Yes, I have been dove Cozumel 14+ times since 1990. I know the reefs and dive protocol there pretty well. I understand that DCS is NOT a pre-existing condition, but HAVING ANOTHER CONDITION (PFO) that makes you more susceptible IS, which was my point that he is putting others and himself at further risk without taking action. That is why I suggested he either address the issue, or hire his own boat/DM or quit altogether.
A quick visit to the PADI medical waiver form should clearly demonstrate that no professional organization should be taking this man diving. The fact that apparently you would take him says ALOT about your dive operation and one that I would 100% avoid.
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WOW - just WOW! You certainly make some big jumps in conclusions and judgments with very limited information.
A. I don't know for a fact that he has a PFO - there is a very specific test that is run to test for it, and there is only one Dr. on the island who performs it - Dr. Moguel, the Cardiologist at CMC - this is why I asked him this question.
B. He IS addressing the issue - he is gathering information so that he can take the next step and make an educated and informed decision. I'm sure ScubaBoard is NOT his only resource, but one of many.
C. I am not a Dr. and I can't say if I would take him diving or not. There is not enough information here to make that jump! FYI, the medical clearance is actually not even required for certified divers - it is only required for STUDENT divers. Furthermore, it is not there for the dive operator to approve or deny someone from diving - it is there so that we can determine if they should be evaluated by a diving physician. Just because something is listed on the medical form and a "yes" answer is given, that is not an automatic "no" to diving either. Again, I am not a medical Dr. nor are most dive shop owners or DM's.
D. There is a Diving Doctor participating in this thread who disagrees with you, so I'm going with his opinion! There are people on a regular basis who have been cleared for diving after a case of DCS with no further incidence.
E. I can guarantee you that there are divers out there every single day who should not be diving. They are either diving with undiagnosed issues or they have lied on their paperwork - it happens everyday!
Here's a story about a diver who ruined MANY people's day last year. I had a group of very experienced divers, 5 of them, so fortunately, they had their own boat. Of these 5 divers, TWO were actually PADI Professionals (DM & Instructor) including the diver who organized the trip. They all filled out their paperwork, they ALL answered NO to all medical issues, and in two places signed a statement that "I have no known medical issues which would preclude me from diving." I also have a series of medical questions on the diver application. There is a specific question about having any lung issues, including COPD. COPD happens to be a condition that is an absolute, unequivocal NO to diving by the way. ALl divers answered NO and signed off on their papers.
On the third day of diving, one of the divers went unconscious upon surfacing after the first dive of the day - it was an uneventful dive with no issues even at the safety stop. He was brought onto the boat, given CPR and O2 all the way to the meeting point for the ambulance that had been called - but he was already gone. He had suffered a lung overexpansion and air embolism in his lungs as a result of diagnosed severe COPD which was not disclosed on his medical statement or paperwork. after he had passed, his dive group informed me that he had told them THAT morning that his Dr. had told him he could not dive, that it would kill him. No one said anything. Perhaps this is how he wanted to die - it's how I would want to go. Or perhaps he thought he would beat the odds. I don't know, none of us do - but THAT was irresponsible and selfish. He put his friends in a horrible position, he lied to me, he and as a result it affected my crew, his dive buddies, my other divers with us that week on the other boat, his family, and even the beach club where we were told to bring him to meet the ambulance. Not just on the day of the incident, but I spent weeks and weeks dealing with this. My boat was taken out of commission for a few days while the local authorities investigated. My crew was emotionally affected.
So how dare you propose to tell me what I would or wouldn't do and that I would KNOWINGLY allow someone to dive under my watch with a condition that was dangerous to them or others. You have NO idea! For God's sake, I am one of the dive ops that requires a private DM for anyone with less than 15 ocean dives! I take all kinds of precautions that other ops do not. Again, you have NO IDEA!
Some of your statements are so outrageous I have to think you are trolling. Well, if that's the case, I took the bait - but I'm done.
