Infrequent Blackouts, still scuba?

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TheScream

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Messages
61
Reaction score
6
Location
Adelaide, Australia
# of dives
25 - 49
A great friend of mine wants to learn scuba but she has an occasional medical problem in which once every 1-3 months she will black out for about 30 seconds.

Although the chances of it happening while diving are very slim, it is still a risk which would probably disqualify her during the dive medical. Would she be able to get an approval if her equipment mitigated the risks during such a blackout? ie: full face mask

She doesn't have fits or seizures or stop breathing and just goes limp during the blackouts.
 
That would be a very emphatic NO.

Think of the possible outcomes of a 30 second blackout underwater, if she was slightly positively buoyant she could end up doing a rapid ascent and potentially suffer an embolism. Slightly negative and she could end up sinking to the bottom.

A VERY attentive buddy might head off the problems I mentioned- but what condition will she be in when she comes to? Semi-conscious underwater is a bad place to be- full face mask or not.

You don't mention what triggers these episodes- if it's not known then she really can't even consider diving, it's simply not worth risking her life for.

Please have her check with a doctor that is familiar with diving!
 
I would normally encourage you to avail yourself of the excellent medical opinions in the dive medicine forum, but this one's a no-brainer. No responsible doctor would clear her to dive.
 
In the event she DOES go diving despite the obvious reason not to, then she MUST inform any potential dive buddy about this and give him/her the opportunity to reject her as a dive buddy. Failure to do so is dishonesty of the highest degree and may cause her condition to kill two, rather than just one.
 
If she is simply spontaneously blacking out with no predictable trigger then I agree that no doctor will clear her to dive and she would be doing a disservice to herself and any prospective buddy.
 
Be sure to get her to sign a very large life insuance policy with you as the beneficiary.
 
Although the chances of it happening while diving are very slim,

What makes you think the chances are slim? Pressure, body heat loss, exertion, stress could increase her susceptibility and probability of experiencing a blackout. Quite honestly, it is a gamble with increasing odds that she make blackout - at best.



Would she be able to get an approval if her equipment mitigated the risks during such a blackout? ie: full face mask


No agency, that I know of, issues standard certifications with qualifications. Further, I know of no instructor that would want this responsibility of potentially signing her death warrant. I had a student with a similar, but more frequent, condition. She did not tell me about it, until she had already completed two dives (and she feinted in a restaurant that night). I would not certify her. Even though she was a good diver and could probably pass the course; she needs to find a activity where blackouts aren't an issue.

Suggestion: she should spend her energy on finding out why this is happening.




jcf







////
 
ARGH!!!!! DAMNIT!!!! there simply aren't enough divers in the world. to think that we have someone here who wants to dive and can't, it's a travesty!

Sorry brother, but there is no way you will ever justify her attempting a dive and there is no way you would ever forgive yourself when the inevitable happens.

Simply put, SHE CAN NOT DIVE
 
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