#21298 - 06/10/06 12:04 PM
Medical Clearance for diving
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NMBound
Junior Member
Registered: 06/10/06
Posts: 5
Loc: North Carolina
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Hi All,
Appreciate all the great advice on the forum! My fiance and I are headed to Tahiti/Moorea/Bora Bora for our honeymoon in about two weeks, and are planning on doing some diving. I'm a new diver, and have asthma. I've been cleared by the physician who directs the hyperbaric chamber at Duke (have copies), but my fiance thinks if I check "yes" to any of the health info questions, I may still be refused to dive. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
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#21299 - 06/10/06 08:44 PM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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Kath
Member
Registered: 05/15/06
Posts: 166
Loc: Oregon
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OK, the future RN in me says you should definitely check the box. Do provide them the paperwork, and I think you'll find that if you are certified and show your C card that they'll just want to check your skills on the first dive. They tend to be very cool there. Let them know that your asthma is well controlled.
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#21300 - 06/11/06 06:44 PM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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STM
Expert Advisor
Registered: 10/15/01
Posts: 1616
Loc: Oregon, USA
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I've checked the yes form and didn't have doctors written approval. Its kinda up to you if you deem yourself safe to go diving.
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#21301 - 06/12/06 01:59 PM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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maybride
Member
Registered: 01/16/06
Posts: 217
Loc: Virginia
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Is your asthma exercise, emotion, or cold induced? If not, you should be ok, provided you have not used your inhaler within 48 Hours (according to my research - I also have asthma).
And, if you are under 80% of normal peak flow, don't dive.
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#21302 - 06/12/06 05:10 PM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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NMBound
Junior Member
Registered: 06/10/06
Posts: 5
Loc: North Carolina
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Appreciate everyone's input!
Maybride, my asthma's generally not a problem unless I have a significant URI (a time at which I wouldn't be diving anyway.)
I actually did a refresher course yesterday, and my instructor (off the record) said he has diabetes and he only tells those diving with him because he'd run into problems previously when he checked "yes," in despite of medical clearance. My fiance's actually a former Seal Corpsman, so I think I might just rely on him to be the keeper of that info, and clearly not dive if I'm sick.
Next question is what you guys bring when you dive in FP? I was thinking mask/snorkel/regulator and BC. I have my own wet suit, but was thinking I might rent that. What is your experience (especially the women as I think the standard equipment is fit for the average size male instead of female.)
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#21303 - 06/12/06 06:49 PM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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STM
Expert Advisor
Registered: 10/15/01
Posts: 1616
Loc: Oregon, USA
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Bring mask snorkel fins. Bring your own regulator only if you can't bear the thought of somebody else's kooties.
The dive operators are well outfitted with good equipment, and the charge for a dive is the same whether you use all your own gear, or all theirs. They will provide you with a BC and a shorty wet suit to fit you. I would guess Top Dive in Moorea had 30 setups, including wetsuits of 3-4 of each size from S thru XL, all color coded even.
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#21304 - 06/13/06 06:23 AM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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maybride
Member
Registered: 01/16/06
Posts: 217
Loc: Virginia
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-I would agree not to bring your BC, unless you don't mind getting charged for extra weight on the inter-island transfers (specifically Air Tahiti). RE: wet suit, we brought our own, mainly because my husband is hard to fit.
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#21305 - 06/13/06 06:01 PM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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NMBound
Junior Member
Registered: 06/10/06
Posts: 5
Loc: North Carolina
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Thanks STM and Maybride. I am a little worried about the luggage weight limits. Do you know if they have regular wetsuits (rather than shorties?) I had to wear a 5mm in the pool at my training site (84 degree water) so that I wouldn't freeze! In terms of the BCs, I'm a size 4-6 and the man's size small was still way too big. Maybride, I take it you found the BC sizes to go down small enough?
Sorry for all the questions!!
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#21306 - 06/13/06 11:22 PM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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Kath
Member
Registered: 05/15/06
Posts: 166
Loc: Oregon
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It seems like the ones they have for "rental" are shorties. The guides almost always wear full suits with skins and sometimes even a vest. ( I guess that with all the dives they do, they get colder?) I bring my own shorty (3mm) and it's been great. I can't remember being too cold, and I'm always cold. Do bring your own suit, mask, and snorkel, but I'd leave the other stuff at home.
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#21307 - 06/14/06 08:16 AM
Re: Medical Clearance for diving
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sst
Member
Registered: 12/07/05
Posts: 483
Loc: Texas
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We were only asked to produce our C cards by Air Tahiti for the extra baggage allowance. We dove with two operators in Rangi and BB and they took our word for it that we were certified and in good health.. Course most uncertified divers don't have all their own equipment with them, but thats another story..
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