That DAN.UHMS Medical Questionnaire: Undercurrent 09/2026

That DAN.UHMS Medical Questionnaire

the truth may save a life

from the September, 2026 issue of Undercurrent

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Scuba diving blossomed as a pastime during the 1980s and '90s, so it's no surprise that a lot of today's divers are past their prime years, especially those traveling to foreign resorts and liveaboards. Given the expense of such trips, they're affordable to retirees lucky to have earned and saved enough for their senior years.

In the past, dive operators have been satisfied having divers sign a release form absolving the operator of any liability. That has changed rapidly post-COVID, as a growing number of operators now ask divers of all ages to complete a medical form that may require their physicians to sign if they check certain boxes, like the question: "I am currently taking one or more prescription medications" (note: this need not include birth control, menopausal hormone replacement, and antimalarial medication unless it is mefloquine [Lariam]).

You can't just blame the operators for wanting medical approval, as many may have their insurers pushing them. While operators, want your business and your money; they don't want to take out divers who are medical risks. Regardless, some operators seem to be culling perfectly healthy divers who have managed medical issues, or, if not culling, restricting their diving (unless, in some cases, the diver visits a local physician for clearance).

Some divers see the questions on the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire, developed by the Divers' Alert Network and the Underwater Hyperbaric Society, as an intrusion on their medical privacy. Others don't trust operators to make a wise decision -- what do they know about medication, whether the diver is taking the proper dose, or is not medically fit to dive?

Aside from going to French Polynesia, where it's the law to complete a form, each operator seems to handle medical clearance differently, often leaving healthy divers in a quandary....

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