to that type of professional position.

I really don't know- but I think liability reasons may make it difficult for you to get a commercial diving job. Companies that have positions like that aren't wanting to take risks that might cost them major $$$.

 

[iluvtheocean]

personally i think you'd do better going as an engineer and getting certified as a rec diver and maybe even going tec -- engineers make good money - and then you dive wherever you want in the world -- who knows, you might be the mechanical engineer that makes the star wars style rebreathers that dont draw just pure 02 actually possible. Party on your yacht in Truk Lagoon?

 

[Wookie]

I just checked with the admissions folks at The Ocean Corp, one of the premier commercial dive schools located in Houston, TX. Both well controlled asthma as well as medication controlled depression are absolute no go's for admissions to that particular school. Interestingly, the ADCI website does not mention anything about medical requirements to be a member. All they care about is your graduation from a commercial dive school and a membership fee.

 

[Tigerman]

Bummer as it may be, Id have to say that as long as you're struggling with depression its a really bad idea to join the armed forces as it could be seriously detrimental to your well being, given the highly stressful environment it IS if you get deployed.

As for recreational diving (as in not commercial saturation diving), I would think you should be ok for it.

 

[sphyrnidus]

DM = Dive Master, which is an assistant of the instructor or works as a guide.
There are no specific requirements to go diving recreationally. There are medical restrictions as you have noted. Get a physical as advised and you'll know if you are fit enough. What I'm not sure about is what you mean by diving professionally. Do you mean working in the recreational diving industry, i.e. as an instructor etc. or do you want to pursue a career working underwater, like welding or salvaging etc. The latter will probably be more difficult to do with asthma. It is also getting to be an actual working job

 

[cogaritis]

Good responses everyone, thank you.

Wookie - Are you a nuclear engineer? We need to talk. I can't get enough of physics, though my experience in IT has led me to consider more tangible career choices, such as chemical or mechanical engineering. I don't know enough about nuclear engineering to see if it can hold my interest. Also, thank you for checking with that dive school. Not what I wanted to hear, but that's the reality of it.

Tigerman - I completely agree.

Sphyrnidus - Professionally as in saturation diving, welding, search and rescue, salvage, etc. Something that I can make a living off of. I'm okay with making a mediocre salary as long as I can live a comfortable lifestyle. I was a plumber for a while, I worked on a farm for a while, too, stacking thousands of bails of hay, and feeding hundreds of bovine on a daily basis by my lonesome. None of that was ever an issue for me - I can't believe that asthma is such a big deal. I've had asthma attacks before, but even my most terrifying and extreme attack allowed me to breathe, albeit restricted. I can run miles on end without issue. I compare having asthma to not having a degree, in some sense. People don't even look at me because I don't have a degree, yet I can run circles around them when you put me into their position. That's a whole different discussion though.

 

[Damselfish]

Things are different underwater. Medications can behave differently under pressure. Compressed air and the volume changes with depth are incompatible with some conditions. Events that might be merely inconveniences on the surface can result in serious injuries or drowning underwater.