Scuba diving age limit and medical questions in India

The short version

Most shops follow the agency minimums. PADI says the minimum age for Discover Scuba Diving and for the Junior Open Water Diver course is 10, and 15 for the standard Open Water Diver course. SSI lists 10 for Open Water Diver and 8 for Try Scuba. Neither agency's age pages set an upper limit.

Before any dive you fill in a medical questionnaire. If you answer yes to certain questions, a doctor must sign you off before you get in the water. This page explains the general standard. It is not medical advice: see a doctor, ideally one trained in dive medicine, and tell the shop.

Minimum age: try dive and first course

A try dive is the first dive for someone with no certificate. If you have not read how one works, start with your first scuba dive in India.

• PADI: its restrictions page gives a minimum age of 10 for Discover Scuba Diving and for Junior Open Water Diver. PADI also runs pool programmes for children, such as Bubblemaker, and says the minimum age for its kids' programmes is eight.
• SSI: its Try Scuba page gives a minimum age of 8 and a shallow training depth limit. Its Open Water Diver page gives 10. SSI also has a children's programme called Explorers, but its own pages state different starting ages for it, so ask the shop which age it uses.

These are agency minimums. A shop or an instructor can set a higher one, and in India that depends on the shop, the site and the instructor. Ask before you book, because Coral Circuit listings do not state a minimum age.

What changes at 15

PADI describes Junior Open Water Diver as a course for ages 10 to 14, with limits that depend on age:

• Ages 10 and 11 must dive with a PADI Professional or a certified parent or guardian, to a maximum of 12 metres (40 feet).
• Ages 12 to 14 must dive with a certified adult, to a maximum of 18 metres (60 feet).

At 15 a diver can hold the standard Open Water Diver certification, and PADI says a replacement card can be printed without the Junior label once the diver is 15. PADI also says that at 15 a diver can go to 18 metres as an Open Water Diver, and to 30 metres as an Advanced Open Water Diver if they have consent from their legal guardians.

SSI draws the line slightly differently. It describes Junior Open Water Diver for ages 10 to 15, with up to 12 metres for ages 10 and 11 and up to 18 metres for ages 12 to 15, under supervision. If your child is 14 or 15, ask the shop which agency it teaches under and how it applies the rule.

Is there an upper age limit?

The PADI and SSI pages above give a minimum age and no maximum. DAN (Divers Alert Network) says it does not set standards for participation in diving, and that any age limits would come from training agencies or dive operations. In its article on ageing and diving, DAN writes that "the key to safe diving is physical fitness, not age."

That does not mean age is ignored. The PADI medical form asks whether you are over 45, and a yes sends you to a list of risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or a family history of early heart disease. DAN's guidance on lifelong fitness to dive suggests every diver completes a medical questionnaire each year, and that divers over 45 have a fitness-to-dive evaluation every five years.

The diver medical questionnaire

The standard form is called the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire. PADI publishes a copy, and SSI asks students to complete its own Diver Medical Statement and Questionnaire. The PADI copy describes itself as an initial screen to help decide whether you should see a physician before diving.

According to the PADI copy, it has ten questions. They ask about:

• lung, breathing, heart or blood problems
• your age (over 45) and heart risk factors
• difficulty with moderate exercise in the past 12 months
• eye, ear, nose or sinus problems
• surgery in the last 12 months, or ongoing problems from past surgery
• fainting, migraines, seizures, stroke or head injury
• psychological or psychiatric treatment, addiction, or a learning or developmental disability
• back problems, hernia, ulcers or diabetes
• stomach or intestinal problems
• prescription medicines

The PADI form says that if you answer no to all ten, no medical evaluation is needed, and you still sign and date the statement. If you answer yes to some questions, or to any item in the boxes on page 2, you sign the statement and take the form to your physician. The form says that taking part in a diving course requires your physician's approval, and the physician completes a section marking you approved or not approved. PADI's help page adds that some local laws require a physician consultation before a course. The PADI form also says that women who are pregnant, or trying to become pregnant, should not dive.

So asthma, ear problems, heart conditions, pregnancy and recent surgery are all things the standard form asks about. A yes does not automatically mean you cannot dive. It means a doctor looks at it. PADI's help page says only a doctor can assess an individual's risk.

See a doctor, and tell the shop

If any answer is yes, or you are unsure, see a doctor before you travel. Take the form with you. DAN advises seeing a physician with diving medicine training when it recommends an evaluation. The physician's section on the form is theirs to complete, not the shop's and not Coral Circuit's.

Tell the shop in your enquiry, not at the jetty. Say what the condition is and whether a doctor has signed the form. The instructor decides what they are willing to teach or supervise, and a shop that asks you these questions first is doing its job.

Children and parental consent

SSI says that forms for minors must be reviewed and signed by a parent or guardian. PADI says children under 13 need parent or guardian permission to register for its eLearning. SSI also says a thorough medical evaluation is essential for a child, and that children with conditions such as asthma or ear problems may need extra safeguards. Shops differ in what they ask for on the day, so ask what paperwork a parent must bring or sign, and who must be present.

What to bring

• The completed questionnaire, signed and dated, and the doctor's signed section if any answer was yes.
• A list of your regular medicines, so you can answer question ten accurately.
• Photo ID for you, and for a child, a parent or guardian who can sign.
• For a full course, PADI says you will want your own mask, snorkel and fins, a logbook and a dive planning device. For a try dive, ask what the shop provides.

You may also like beginner scuba diving in India and is scuba diving safe in India.

Next step

Open courses or dive shops, pick a shop, and tap Check availability. Tell the shop your date, your group size, the age of any child, and any health condition. Prices vary by shop, so compare on the listing and ask what is included. They reply by phone or email. Nothing is paid now.