Who can dive in,
and how to protect the sea
Who can dive — and how to protect the sea.
Diving safety comes down to two axes — who can do it safely (health & fitness), and how not to harm the sea (marine conservation). Many health conditions that were once absolute contraindications have been reclassified as acceptable risks when properly identified and managed, while neutral buoyancy plus no-touch has become the core of responsible diving.
From ‘absolute contraindication’ to ‘manageable risk’
Conditions that were once absolute contraindications — asthma, diabetes and many cardiac conditions — have been reclassified as relative conditions whose risk can be lowered to an acceptable level with proper identification and management. This is not a case of ‘anyone is fine,’ but a change premised on an individual assessment by a diving medicine specialist.
- Insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM): the 2005 UHMS/DAN/SPUMS consensus set out selection and management guidelines (e.g. ≥18 years, HbA1c ≤9%, no-decompression, depth ≤~30 m).
- Cardiac disease: the most case-by-case and debated — no blanket criteria, a specialist’s judgment is essential.
- The figures above are examples from published consensus guidelines, not a basis for self-assessment — always get an individual evaluation from a diving medicine specialist.
Diving while pregnant = advised against
DAN’s official recommendation is not to scuba dive while pregnant, consistent with the Open Water standards of the major training agencies. Because fetal circulation bypasses the lungs via the foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus, the fetus is especially vulnerable to decompression bubbles — unlike an adult diver, whose lungs filter out micro-bubbles during decompression.
It starts with a 10-question questionnaire
The standard entry procedure for recreational diving is the WRSTC medical screening system (2020 revision), adopted by the major training agencies, DAN and UHMS.
Neutral buoyancy and no-touch are key
Coral contact by recreational divers is more widespread than you might think (an observational study of 100 divers in the Philippines). The core of responsible diving is neutral buoyancy plus no-touch — keeping fin kicks, gear and hands off coral and the substrate.
- Hold neutral buoyancy and secure your gauges and octopus so they don’t drag.
- Once a coral colony is damaged it recovers very slowly — look, but don’t touch.
- Health criteria figures are examples from consensus guidelines — premised on an individual specialist assessment.
- Coral-contact figures are from peer-reviewed studies (aggregated).