DIVING WITH DIABETES
Diabetes is a widespread disease still surrounded by many mysteries. With its complexity comes necessary caution from doctors when it comes to patients' activities, especially if these activities involve challenges and risks like diving.
For many years, medical recommendations have been clear: insulin-dependent individuals should not dive. In the last decade, and especially the last five years, we have, however, seen a gradual change in this stance. New data shows that certain diabetics can dive without harmful consequences.
These discoveries have led to a reconsideration by the diving medical community, particularly by the Divers Alert Network (DAN), of their previous restrictive approach to diabetics and recreational diving.
If you are a DAN member, you can find more information about these changes through their online seminar. This can be found under "Training & Education," "Online Seminars," when you are logged into their website. The seminar, lasting about an hour, provides an in-depth overview of the new guidelines for diabetics who wish to dive.
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Here are some of the basic guidelines presented in the seminars:
- You should wait to dive after starting or changing medication.
- You should not have had diabetes-related episodes in the past year.
- You should not have significant secondary complications.
- You should not dive deeper than 30 meters or longer than 60 minutes.
- You should avoid dives that require decompression stops.
These are just a few of the many guidelines. If you are a diabetic who wishes to dive, or if you are a diving instructor with questions about how to handle diabetics, I would recommend consulting this seminar.
It is fantastic to see that DAN has revised their attitudes and has developed an easily understandable and practical set of guidelines that open the doors for more potential divers.
The conservative approach of the medical community towards diving can often be frustrating. This is due to our limited understanding of the human body's response to the underwater environment that diving exposes us to. But it is reassuring to see that when new data emerges, there is a willingness to adapt guidelines and practices.
With these changes, we can hopefully experience more individuals with diabetes getting the opportunity to explore the incredible experiences that diving can offer, without compromising their health.