Services for Scuba Divers
Many of our clients are active divers, and enjoy the many beautiful diving locales around the world. For many this is the main reason for travel, while others will just like to have a brief dive while enjoying a new beach resort or holiday destination.
Recreational Diving
Many of the Travel Doctor-TMVC clinics provide medical assessments for recreational diving and many of our doctors are registered as SPUMS members, qualified to perform these assessments for certification of student and re-certifying divers.
Generally, the preparations that a traveller should do for their holiday, is not affected by the activity of diving, but a couple of notable exceptions arise:
- Itineraries need to planned around allowing plenty of time after the last dive, to allow any nitrogen to escape from the body, before a diver flies in a pressurised airplane, which means most commercial flights. This is particularly important after deep diving. Remember the rule - don’t fly for 24 hrs after diving.
- Some antimalarials can be a problem. The commonly prescribed medication, doxycycline, can predispose a small percentage of people to a photo-sensitivity reaction (an excessive sunburn). While this is avoided by covering-up, and wearing blockout, divers should be alert to this if taking doxycycline for malaria prevention. A different anti-malarial, mefloquine, is best avoided by divers if at all possible, as the side-effects of mefloquine can mimic decompression sickness, and this dangerous illness could be misattributed as side-effects of the medication. There is not good data concerning the effects of mefloquine on divers, but because it has noted psychological and neurological side-effects, it is best avoided.
- Ensuring that the diver has the ability to "equalise" the pressures of the middle-ears to allow safe diving is important, and travellers with colds or allergies may need specific advice and treatment.
Occupational Diving
Travel Doctor-TMVC has some selected sites that can provide formal medical assessments for Occupational Diving certificates. This has required specialised training and is not offered in every clinic. Contact your closest clinic for specific details.
