Before your first scuba lesson, discovery dive, or PADI course, you will be handed a short form: the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire. Most people call it the PADI medical questionnaire, and it is the single document that decides whether you can go straight into the water or need a doctor’s signature first.
Few new divers realize that this form is not unique to any one dive shop. It is a freely distributed, standardized screening tool, and it looks almost identical whether you dive with a PADI center in Florida, an SSI center in Europe, or an independent instructor. This guide walks through the ten questions on page one, explains what happens when you answer “yes,” and shows what the follow-up boxes and the physician’s evaluation actually ask. If you want the broader picture of fitness, age, and general diving health first, read our overview of scuba diving health requirements for beginners.
What Is The Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire?
The questionnaire is a three-page self-screening form. Page one contains ten yes/no questions. Page two contains seven follow-up sections, labeled Box A through Box G, that you complete only if you answered “yes” to certain questions on page one. Page three is the Physician’s Evaluation Form, which a doctor signs if a medical review is required.
The form’s own instructions say its purpose is to determine whether you should seek a medical evaluation before diving, not to keep people out of the water. For the large majority of healthy participants, it takes two minutes, every box is “no,” and a signature is all that is needed.
Who Created The Form (And Why It Looks The Same Everywhere)
The current version was developed in 2020 by the Diver Medical Screen Committee, a group made up of the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), Divers Alert Network (DAN), the World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC), and the Recreational Scuba Training Council (RSTC). PADI adopted it as form 10346, and most other training agencies use the same wording.
That is why the questionnaire barely changes from one dive center or instructor to the next. Individual operators may add their own waiver or liability page, but the medical screening questions themselves are standardized worldwide.
When You Will Be Asked To Complete It
You will fill out the questionnaire before any recreational scuba course, including the PADI Open Water Diver course, and before most introductory experiences such as a guided discovery dive. It also applies to freediving courses. Certified divers taking continuing-education courses complete it again, and many operators ask returning guests to update it annually.
One note printed at the top of the form applies to everyone: if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, do not dive.
The 10 Screening Questions On Page One
Each question is a broad “have you ever” or “do you currently” statement. Three of them (questions 3, 5, and 10) are marked with an asterisk, and a “yes” on any of those sends you directly to a physician. The other seven send you to a follow-up box on page two, where more specific questions decide whether a medical evaluation is needed.
Questions 1 And 2: Lungs, Heart, Blood, COVID-19, And Age
Question 1 asks whether you have had problems with your lungs or breathing, your heart, or your blood, or whether you have been diagnosed with COVID-19. A “yes” leads to Box A. Because pressure changes affect the lungs and cardiovascular system more than any other part of the body, this is the most important question on the form.
Question 2 simply asks whether you are over 45. A “yes” leads to Box B, which looks at cardiac risk factors such as smoking, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Being over 45 by itself does not require a doctor’s visit.
Questions 3, 5, And 10: The Asterisk Questions
These three questions bypass page two entirely. A “yes” on any of them means you take the form to a physician.
Question 3 asks whether you struggle to perform moderate exercise, defined on the form as walking one mile in 14 minutes or swimming 200 meters without resting, or whether health or fitness reasons have kept you from normal physical activity in the past 12 months.
Question 5 asks whether you have had surgery within the last 12 months or have ongoing problems related to past surgery.
Question 10 asks whether you are taking prescription medication. The form specifically excludes birth control and most anti-malarial drugs, with the exception of mefloquine (Lariam).
Question 4: Eyes, Ears, Nose, And Sinuses
Equalizing your ears and sinuses is the first skill every diver learns, so this question matters more than it might appear. A “yes” leads to Box C, which asks about recent sinus or eye surgery, ear disease or surgery, hearing loss, balance problems, and recurrent sinusitis.
Questions 6 And 7: Neurological And Psychological History
Question 6 covers loss of consciousness, migraine headaches, seizures, stroke, significant head injury, and persistent neurological disease, leading to Box D.
Question 7 asks whether you are currently receiving, or have needed within the last five years, treatment for psychological problems, personality disorder, panic attacks, or drug or alcohol addiction, or whether you have been diagnosed with a learning disability. It leads to Box E. Ordinary first-dive nervousness is not what this question is about.
Questions 8 And 9: Back, Hernia, Ulcers, Diabetes, And Digestion
Question 8 groups back problems, hernia, ulcers, and diabetes together and leads to Box F. Question 9 covers stomach and intestinal problems, including recent diarrhea, and leads to Box G. Both boxes narrow the broad question down to specific, time-limited conditions.
What Happens When You Answer "Yes"
A “yes” is not a rejection. It is a redirect. Depending on the question, you either move to the matching box on page two or go straight to a physician. Only after those follow-up questions is a medical evaluation actually required, and even then the doctor makes the final call, not the dive shop.
Page Two: Boxes A Through G
Each box asks between four and six targeted questions. Answering “no” to everything in your box means no medical evaluation is needed; you sign the participant statement and dive. Answering “yes” to any line in a box means a physician’s approval is required.
Box A: Chest, Heart, And Lung History
Chest or heart surgery, stents, collapsed lung, activity-limiting asthma or allergies in the last 12 months, angina or heart medication, recurrent bronchitis or emphysema, and a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Box B: Cardiac Risk Factors Over 45
Current smoking or nicotine use, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a close relative who died suddenly or of heart disease or stroke before age 50.
Box C: Ears, Sinuses, And Eyes
Sinus surgery in the last 6 months, ear disease or surgery, hearing loss or balance problems, recurrent sinusitis in the last 12 months, and eye surgery in the last 3 months.
Box D: Neurological History
Head injury with loss of consciousness in the last 5 years, persistent neurological disease, recurring migraines in the last 12 months, blackouts or fainting in the last 5 years, and epilepsy or seizure medication.
Box E: Behavioral And Mental Health
Conditions requiring medical or psychiatric treatment, major depression or panic attacks, a diagnosed mental health or learning condition needing ongoing care, and drug or alcohol addiction treatment within the last 5 years.
Box F: Back, Diabetes, Hernia, And Ulcers
Recurrent back problems in the last 6 months that limit daily activity, spinal surgery in the last 12 months, diabetes (including gestational), an uncorrected hernia that limits physical ability, and active or recently treated ulcers.
Box G: Digestive Conditions
Ostomy surgery without clearance to swim, dehydration needing medical treatment in the last 7 days, active stomach ulcers, frequent heartburn or GERD, uncontrolled colitis or Crohn’s disease, and bariatric surgery in the last 12 months.
Page Three: The Physician's Evaluation Form
If a medical evaluation is required, you take all three pages to a doctor. The physician reviews your history against the diving-medicine guidance published by UHMS, then checks one of two boxes: approved or not approved for recreational scuba diving and freediving. The form has space for the doctor’s name, specialty, clinic, contact details, and stamp.
Any licensed physician can sign it, but one familiar with diving medicine is the best choice. DAN maintains a referral network of dive-medicine physicians if your own doctor is unsure how to evaluate a diving-specific question.
Common Situations And What They Mean For You
"I Have A Cold Right Now"
A cold is not on the questionnaire, but the form’s introduction is clear: if you are feeling ill, avoid diving. Congestion blocks equalization and can cause ear or sinus injury. Reschedule rather than push through. Our guide on preparing for your first dive covers what to do in the days before a trip.
"I Take Medication"
Question 10 is one of the asterisk questions, so any prescription medication other than the listed exceptions requires a physician’s sign-off. This is true even for medications that seem unrelated to diving. Do not stop a prescribed medication in order to answer “no.” Get the form signed instead; in many cases the doctor will approve without hesitation.
"I'm Over 45 And Healthy"
You answer “yes” to question 2, go to Box B, and if you do not smoke, have normal cholesterol and blood pressure, and no early cardiac history in your family, you answer “no” to all four lines and proceed without a medical evaluation.
"I Had Surgery Last Year"
If it was within the last 12 months, question 5 requires a physician’s evaluation regardless of what the surgery was. If it was more than 12 months ago and you have no ongoing problems from it, you answer “no.”
"My Child Wants To Dive"
The same questionnaire applies to junior divers, with a parent or guardian signing the participant statement. Minimum ages and depth limits are set by the training program rather than the medical form; our article on scuba diving for kids covers those details.
Tips For Completing The Form Before Your Dive
Download the form ahead of time. It is freely available from PADI, DAN, and most agency websites, and reading it at home is far more comfortable than reading it on a dock five minutes before a briefing.
Answer honestly. The participant statement you sign accepts responsibility for the consequences of inaccurate answers. Instructors are not looking for reasons to turn you away; they are looking for information that lets them keep you safe.
If you know you will need a physician’s signature, get it before your trip. A “yes” discovered on the morning of the dive usually means the dive does not happen that day.
Bring the signed form with you, and keep a copy. Certified divers are often asked for it again on future trips. For the other things worth having in your bag, see our beginner dive tour checklist.
Final Thoughts: A Two-Minute Form That Protects You
The Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire is standardized, freely available, and identical almost everywhere you dive. For most healthy people it is ten quick “no” answers and a signature. For anyone with a relevant medical history it is a structured path to a doctor’s approval rather than a closed door.
Understanding the questions before you arrive removes the last surprise standing between you and the water. Once the form is done, the only things left are good dive safety habits and a great instructor. Ready to put it to use? Book a guided discovery dive in Panama City Beach, or start with our complete beginner’s guide to scuba diving.
