Every student completes a medical questionnaire, but not every student needs a doctor's examination. The answers on the form and the training operator's requirements determine whether a medical is needed before the course. Completing a questionnaire is not a certificate of fitness or confirmation that you can start diving.

What does the diving medical questionnaire do?

The questionnaire screens for circumstances that need medical assessment. It is different from the examination a doctor carries out. It also does not replace a training operator's entry requirements.

PADI publishes the current participant questionnaire as a three-page document, version 2026-01-01. Its first page has ten questions, with further questions on page two and an examiner's section on page three. Read the directions on the actual document rather than relying on a summary of a health condition.

On that edition, answering no to all ten initial questions means the form itself does not require medical evaluation. Some yes answers lead directly to a physician; others lead to further questions. Follow that routing through to its conclusion. A yes answer is not automatically a finding that you cannot dive, and a completed form does not resolve every health concern.

The issuer also directs people with health concerns beyond the form to a physician. If you are unsure how your health or treatment relates to a question, seek medical advice rather than changing an answer to avoid a referral.

There is a separate paperwork issue to check when booking: Frog Dive's medical page currently links to older questionnaire files. The issuer's current edition explains the screening process here; its availability does not establish which edition the shop has adopted. Confirm the required course paperwork with the operator if the versions differ.

When does Frog Dive require a dive medical?

Frog Dive publishes its own medical requirements for students. Its page says all students learning to dive or taking a refresher complete a questionnaire. It also requires a full medical in circumstances that go beyond simply reading the first page of the issuer's current form.

The shop's published rule requires a full medical for a student over 45 who has any one of these six factors:

• Currently smoking a pipe, cigars or cigarettes.
• High cholesterol.
• A family history of heart attacks or strokes.
• Currently receiving medical care.
• High blood pressure.
• Diabetes mellitus, including when controlled by diet.

The same page requires a full medical for a pre-existing condition or medical history such as asthma, or preventative medication for a chronic condition. These are the shop's published requirements, not a diagnosis or a statement that every dive centre uses the same rules.

The course page also lists the medical questionnaire among its requirements and says to obtain clearance if required. Read the Open Water course information alongside the medical page when arranging your booking. The course description does not remove the additional requirements on that page.

Check both the questionnaire directions and the shop's requirements before assuming your paperwork is complete. The form identifies possible referrals, the operator sets its course requirements and a practitioner makes the medical assessment.

Can you learn to dive if you have asthma?

Frog Dive's published policy requires a full medical for a medical history such as asthma. That is the practical requirement to address before booking, rather than trying to work out your fitness from an article or another diver's experience.

The current questionnaire includes breathing questions with their own wording and qualifications. Those questions and the shop's broader history-based rule are different. A particular answer to the form does not cancel the shop's requirement, and a summary of its breathing questions cannot clear someone with asthma to dive.

Tell the assessing practitioner about the relevant history and treatment, and take the required paperwork. Whether you can dive needs that assessment; how mild your symptoms seem is not a substitute.

The SPUMS assessment guidance is written to help practitioners assess recreational diving candidates. It is not a self-assessment test for a prospective student. Use professional advice for the health decision and the operator's published requirements for the course paperwork.

Does being over 45 decide it?

Frog Dive's published age rule combines being over 45 with any one of its six listed factors. It does not use age alone. Medical care and diet-controlled diabetes are included alongside smoking, cholesterol, family history and blood pressure.

The issuer's 2026 form uses a different over-45 route and a different set of follow-up questions. Its wording should be read on the form itself. The two lists should not be combined into a new checklist, or one substituted for the other.

Apply each requirement separately. An over-45 student should read the form's follow-up questions and the shop's six-factor rule, including the medical-history requirement. If the paperwork leaves you uncertain about what to provide, confirm it with the operator before the course.

When does the paperwork need to be done?

Frog Dive says a required full medical must be completed at least two days before the course starts. That is a course requirement, not an estimate of how long an appointment or assessment will take.

Allow time to obtain the paperwork and arrange any required assessment. Completing the questionnaire early helps reveal a referral before the deadline. Check appointment availability directly with the practice, and allow for the possibility that the assessment needs more information.

If meeting the two-day requirement is not possible, the shop's page directs you to contact management. Use that route before assuming you can bring the medical on the first day. The published contact route is not a promise that a late medical will be accepted.

Keep the complete paperwork together. The issuer's directions call for all three pages to go to the practitioner when an evaluation is required. Confirm which documents the operator needs back, rather than sending only an answer page or assuming a signed questionnaire is a medical certificate.

Where do you find a diving doctor?

SPUMS publishes a diving doctors directory with New South Wales entries. Frog Dive's medical page also lists Sydney practitioners and says it has no partnership with them. A directory is a starting point for an enquiry, rather than a guarantee of current availability or an appointment suitable for your course date.

When contacting a practice, explain that the appointment is for recreational scuba training and check that it can undertake the required assessment. Confirm the documents to bring and the practice's arrangements directly. Do not infer a fee, appointment length or assessment outcome from a name on a list.

Frog Dive's medical requirements and forms are the place to check the shop's published process. Where a linked file differs from the issuer's current edition, ask the operator to confirm the required paperwork. Then follow the form's directions and the assessing practitioner's advice, with time to meet the course deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Is a diving questionnaire the same as a dive medical?

No. A questionnaire screens for circumstances requiring assessment. A dive medical is an examination by a practitioner. The form's directions and the operator's requirements both matter when deciding what paperwork you need before training.

Does every yes answer mean you cannot dive?

No. The form may direct you to further questions or medical assessment. It does not make a personal fitness decision for you. Follow its directions and obtain the assessment required by the operator.

Do all students over 45 need a full medical at Frog Dive?

The shop's published age rule combines being over 45 with any one of six listed factors. Other medical-history requirements may also apply. Read the whole policy rather than using age alone to decide.

Can you bring a required medical on the first day?

Frog Dive publishes a deadline of at least two days before the course starts. If that is not possible, contact management beforehand. Do not assume a first-day medical will be accepted.