Terms & Conditions

If you have any of the following conditions, you must provide a signed medical clearance (dated within 3 months of trip departure) from your doctor before joining our liveaboard dive trip. Below we explain why each condition requires special clearance and note any specific tests that may be needed:

Asthma: Scuba diving can pose serious risks to individuals with asthma. Narrowed airways and a history of asthma attacks increase the chance of bronchospasm or air trapping in the lungs during a dive, which can lead to lung over-expansion injuries (like pneumothorax or arterial gas embolism) upon ascent. Cold air, exercise, and stress (all common in diving) may even precipitate an asthma attack underwater, risking shortness of breath, panic, or drowning. Because of these dangers, any diver with asthma must have medical clearance. We do not accept divers who have had an asthma attack in the last 3 years or who require ongoing asthma medication, as this indicates active asthma. If your last asthma attack was more than 3 years but within 10 years ago, we require proof of normal lung function via a recent spirometry test. Spirometry (a lung function test) measures how well your lungs inhale and exhale; many dive authorities (e.g. in Australia) mandate that asthmatic individuals pass a spirometry test to show clear airways before they are allowed to dive. In practice, a doctor will perform spirometry (and often an exercise bronchial challenge) to ensure your airway function is normal and that you have no exercise- or cold-induced asthma before clearing you for diving.

Thyroid Disease: An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or other thyroid conditions can affect your cardiovascular system, which is why a focused doctor’s clearance is necessary. Hyperthyroidism accelerates metabolism and can cause symptoms like rapid heart rate, irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias), high blood pressure, muscle weakness, and even heart failure in severe cases. These cardiac effects pose a serious risk in diving – increased heart rate or rhythm disturbances underwater could lead to fainting or other life-threatening events. Conversely, hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid or having no thyroid gland, e.g. after thyroid removal) can reduce exercise tolerance and affect cardiovascular function if not properly managed. Why we require clearance: We need to ensure your thyroid condition is well-controlled and that your cardiovascular system has been thoroughly evaluated for any issues. Your doctor should confirm that your thyroid hormone levels are in a normal range (with medication if needed) and that you show no signs of cardiac stress or abnormalities. This may involve checking your heart with tests like an ECG or even a treadmill stress test, given the thyroid’s impact on heart health. Once a thyroid disorder is adequately treated – meaning your hormone levels are normal and you have no symptoms – diving is generally considered safe. The required medical certificate should attest that you are euthyroid (properly managed thyroid function) and that your heart and blood pressure are stable, thus ensuring you can handle the physical demands of diving.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): High blood pressure needs to be under control for safe diving. Acute spikes in blood pressure at depth or during exertion could potentially cause a stroke (due to a burst blood vessel in the brain) or other cardiovascular emergencies. In fact, there have been cases of divers with uncontrolled hypertension experiencing acute pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs) while diving. Long-term hypertension also leads to issues like coronary artery disease, which can provoke heart attacks – one of the leading causes of dive fatalities in older divers. Medical clearance is required to ensure your blood pressure is well-managed and you don’t have dangerous end-organ effects of hypertension. Generally, if your blood pressure is adequately controlled with medication or lifestyle changes and you have no significant side effects that impair you, diving can be done safely. Your doctor’s clearance should confirm that your blood pressure is at a normal or controlled level (often doctors like to see it consistently below about 140/90 mmHg with treatment) and that you have no complications like uncontrolled arrhythmias or signs of heart disease. There’s no one special test mandated for hypertension, but your physician might conduct a routine cardiovascular exam – and in some cases, if you are older or have had very high BP, possibly an EKG or stress test – to be sure your heart can handle the stresses of diving. The key is that your high blood pressure must be controlled for at least a few months prior to the trip and remain stable.

Antidepressants (and Other Psychiatric Medications): Being on antidepressant medication is not an automatic disqualification from diving, but it does require a doctor’s approval because of the potential effects on your safety. Many antidepressants (such as SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclics, etc.) have side effects that could be dangerous underwater. For example, some cause drowsiness, sedation, dizziness, or blurred vision, which could impair your reaction time or decision-making at depth. Certain medications may lower the seizure threshold or cause confusion/numbness; notably, high doses of some SSRIs have been linked to an increased risk of seizures. These side effects can mimic symptoms of decompression sickness (e.g. fatigue, tingling, cognitive impairment) or lead to a medical emergency like a seizure or loss of consciousness while diving. Moreover, the underlying condition (e.g. depression or anxiety) must be well-managed so that a diver can handle the mental stress of diving and won’t be prone to panic. Thus, we require a recent medical note confirming that your mental health condition is stable and that your medication does not produce any debilitating side effects. Dive medicine experts generally recommend that a diver be on a stable dose of an antidepressant for at least 3 months and free of serious side effects before attempting scuba diving. Your doctor should evaluate your overall fitness to dive, verifying that you are psychologically ready (capable of sound judgment and managing stress) and that the medication isn’t causing problems like excessive fatigue or coordination issues. No specific test is required beyond this evaluation, but honesty about any side effects with your physician is crucial. With a doctor’s clearance indicating you’re fit to dive on your medication, and assuming you feel well, you can enjoy diving. (If you have recently started an antidepressant or had a dose change, it’s wise to wait and observe its effects for a while; do not plan to dive until you’re confident in how you feel on the medication.)

Age (Senior Divers): With age, the body’s ability to tolerate the stresses of scuba diving diminishes, so extra care is required for older divers. Our policy is that guests 70 or older must have clearance and we highly suggest requesting a private guide for any diving. These measures are in place because diving risks increase with age. Older individuals are more prone to chronic health issues (especially heart and circulatory conditions) and generally have reduced aerobic capacity and strength. Statistically, a significant portion of diving fatalities occur in older age. Aging hearts and blood vessels simply don’t handle stress as well, and immersion in water, cold temperatures, and exertion (like fighting a current or lifting gear) all put strain on the cardiovascular system. In a remote area with strong currents (as in our operations), an older diver who isn’t in top shape could be quickly overwhelmed, potentially leading to accidents or medical emergencies. By requiring medical clearance for those over 70, we ensure that older divers get a thorough health evaluation – the doctor will likely assess cardiac health (possibly including blood pressure check, EKG, or even a stress test, depending on your health history) and overall fitness. La Galigo highly recommend a private guide for divers aged 70+, having a dedicated divemaster means if you tire or have any difficulty, assistance is immediately at hand. We also do not recommend guests with mobility issues to book due to the layout of the vessel and sea conditions creating unstable environments.

History of Decompression Sickness (DCS) or Decompression Illness (DCI): If you have ever suffered from DCS/DCI (for example, “the bends” or an arterial gas embolism) – especially within the last 5 years – we require that you obtain medical clearance from a hyperbaric medicine or dive medicine specialist before joining our dives. The reason is that a prior serious dive injury can have ongoing health implications and might indicate an underlying susceptibility. DCS/DCI can sometimes cause permanent damage (e.g. scarring in the lungs or neurological issues), so a doctor needs to ensure you’ve fully recovered and have no residual impairments that would make diving unsafe. Additionally, a specialist will investigate why the incident occurred. In some cases, a diver who experiences DCS had an undiagnosed predisposition such as a patent foramen ovale (PFO) – a small hole between heart chambers that can let bubbles bypass the lungs and enter arterial circulation. If you had an “undeserved” DCS hit (one that happened despite following dive profiles), doctors often perform an echocardiogram (with bubble study) to check for a PFO. They may also assess lung function if you had an arterial gas embolism, to be sure there’s no lung damage that could pose a risk of recurrence. Current dive medicine guidelines usually recommend that divers who have had significant DCI wait a certain period (often 2–3 months) after full symptom resolution before diving again. A hyperbaric-trained physician will verify that you’ve been symptom-free for a sufficient interval and that your risk factors are addressed (for example, if a PFO is found, they might recommend getting it closed or advise on limiting dive depth). Only after a thorough evaluation and a written clearance from a dive medicine specialist will we allow someone with a DCS/DCI history to dive with us. This policy is to ensure that you do not suffer another injury and that no latent issues (like joint damage or neurological deficits from the prior DCS) could endanger you during our remote dives.

Diabetes: Guests with diabetes are welcome to join our trips; however, due to the remote nature of our liveaboard operations and the limited availability of emergency medical care, we require that any guest with a history of diabetes provide the following prior to joining the trip:

• A current medical certificate from a qualified diving physician confirming that they are fit to dive and that your condition is stable and well-managed.
• A detailed management plan, including information on medication, glucose monitoring, and emergency procedures, suited for a remote diving environment.
• Proof of recent dive experience, preferably within the past 12 months, without incident related to their condition.

Scuba diving with diabetes—particularly insulin-dependent diabetes—can carry an increased risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), which may lead to confusion, loss of consciousness, and potentially life-threatening situations underwater. While many diabetic divers manage their condition safely, the remoteness of our itineraries means we must be confident that any risk is responsibly managed.