Dive Medical Declaration
I have recently been made aware of two cases where divers have died with an IPO (Immersion Pulmonary Oedema) who have previously suffered and survived an IPO.
The UKDMC medical form specifically asks if you have had a “immersion induced pulmonary oedema”. You must be completely honest when completing the forms.
Unless there was a specific identifiable cause which lead to the IPO which can be mitigated, which would be rare, the medical advice is that you should not dive again. This is a message which is always very difficult message to hear but IPO is, if rare, a killer of divers.
Dive medicals are not only to protect you, but they also keep your dive buddy and rescue teams safe.
Dive Medical Declaration – Question answered YES
You are working through the medical questions and you answer “yes” to one (or more) of them. The form says you “must seek advice from a UKDMC Medical Referee”. Your first reaction is likely to be “oh b****r how to I go about that”.
The first stop will be your Diving Officer, they might have details of local dive medical referees club members have used in the past. Your Diving Officer is likely to provide you with options which will help you through the process. An example could go something like this:
- Suggest that you visit the UKDMC website page which provides guidance on medical conditions and how they might impact you as a diver. I would recommend that you learn as much as possible about your condition
- When selecting a medical referee ensure that you fully understand the cost involved. Medical referees invest in specialised skills and equipment to be able to carry out specialised dive medicals. You will be given a price, which in the vast majority of cases will be the final cost, however, if further investigation is required you might have to incur extra expense
- My experience as a club Diving Officer indicated that most medicals are issued for an indefinite period, subject to there being no change in the medical condition(s). However, some conditions, like Diabetes, will involve an annual medical and additional costs involved in you providing a report from your GP or consultant
- Back to the first step. Speak to a Medical Referee, you have several options on how to do this:
a. Get the details for your nearest Medical Referee from the UKDMC website
b. You can book a telephone consultation with one of the DDRC doctors, details can be found on their website here. There is an initial cost of £20.00 and on conclusion of the consultation you will be advised on how you will be able to proceed.
Take care and stay safe
Steve Orange, National Diving Officer
ndo@saa.org.uk
