Medical Release Issues When Abroad

[SandyRobinson]

It's been a few years since I had to have a letter from my doctor but if I recall correctly he had a stamp with his name and license or registration number on it, that he used. Maybe that is what they meant by a seal.

Wonder if that is the same as a electronic signature for prescriptions?

 

[JackD342]

Probably means never heard of a doctor having a seal? I've never heard of it either. If you really got nothing about it from the cruise line - which hopefully did not then charge you for the excursion? - definitely let them know this is going on. Both so they can notify people properly, and maybe so they can have someone who actually knows something about this work with their vendor to do something about it, because it seems bogus. (Or find a different vendor, though I don't know how many options there are in Aruba that could handle cruise traffic.) I agree posting on TripAdvisor is a good idea, and maybe a cruise site would be good - places people likely to run into this situation might read.

Unfortunately there seem to be lots of instances of dive shops/employees anywhere emphatically stating things as fact which are simply not true, for all sorts of reasons.
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If you poke around on the Red Sail site there is this - http://www.redsailaruba.com/pdf/AR_Medical_Statement.pdf

Which does mention something about a seal, but it could have been updated since April?. Maybe it's an Aruba thing, but they have to know a lot of their customers are from the US.

Looks like the Red Sail part of the document states a requirement for an "office stamp", not a seal. So either that is required or common in Aruba, or was added by the operator based on some past experience or incident. Their form does urge pre-arrival communication for the paperwork, but if the cruise ship doesn't pass along at least that general caveat then they have an opportunity for improving their customer experience. And that employee does need to understand the "why" of the situation better, as it was NOT PADI's rule.

 

[though13]

Looks like the Red Sail part of the document states a requirement for an "office stamp", not a seal. So either that is required or common in Aruba, or was added by the operator based on some past experience or incident. Their form does urge pre-arrival communication for the paperwork, but if the cruise ship doesn't pass along at least that general caveat then they have an opportunity for improving their customer experience. And that employee does need to understand the "why" of the situation better, as it was NOT PADI's rule.

yes - the most frustrating part was that they indicated my LDS is "not following PADI standards." They definitely need to understand the "why". Thanks for the feedback!

 

[arcticat99]

i went through this as well first on a discover scuba .i was denied then i went and got my padi open water and gave my LDS my Dr release form.next cruise no problem nothing asked .my last cruise i didn't bring my Dr note and started getting grief from the excursion personal.i told them to call my local dive shop on their dime and they would fax the Dr release form to them .that was good enough for them and i did my dives .that was in February st Thomas Dominica Bonaire

 

[2airishuman]

I pulled out a medical release from when I got my certification. The doc's name and so on is handwritten. No stamp or seal.

Some docs have a rubber stamp with the office name and address on it, that they use for paperwork like that, but in the USA it has no special significance and is really just a convenience.

Diving or not, there is much less emphasis on official stamps, seals, papers, and other trappings of bureaucracy in the USA than anywhere else in the world. As an aside, sailboats on international voyages often carry an official-looking rubber stamp that has the name of the boat, country of registry, registration number, and possibly other information. They are said to be useful on customs forms and other official paperwork, despite having no legal significance in the USA.

 

[JackD342]

yes - the most frustrating part was that they indicated my LDS is "not following PADI standards." They definitely need to understand the "why". Thanks for the feedback!

I just checked the website for Mermaid Dive in Aruba. They say to "have your physician SIGN and STAMP it for clearance.". So the added hurdle sounds like a local thing, not adjusted for travelers with different norms at home. Must not get too many divers from the US in Aruba.... ?

 

[2airishuman]

I believe that Red Sail Aruba contracts out their dive tours to Mermaid Dive among others. I've used Mermaid Dive myself, but booked with them directly. It's an interesting outfit (but aren't they all?), and the proprietor makes a five minute speech on the hazards of diving and the Importance of Being Good and Doing the Right Thing to every customer before their first dive with Mermaid.

It would not be out of character for him to insist on a stamp or seal.

I do believe that they are a safe operator and use due care in maintenance of their air plant and boats.

 

[Streydog]

I can imagine how disappointed you were when this happened. I did a cruise ship dive there right after my certification. The ship used Red sails something.... The dives were bland to say the least and I the crew we dove with were extremely rude.

 

[Sevenrider860]

Looks like the Red Sail part of the document states a requirement for an "office stamp", not a seal. So either that is required or common in Aruba, or was added by the operator based on some past experience or incident. Their form does urge pre-arrival communication for the paperwork, but if the cruise ship doesn't pass along at least that general caveat then they have an opportunity for improving their customer experience. And that employee does need to understand the "why" of the situation better, as it was NOT PADI's rule.

PADI’s Standards are that operators follow the medical requirements of the country the operator is located in. So if this stamp for medical professionals is an Aruba requirement, then I can see it being interpreted as being a “PADI” rule...even though it is actually a local regulatory requirement.

The employee’s mistake is assuming that the same local requirement exists in other countries and claiming that others are not following PADI Standards. Others mistakingly assume their home country medical requirements are the same as Aruba, so the shop in Aruba is not following PADI Standards.

This is a great thread because if I have any divers who may be going to Aruba, I can advise that they may want to get a stamp on their medical statement if they don’t have one. I would estimate 75 to 85 percent of the medicals I see have an office or physician stamp.

Does anybody know if The stamp must contain specific information to be valid?

 

[though13]

I can imagine how disappointed you were when this happened. I did a cruise ship dive there right after my certification. The ship used Red sails something.... The dives were bland to say the least and I the crew we dove with were extremely rude.

That makes me feel a little better