Medical assessment of fitness to dive. Part I.

Good physical and mental health is a prerequisite for anyone planning to scuba dive. A fitness to dive certificate for those willing to enter a scuba diving course as well as for active divers, either amateur or occupational, can only be issued if there are no medical contraindications to dive. It is usually within the competence of a diving instructor, a manager of underwater work or a physician to assess a person's mental and physical health and grant them permission to stay under hyperbaric conditions. The legal requirements for issuing a fitness to dive certificate are different for recreational and occupational divers. The part I of this article discusses the issues concerning medical assessment of fitness to dive for amateurs.