Before your first dive….

Before we can do a Discover Scuba Dive with you, or start the first dive of a new course you will have to fill out a Medical Statement. Can you answer each question with ‘No’ then we can go on, but if one of the questions is answered with ‘Yes‘ you will have to go and get a written consent of your doctor in which he says you are fit to dive.

This of course is a rule that is there for your safety and health, it’s not for us. In all the years we have been diving now we have seen several situations concerning the Medical Statement. Some funny, some sad, some we can’t understand.

Today I want to share some of those stories with you!

One day a couple comes in to do a Discover Scuba Dive and start filling out the form. The first question immediately hit jackpot: Are you, or could you be pregnant? (Always a hilarious question if the diver is male btw). The lady comes to me and asks where the nearest Botica (pharmacy) is. She goes, buys a pregnancy test and disappears into the bathroom at the dive center. A couple of minutes later she appears with good news and bad news. The bad news was she was not pregnant. The good news? She could do the dive!!!

Another story concerns a lady who had Asthma and used medication for it every day. This meant we had to disappoint her and tell her to come back after getting a letter from her doctor. She was crying, feeling she was already punished enough by having this condition and now being punished even more. Sad, indeed, but your health always comes first.

What we can not understand is that some people are willing to falsify the Medical statement, just to be able to dive. 45 minutes of fun, but risking your health. Medication can have different reactions under pressure for example. What about the mother who wanted to do a Discover Scuba Dive with her 3 children. Turned out 1 of them also had Asthma and also needed medication on a daily basis. When we told her to go to a doctor first to ask permission the child was crying of course. So she asked for a new form and wanted to change her answer to ‘No’. Why would you take this risk? Just because you don’t want to see your child crying? What if something happens underwater? Would you not blame us for taking him whilst knowing of his condition? We did not take the child with us on the dive, eventhough we felt sorry for him.

In short: Before your first dive, or your first course dive you have to fill out the Medical Statement. Be honest, answer truthfully.We always want to dive, but  your health, your life we care about most!