AD 2017 Q4

STEPHEN FRINK
FITNESS TO DIVE
Consider visiting your doctor for
a routine physical to evaluate your
fitness to dive. In most cases a “yes”
on the Recreational Scuba Training
Council (RSTC) medical statement
used by most dive operations
will trigger a requirement for a
doctor’s approval to dive. Getting
the paperwork in advance can help
ensure things run smoothly during
your trip. Ask your dive operator
to email you a copy of the medical
form they use, and take it to your
doctor appointment. If you’re
diving in the Asia-Pacific region,
use the South Pacific Underwater
Medicine Society (SPUMS) form
instead of the RSTC form. Never
lie on medical statements; this can
have financial or legal implications
if an accident were to occur.
Be prepared for emergencies.
Take a refresher first-aid course,
and have basic supplies such as
bandages, antibiotic ointment,
steroid cream, diphenhydramine
(antihistamine) and medication for
gastrointestinal distress.
Check with your primary-care
doctor, a local travel medicine
clinic or the CDC to determine
what vaccinations, if any, are
recommended for your destination.
Your doctor might also be willing
to supplement your first-aid kit
with motion-sickness medication,
antibiotics, steroids or other
potentially useful prescription
medications — along with specific
instructions for their use.
ON BOARD
Select your dive operator based
on its reputation and, if possible,
references from friends. Also be
sure to get a sense of its attention
to safety before you dive.
Ask about the dive operator’s
emergency action plan; find out
if they have an easily accessible
first-aid kit and oxygen unit
and if there’s enough oxygen to
provide to multiple divers for at
least as long as it takes to reach
shore. Ask about staff training
standards; find out if divemasters
or crew members are trained in
first aid, neurological exams and
proper use of oxygen. Typically,
DAN can assist once you reach
shore, but getting an injured
diver to shore is generally in the
hands of care providers on the
dive boat.
Finally, consider the type of
diving you plan to do. Deep,
aggressive diving can offer access
to infrequently visited sites, but it
also places divers at increased risk
of decompression sickness (DCS).
Be sure you have the requisite
training and experience for the
sites the operator plans to visit.
The more remote the area,
the longer it will take to get to
a hyperbaric chamber. Reduce
your risk of DCS by diving
conservatively. Get acquainted
with your dive computer; learn
how to program it to conservative
settings. Also, one of the best
safety practices a diver can
adopt is to extend one’s time
in the shallows beyond the
recommended three-minute
safety stop or decompression
obligation. As long as you account
for factors such as staying warm,
other divers’ preferences and
remaining daylight, once you’re
in the 15- to 20-foot range, the
longer you stay, the better.
While most trips you take
will be free from accidents and
incidents, they sometimes happen.
Ensure a good outcome by being
prepared. AD
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