Discover Scuba & High Blood Pressure

[theump]

Quick question, I am looking at doing a discover dive in May and all say after you sign up and are accepted you have a medical form to fill out and that they can refuse you to dive but you can snorkel instead. If I am not going to be able to dive I don't want to pay $100 AND FIND OUT ALL i CAN DO IS SNORKEL. I am pretty healthy except for high blood presure that I take medicine for. Is this a problem? :confused:

 

 

The Ump

John

[TrqoisWtrs]

I personally would contact the dive shop you are interested in and see what they require. I thought I remember someone in my certification class had some medical condition, and to continue in the class they got a form from the dive shop and their doctor had to fill it out. So I would see what is needed ahead of time so you are good to go at class time. This is not the time to cheat on your test. :D

 

You can find more info here re high blood pressure and diving.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.aspx?faqid=64

[xSandman3`]

I would recommend getting the PADI medical questionnaire from a local dive shop and having your Dr. approve it. We only require it if you answer yes to any of the medical questions, then you just get a Dr to sign it off. Take it with you to prove that you are ok to dive. I have high blood pressure also, and still teach diving.

 

Dale

PADI OWSI

[vacationingbabe]

I have high blood pressure, and when I was getting certified, they just had me get a doctors release, when I went to my doctor, he said that I was on blood pressure medication and my blood pressure was normal because of it, which in turn I am not considered to have high blood pressure, and to answer no as to not having high blood pressure. I have been diving now for 3 years.

 

Quick question, I am looking at doing a discover dive in May and all say after you sign up and are accepted you have a medical form to fill out and that they can refuse you to dive but you can snorkel instead. If I am not going to be able to dive I don't want to pay $100 AND FIND OUT ALL i CAN DO IS SNORKEL. I am pretty healthy except for high blood presure that I take medicine for. Is this a problem? :confused:

 

 

The Ump

John

[scubadiver888]

Quick question, I am looking at doing a discover dive in May and all say after you sign up and are accepted you have a medical form to fill out and that they can refuse you to dive but you can snorkel instead. If I am not going to be able to dive I don't want to pay $100 AND FIND OUT ALL i CAN DO IS SNORKEL. I am pretty healthy except for high blood presure that I take medicine for. Is this a problem? :confused:

 

 

The Ump

John

 

John,

 

You can get a copy of the PADI medical questionnaire from http://www.padi.com/english/common/courses/forms/pdf/10063-Ver2-0.pdf. Have your doctor look at it.

 

Most the time the dive ops just want to comply with insurance regulations. They know from experience you'll be fine to dive but insurance companies what all the t crossed and the i dotted.

 

Getting your doctor to fill this out satisfies the dive op's insurance company.

 

Darrell

[theump]

John,

 

You can get a copy of the PADI medical questionnaire from http://www.padi.com/english/common/courses/forms/pdf/10063-Ver2-0.pdf. Have your doctor look at it.

 

Most the time the dive ops just want to comply with insurance regulations. They know from experience you'll be fine to dive but insurance companies what all the t crossed and the i dotted.

 

Getting your doctor to fill this out satisfies the dive op's insurance company.

 

Darrell

 

Darrell,

 

Thanks for the link. I will print it out and look it over and talk to doctor.

 

The Ump

John

[scubaran]

... he said that I was on blood pressure medication and my blood pressure was normal because of it, which in turn I am not considered to have high blood pressure, and to answer no as to not having high blood pressure.

 

Well technically that's true on the surface. However, the question is how effective is the medication under 2-3 atomosphere's of pressure? Not all medications work the same given external pressures on the body and larger storage of CO2 (like mixing sudafed with nitrox is bad, but not sudafed on the surface). I'm sure you're fine but I'd ask my doctor the next time you see them just to be sure they took diving conditions into consideration. Not all doctors know that much about diving (I've educated mine and given him the number to DAN in case he isn't sure).

 

Randall