Medical Issues

[mattoau]

Just a quick FYI post regarding medicals and medical issues in Australia.

Australia has some of the strictest requirements for health status related to diving, and AKAIK only Norway has greater requirements. As it is a federation some of the states have stricter requirements than others.

Some things to consider that can make or break a dive course / dive trip In Australia:

All entry level (OW) course students must pass the AS4005.1 dive medical. The most common failure will be related to Asthma, but this is by no means the only consideration. The medical is valid for 12 months.

All continuing education courses, and certified diving require a typical medical questionnaire. Answering yes to any of the questions will mean that the operator has a duty of care to contact a suitable dive doctor to provide clearance to dive. If you have a valid dive medical (AS4005.1) then make sure you have a copy available. If clearance cannot be provided over the phone then you will be required to pass a medical before diving.

One of the biggest issues is the question regarding current medication. Something which can be considered as a low dose on land for a trivial condition, can have a much greater affect when you are exposed to greater pressures. Secondary or side-effects of a specific medication are also considered, and some examples of this are medications that can increase the chances of blackouts or dizziness.

I know it may be very tempting to lie on a medical questionnaire, but if something did go wrong your insurer would quite happily walk away.

The good news is that an AS4005.1 dive medical can cost as little as $50AUD in Australia. If you want to get one overseas then make sure your dive doctor is familiar with the AS4005.1 requirements.

I have seen many divers heartbroken by the strict standards set here in Australia (Queensland in particular), and have had another diver in tears today because she could not dive with her husband on their honeymoon. There is a very good chance that she could pass the medical, but the operators have regulations and a duty of care to adhere to.

So please take note for yourself, and maybe for friends who are considering diving in Australia.

 

[Tyger]

Just to clarify (To make sure I understand the requirements) the medical is only required if people are taking courses, or answer "yes" to the medical questions, correct? Someone who is already certified and can answer "no" to all the usual medical questions won't need to do anything besides answer the questions?

(I will be heading to Australia in a little over a week with my soon-to-be-wife and we have a few day trips planned for diving. I'd seen the medical requirement, but interpreted it as we wouldn't need the medical since we're both in good health and won't be doing anything instructional.)

 

[mattoau]

Medical required for:
Entry level (Open Water Course).

Medical may be required:
If you answer Yes to any question on the medical based questions for Certified Diving or Continuing Education dive courses. Medical clearance may be provided over the phone, but it may be best to assume for the worst and have a medical for peace of mind.

Medical not required:
If you can answer no to all of the medical questions for Certified Diving or Continuing Education dive courses.


Tyger, where are you planning on diving?

 

[alewar]

I Germany you have to pass a medical examination in order to get instruction and some insurance.
People under 40 must undergo the examination every 3 years and it includes

* normal EKG
* lungs functional volume, etc.
* ears, eyes, blood pressure, reflexes, etc.

People over 40 must do the examination every year, and they also have an stress EKG instead of the normal one.

 

[mattoau]

Hi alewar.

Thanks for your response. I may have been wrong in my assumption that Australia was one of the strictest countries when it comes to medical issues. However my post was aimed at divers diving or wishing to dive in Australia. The information you have provided may be better suited in the European or related sub-forums.

 

[ozzydamo]

Yes it is strict here and we have the same law for over forties as Germany but that's for people who work as instructors or DM's
Comparatively to SE Asian- which has some great diving, good IDC, cheaper accommodation and cheap airfares. Makes it a lot harder for Queensland dive operators to attract OW course participants, also thru the added costs to operations in other OH&S requirement like boat surveys and master class/coxswains licensing- a cheap boat dive here is $55/dive with your own gear, in Thailand its $25 and often you can get a package deal for training. Also the distances of travel to get to the better diving reefs. Budgets are tight nowadays, $50 might not seem like a lot, but it can change a persons mind on choice of holiday with the sum of the total.

Be interesting if anything changes, seeing tourism here is going down the gurgler and set get worse with a double dip recession coming bang on the US election time just like 2008.


2.3.1.2 Medical fitness of Entry-level certificate divers
The person conducting the business or undertaking should ensure that any person training for an entry-level recreational diving certificate is certified as being medically fit for diving in accordance with Appendices A and B of Australian Standard 4005.1 – 2000 Training and certification of recreational divers - Part 1: Minimum entry level SCUBA diving. The 2 appendices, that is A and B, give medical information and show the medical form which should be used for a pre-diving medical examination for prospective recreational divers. The medical certification should be provided in English, preferably by a medical practitioner with experience in diving medicine, within 90 days prior to the commencement of training.
The person conducting the business or undertaking should ensure that persons undertaking training for an entry level recreational diving certificate are at least a minimum of 12 years of age. Due regard should be had to the other requirements in AS 4005.1 – 2000. If the diver is under the age of 18 years, parental or guardian consent is required for the diver to undertake training for an entry level recreational diving certificate.
2.3.1.3 Medical fitness of certificated divers
The person conducting the business or undertaking should assess the diver’s current medical fitness to dive.
A. Concerns Regarding the Medical Fitness of a Potential Diver
If the person conducting the business or undertaking has concerns regarding the medical fitness of a potential diver, they should not conduct diving for that person, unless:
(a)
the diver seeks medical advice which advises diving can be undertaken; OR
(b)
a dive instructor or certified assistant accompanies the diver on a dive.
B. Example Questions to Assess Current Medical Fitness to Dive
The following questions are an example of questions that may be asked of the diver to assess his or her current medical fitness to dive:
(a)
Since completing your last dive medical assessment, have you suffered any illness or injury that may affect your ability to dive safely?
(b)
Are you currently suffering any illness or injury?
(c)
Are you currently taking any prescription medication, other than the contraceptive pill?

http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplac...nal-technical-diving-snorkelling-cop-2011.pdf

 

[Tyger]

Medical required for:
Entry level (Open Water Course).

Medical may be required:
If you answer Yes to any question on the medical based questions for Certified Diving or Continuing Education dive courses. Medical clearance may be provided over the phone, but it may be best to assume for the worst and have a medical for peace of mind.

Medical not required:
If you can answer no to all of the medical questions for Certified Diving or Continuing Education dive courses.


Tyger, where are you planning on diving?

Thanks for the confirmation!

We had originally just planned one day of diving for our honeymoon. But after we got our certification locally, one day didn't seem enough so we tried finding more. So we have 3 trips planned now.

First (and the original plan) is 2-3 dives at Agincourt Ribbon Reef aboard SilverSonic out of Port Douglas.
Second is 2 dives at Bait Reef with H2O Sport out of Hamilton Island. This is where most of our free time will be, but as far as I can tell they are pretty much our only choice when staying on Hamilton Island. (And very expensive for a diving day trip.)
Finally we are doing a couple shore dives out of Sydney with a LDS.

 

[phuonguyen]

If you read into the regulations for the Dive medicals, you'll see that any medical practitioner can issue the AS4005.1 medical, same with the AS2299 for commercial diving.
However, I always recommend SPUMS qualified docs to my students as well as anyone who wishes to obtain a medical.

You should not need a full medical to go pleasure diving, unless you or your wife have a predisposition to diving (asthma/angina/one of the 40ish YES/NO questions), but this has already been covered above.

Good luck and have fun!