Fitness to Dive Assessment


Make Confident, Defensible Medical Decisions

 

Determining whether someone is fit to dive is one of the most critical responsibilities in diving medicine. 

 

The Fitness to Dive Assessment course is designed as the final step in the training pathway - Participation is limited to physicians who have successfully completed:
•    Physiology & Pathology of Diving
•    Diving Technology & Safety
•    Diving Accidents & Emergency Management

This ensures a consistent level of knowledge and allows the course to focus on advanced clinical decision-making.


This course provides physicians with the knowledge and clinical tools required to assess, justify, and communicate fitness-to-dive decisions — across both professional and recreational diving.

 

Completion of all four SHF  basic courses leads to certification as Medical Examiner of Divers (MED) - in compliance with ECHM training standards.

 

Limited Availability:

  • The Fitness To Dive Course is delivered in small groups to ensure high-quality interaction and discussion.
  • Places are limited and courses are often fully booked in advance.
     
What You Will Learn
  • Medical criteria and contraindications for diving fitness
  • Risk-based assessment across all organ systems
  • Evaluation of medications, underlying conditions, and individual risk factors
  • Interpretation of diagnostic tests relevant to diving medicine
  • Assessment of fitness to return to diving after illness or injury
  • Understanding of international standards and regulatory frameworks
Why This Course Matters

Fitness-to-dive decisions carry direct consequences for safety, liability, and careers.

 

This course strengthens your ability to:
•    Perform comprehensive fitness-to-dive assessments
•    Interpret complex clinical findings in a diving context
•    Make defensible decisions in borderline cases
•    Support safe return-to-dive decisions


This is a core competency for any physician working in diving medicine.

This program is designed for modern professionals:

  • Modular structure – Limited time needed in the classroom without reducing quality
  • Flexible format – Participation in this in-person training follow after successfull completion of the other Basic Courses
  • Focused sessions – improved knowledge retention and practical application

Designed to fit into demanding professional schedules.

  • Diving medical examiners
  • Physicians involved in occupational or hyperbaric medicine
  • Doctors assessing recreational divers
  • Healthcare professionals responsible for diver safety
Take the Next Step

Develop the confidence to make critical medical decisions in diving.
👉 View upcoming course dates
👉 Request more information
👉 Register your interest

A Core Competency in Diving Medicine

 

Assessing fitness to dive is not a routine medical check.
It requires the ability to balance clinical findings, individual risk factors, and operational demands — often in situations where clear-cut guidelines do not exist.
This course provides the structured knowledge and clinical framework needed to make confident, defensible decisions.

 


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Why This Training Is Essential

  • Focused on real-world decision-making, not theory alone
  • Addresses high-responsibility medical assessments
  • Supports clear justification of clinical decisions
  • Covers scenarios where uncertainty must be managed professionally

 

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High-Value Learning Environment

Training is delivered in small groups of medical professionals, allowing for:

  • In-depth discussion of complex and borderline cases
  • Direct interaction with experienced faculty
  • Practical application of clinical guidelines

 

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Professional and Legal Relevance

Fitness-to-dive assessments often have implications beyond medicine — including operational safety and professional responsibility.

 


This course strengthens your ability to make decisions that are not only clinically sound, but also defensible and well-documented