Medical Requirements

The British Sub-Aqua Club operates on a system of self-declaration for regulating fitness to dive. Every diver is required to sign a form stating their fitness to dive after working-through a checklist list of medical conditions. If you have never suffered from any of these conditions then you may sign the declaration form yourself, otherwise you are required to contact a Medical Referee. The Medical Referee is a doctor with a special interest in diving medicine who has experience in assessing fitness to dive.

More information on the BSAC self-declaration system, and the medical standards required for diving, is available from the BSAC Medical Section. Note in particular the FAQs page.

The self-declaration form must be completed satisfactorily and signed before anyone is allowed to undertake any SCUBA activity (i.e. pool training or open water diving) with the club.

What do I need to do?

Every new diver must do the following, as must exisiting divers once a year when they renew membership:

  1. Download the UK Sport Diver Medical Form. Read it carefully. If you can answer "no" to all of the medical questions then no further action is necessary apart from signing and dating the form.
  2. If the answer to one or more questions is "yes", and you do not already hold a valid Certificate of Fitness to Dive, then you need to contact a Medical Referee as soon as possible. He or she will be able to establish whether or not you will be fit to dive. Our nearest Referee is
    Dr John Maclean
    3 Primrose Lane
    Waterbeach
    Cambridge
    CB5 9JZ
    01223 862251 (home)
    01223 861485 (surgery)
    01223 861485 (fax)
    acjmclean @ aol.com
    or alternatively, contact a doctor from this list of Medical Referees.

  3. As a result of an initial telephone call, the Referee may feel able to endorse your form without needing to examine you. In this case, you should complete the form and send it to him/her, along with a letter confirming the medical details in question, the fee of £5.00 and a stamped self-addressed envelope. If you wish to join a course, please do this as soon as possible, as we must have your endorsed form back by the date of the first pool session.
  4. The Referee may require you to undergo a medical examination, either with him/her or with your own GP. In either case, a fee may be payable. You should make an appointment for this, and print off both the:
    Medical Examination Form
    Medical Certificate
    and take them with you to the appointment. If you are found to be fit to dive, a certificate will be issued, valid either for a set number of years or indefinitely.

Note that self-declaration forms are only valid for one year and must be renewed each time they expire, usually as part of renewing your BSAC and CUUEG membership. You are responsible for making sure you are fit to dive; any changes in health which may effect this must be declared and your status re-assessed.

Joining CUUEG

Please note that owing to our tight time schedule and lack of pool time to catch up missed sessions, we may be unable to accept you on certain courses if you need to be examined. Because of this, it is important that you check your fitness to dive, contacting a Referee if necessary, before applying to join our courses.

If you already hold a valid BSAC diving medical, you will not need to consult a Medical Referee until this expires, but must still complete the self-declaration form each time you renew your membership.