Medical and Health Matters

If you have any health problems, are on any form of medication or have had any illness, injury or operation that  may affect you whilst diving, please let the staff of Wicked Diving know in advance of your Liveaboard or course.

If you had any severe chest congestion, pneumonia, severe sinusitis or any other serious airway illness in the past 10 days before you trip, you need to inform us. Even if you appear to have been cured, residual effects may still linger and pose problems under water.

If you are allergic to any form of medication, please state this clearly on the Registration Form. Please understand that this a very remote location and the medical facilities are limited. Prior to arrival we need any and all medical questions and concerns addressed and remedied. If you do not heed this advice and still attempt to join a trip – our policy is to err on the side of caution and safety for all guests – we will cancel your booking and issue no refund. Our staff or local “doctors” are not qualified to decide whether an individual is fit to dive. We can not risk any individuals safety simply to join a diving trip.

Due to the remote nature of these trips, and the lack of medical facilities – in addition to the potentially erratic airlines – it is mandatory for all guests to have travel insurance that covers trip cancellations AND evacuations as well as diving related coverage. If you can not provide proof of insurance at time of check-in, you will be given opportunity to purchase a diving  insurance (a travel insurance you need to take out before you start traveling) . If you choose to not do so, you are not permitted aboard the trip. No refund will be issued for lack of insurance.

Anyone requiring vegetarian food or with any food allergies should advise us before the Liveaboard trip. Should you have any restrictions or requirements and not inform Wicked Diving previous to your trip departures, it may be difficult or impossible to meet such demands.

Please also note the following conditions to ensure a safe diving trip for all our customers:
• Asthma. Please be aware that we do not accept divers with active asthma on our trips. Active meaning if you have had an attack in the last 5 years or you are using an inhaler as a preventive measure. If you had an attack between 5-10 years ago and you are not using an inhaler, we will ask to see the results of a Spirometric test (lung function test) dated not older than 3 months from a qualified doctor (there are NO local facilities) and have medical clearance to dive.
• Diabetes. Unfortunately we do not accept divers with this condition, as our staff are not medically qualified to a level to deal with any medical problems that may arise.
• History of DCS or DCI. Please communicate this with as soon as possible before booking any trip. Reoccurance of DCS or DCI is very common and we need to ensure the well being of all our guests as this may affect everyone on a trip.
• Thyroid Disease. Divers with thyroid disease or having no thyroid gland should bring a medical statement dated within the past 3 months proving that their cardiovascular system has been critically assessed.
• Wicked Diving also can not accept divers with Hypertension (high blood pressure) or divers using anti-depressants (e.g. Prozac) on our Liveaboard trips.

Please note that for the above mentioned conditions we do NOT accept medical statements issued locally or from general phycisians. Medicals can and should be obtained in your home country from a hospital that has hyperbaric trained specialists on staff. In case needed, there are Internationally recognized hospitals in Bangkok and Phuket for those joining our Thailand trips. In Bali, Jakarta and Makassar for those on Indonesian trips, Or on the way to either destination if you have a stop over in , Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. If you need any assistance or advice on this subject, please contact us for further information.

For your safety and enjoyment, please avoid flying at least 24 hours after your last dive!

 

Food and meals

We can respect dietary requirements to a certain extent. Please understand we are in a more remote parts of the world  and can not always get special supplies, we are happy when we get all the food and drinks that we request, let alone special requests.

The cook and staff will try their utmost to respect these requests (gluten free and vegan for example) , but due to the remote location and nature of the trips – we can not guarantee that they can be met. In many cases we are happy to prepare meals and food stuffs that are brought on the boat and we recommend purchasing these in locations with a far larger selection of products than what we can get in our small towns

If someone suffers from severe allergies or conditions – we must strongly urge you to consider your options for joining these trips. The medical facilities are minimal and evacuation to the nearest major hospital  can take 12-24 hours in good conditions.