Dive operator age limits?

[tursiops]

Yeah.... I get that. My point was not so much about fitness, but about the issue of how private medical information is handled. I wonder what eventually happens to all of these "medical forms" that get submitted with all this private info....including date of birth, etc.? My guess is that they just go into the trash or some box.

My experience is that you only need to provide the doc's signature...not the medical info.
Secondly, you should probably have a bigger concern for the passport info you provide.

 

[scubadada]

My experience is that you only need to provide the doc's signature...not the medical info...

Yes, that is my experience also. Page 1 and 2 are screening questions. If you answer yes to questions 3, 5, or 10 on page one or any of the questions on page 2, a medical evaluation is needed for clearance. You take all 3 pages to your physician. Only the signed page 3, the medical examiner's evaluation form, is required as proof of approval. The specific medical information is appropriately, not disclosed.

 

[Tracy]

Yeah.... I get that. My point was not so much about fitness, but about the issue of how private medical information is handled. I wonder what eventually happens to all of these "medical forms" that get submitted with all this private info....including date of birth, etc.? My guess is that they just go into the trash or some box.

They get scanned, emailed to a gmail account that I only use to store waivers and releases and they are kept for 7 years.
Google is more secure and more apt to have good backups than I do.
What you do with it after I scan it is up to you.

 

[Altamira]

I'd be curious as to what percentage of divers have ever been less than truthful on any medical or liability form in order to continue with a dive or training op.

Exactly how would you expect to get, or verify, that sort of information? I suspect your best guess is going to be pretty accurate! I personally carry a physician’s medical clearance for diving to recreational limits without limitations whenever I plan to dive. I email that letter, along with my age, dive experience, recent dives, and equipment requirements to the dive ops before the trip. If they have an age restriction that I don’t meet, which has happened several times, I just find a different dive op who prefers to add to their bottom line rather than practice age discrimination.