Required medical examination

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

dfx

Contributor
Messages
1,834
Reaction score
632
Location
Binbrook, ON
# of dives
200 - 499
So I've taken my first OWD course many years ago in Austria. Part of the requirements for starting the course was to get a medical examination from a doctor, certifying that you were fit to dive. That was required before you even enrolled in the course, and you were required to get re-examined every two years (or maybe it even was every year). If you failed the examination for whatever reason, you weren't allowed to dive. This was required for every diver and I believe these requirements still exist today. You were expected to have the medical statement with you when you were going diving.

Now being based in Canada, I haven't seen anything like this anywhere else. Everyone has the usual waivers and medical forms that you complete yourself, but nobody ever required a medical examination from a doctor unless you admitted to having some condition that might warrant it.

Now I'm wondering, is this an Austrian specialty? Or do other countries (Germany?) have similar requirements? How do the common European dive vacation destinations (Egypt...) handle this stuff?
 
There are other countries that require a medical sign-off by a physician. Australia comes to mind. I believe it actually must be a dive physician or one that conforms to a particular Australian standard (ie you can't show up on vacation from elsewhere with a form your doctor signed.) Dive Medical Requirements For Diving Courses And Dive Liveaboards Australia

Egypt - PADI/DSAT anyway - goes with the standard "doctor sign-off needed if you answer yes to any question" on the standard medical form.
 
Yes, it is an Australian requirement only, and even then it is something of a joke.

I was in Australia this spring, and in preparation for that trip, I got all sorts of warnings about having a current physical exam or I could not dive. My friends and I went well armed. We first did a day trip on a boat with about 100 passengers, and we were asked to sign a one sentence document saying that we were physically fit to dive. We produced our physicals, and the person working with us was flummoxed. He didn't know what to do with them. He called a supervisor, who was similarly surprised, and they just had us sign the document as we would have without the physicals. Then we went on a liveaboard, where we were asked to sign a similar statement saying that we did not have any medical problems that would keep us from diving. We again produced our physicals, and they were again surprised as Hell and unsure what to do with them. They made copies and had us just sign the form, which we could have done without the physicals.

There are indeed some places that want them, but not many.
 
Please not that I was talking about Austria in my post, not Australia.

Seeing as you wrote "Austria" in your post... I assumed that you were talking about "Austria."

Please note I was talking about Australia in my post, not Austria.

:d
 
I think in Australia, Queensland is the only state that requires you to do a physical before you can get certified (but if you are already certified, you can dive in Queensland without a physical, provided you don't tick "yes" to any questions on a med questionnaire).
In other states you're ok to do a certification without a physical, provided you don't tick "yes" to any question on the medical questionnaire.
I was certified elsewhere and went on a liveaboard in Queensland without having to do a physical. They asked me to complete the questionnaire, but that was it.
 
In Spain you must have Dive Insurance before diving with any dive op, although I recall reading a thread in the Regional Forum (West Europe) where somebody had a medical done prior to diving in Spain.

When I was there last month all I had to show was my current DAN insurance.
 
In Spain you must have Dive Insurance before diving with any dive op, although I recall reading a thread in the Regional Forum (West Europe) where somebody had a medical done prior to diving in Spain.

When I was there last month all I had to show was my current DAN insurance.

most of the dive ops in Southern Spain require medical exams prior to you starting a course. You are required to have dive insurance prior to them letting you dive. The only exception out here I have seen is during the OW course, they pick up the ins. until you complete the course.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom