How long is the dive medical certificate valid?

Twelve months from the date of signature, per RSTC and PADI standards. The same certificate covers any course, fun dive or liveaboard during that window. A new exam is required after 12 months, or sooner if a new medical event such as surgery, lung infection or pregnancy occurs.

How long does the dive medical appointment take?

Around thirty minutes from arrival to stamped certificate. Walk-in is accepted; a WhatsApp message ahead lets us prepare the form and skip the queue. The certificate is printed, signed and handed over before you leave.

PADI Dive Medical in Patong, Phuket: Same-Day RSTC Medical Certificate for Divers

Same-day PADI, SSI, NAUI, CMAS and BSAC dive medical clearance on the standard RSTC Medical Statement (Form 10346), signed and stamped by a Thai Medical Council-registered doctor in Patong, Phuket. Clinically reviewed by the Doctor Patong Takecare Clinic medical team.

Quick answer: A PADI dive medical in Patong is a 30-minute fitness-to-dive examination using the international RSTC (Recreational Scuba Training Council) Medical Statement, the same form (PADI 10346) required by PADI, SSI, NAUI, CMAS and BSAC dive schools across Phuket, Phi Phi, Similan and Surin. The certificate is signed by a Thai-licensed physician, issued in English, valid for 12 months, and accepted by every recognised dive operator in southern Thailand. Walk in or WhatsApp ahead and you leave with the stamped form in hand.

WhatsApp to book a dive medical | Call +66 81 718 9080 | Find the clinic on Google Maps

Most divers who walk into the clinic ticked one box on the PADI Medical Statement and were told by the dive shop they need a doctor’s signature before their course can start. The clearance itself is not a barrier for healthy adults: it is a structured screen for the small number of conditions that turn a fun first dive into a fatal arterial gas embolism. We run the exam to RSTC standards, explain anything that needs specialist follow-up, and put the stamp on the form before you leave so your course can begin the next morning. If you also need a general medical certificate for travel, school or sports, see our general medical certificate page.

The form: PADI 10346 and the RSTC Medical Statement

Every recreational dive course in Thailand begins with the same piece of paper. The RSTC Medical Statement, distributed by PADI as Form 10346 and adopted with minor wording changes by SSI, NAUI, CMAS and BSAC, is a self-screening questionnaire that asks about cardiovascular, respiratory, ENT, neurological, metabolic and surgical history. A “no” to every question lets the dive school accept the diver without further sign-off. A single “yes”, on any item, triggers the requirement for a physician’s examination and a signed medical clearance. The form was designed by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society and the Diver Alert Network specifically so that the same standard applies in Phuket, Florida and the Red Sea. We use the live PADI version with the box ticked at the bottom by a Thai-licensed doctor; we keep blank copies at the desk for divers who arrive without one.

Validity is 12 months from the date the doctor signs. That window covers a full season of holiday diving or a year of Divemaster and Instructor training. A new certificate is required for the next calendar year, or sooner if a new medical event (heart attack, lung infection, ear surgery, pregnancy) occurs in the interim.

Exam scope: what the doctor actually checks

The dive medical is focused on the organ systems exposed to pressure change. Cardiovascular screening covers blood pressure, pulse, heart sounds and any history of recent infarction, unstable angina or heart failure; pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are reviewed case by case and may permit diving with depth restrictions. Respiratory screening is the heart of the exam because the lungs are where pressure injury kills: we listen for wheeze, ask about asthma control, and rule out spontaneous pneumothorax, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and pulmonary bullae, all of which carry a high risk of air trapping and fatal arterial gas embolism on ascent. ENT screening checks the eardrum with an otoscope, looks for sinus or eustachian tube problems that prevent equalisation, and notes any history of perforation or ear surgery. Neurological screening rules out active epilepsy, recent decompression sickness and migraine with aura. Diabetes is reviewed against DAN and UK Diving Medical Committee criteria. Pregnancy is asked about directly because foetal decompression risk is incompatible with diving at any depth.

Conditions that need clearance, conditions that exclude

Most divers who tick a “yes” on the form are still safely cleared the same day after a short exam. Well-controlled asthma without recent attacks, hypertension on stable medication, mild ENT history and remote orthopaedic surgery rarely prevent diving. A smaller group needs a specialist letter from a pulmonologist, cardiologist or dive medicine physician before we can sign; in those cases we say so on the spot and explain the route. A very small group is excluded outright because the physics of compressed-gas breathing makes the risk unacceptable. The table below summarises the three tiers as we apply them in clinic.

Tier	Condition	Reason
Absolute exclusion	Spontaneous pneumothorax, COPD, emphysema, lung bullae, active epilepsy, pregnancy.	Air trapping causes arterial gas embolism on ascent; seizures cause drowning; foetal decompression sickness has no safe depth.
Relative (needs review)	Hypertension, asthma, recent ear or sinus surgery, perforated eardrum, prior decompression sickness, migraine with aura, patent foramen ovale.	May be cleared once controlled, healed or specifically assessed for diving risk.
Cleared with specialist input	Insulin-dependent diabetes, pacemaker or ICD, well-controlled asthma with negative bronchoprovocation test, history of seizures off medication 5+ years.	Diving permitted under DAN and UKDMC protocols once specialist sign-off is in hand.

Red flags we will not sign on the day: a history of spontaneous pneumothorax, uncontrolled or recently exacerbated asthma, chest or abdominal surgery in the last 4 to 6 weeks (or 6 months for major thoracic surgery), active pregnancy at any gestation, and any seizure within the last 5 years on or off medication. These are not clinic policy: they are the international RSTC and UK Diving Medical Committee standard. Falsifying a clearance would put the diver at risk of a fatal arterial gas embolism, drowning or foetal decompression sickness, and we will not do it.

The clinic process, start to stamp

The visit takes about thirty minutes. You bring a passport, the PADI Medical Statement (we have copies if not), a list of current medications, and any spectacles or contact lenses. We start with a brief history and review of any “yes” answers, take blood pressure, pulse and oxygen saturation, listen to heart and lungs, look in both ears with an otoscope, screen mucous membranes and sinuses, run a short neurological and musculoskeletal check, and counter-sign the form with the doctor’s Thai Medical Council licence number and clinic stamp. The English-language certificate is handed over at the desk. Fees are fixed and quoted before the consultation begins.

See a dive medicine specialist if: the screening exam raises a question we cannot resolve in clinic, such as suspected lung bullae on chest exam, a heart murmur of uncertain cause, a history of decompression sickness, or insulin-dependent diabetes seeking technical or deep diving certification. In these situations we refer to a pulmonologist, cardiologist or hyperbaric medicine physician at Vachira Phuket Hospital, the only facility in Phuket with an operational recompression chamber.

Prevention: stay diveable all season

Prevention and dive-safe habits: renew the medical every 12 months even if your last dive felt fine; never dive with an active head cold, sinus infection or ear infection because equalisation will fail; carry Divers Alert Network membership for evacuation and chamber cover; respect the no-fly interval after diving (12 hours single dive, 18 hours multi-day diving) to avoid surface decompression sickness; and tell the dive briefing if any new medication, surgery or illness has occurred since the certificate was signed.

Summary

A PADI or RSTC dive medical is a focused, evidence-based fitness exam: lungs, heart, ears, brain, blood sugar, pregnancy. Most divers leave the clinic cleared, stamped and signed the same morning. A few need specialist input, and a very small number cannot dive safely at all. We will tell you which group you are in honestly, in plain language, before you book a course you cannot complete.

“The dive medical is the one piece of paper standing between a healthy diver and a fatal pressure injury. We sign it when it is safe, and we refer when it is not.”, Doctor Patong Takecare Clinic medical team.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a dive medical for every PADI course?

Only if the RSTC Medical Statement triggers it. If you answer “no” to every question on the PADI Form 10346, the dive school can enrol you without a doctor’s signature. A single “yes”, or a Divemaster or Instructor application, requires the signed certificate. In Thailand, professional-level training (Divemaster and above) almost always requires medical clearance regardless of answers, so plan for the exam if you are working towards a career card.

How long is the certificate valid?

Twelve months from the date of signature, per RSTC and PADI standards. The same certificate covers any course, fun dive or liveaboard during that window. After 12 months a fresh exam is required, and any new medical event during the year (surgery, lung infection, ear barotrauma, pregnancy) means the certificate needs to be reissued early.

I have asthma. Can I dive?

Often yes, under modern guidelines. Decades ago asthma was an absolute exclusion; today the consensus from the UK Diving Medical Committee and Divers Alert Network is that well-controlled asthma with no recent exacerbation, no exercise- or cold-induced symptoms, and a negative bronchoprovocation test on specialist review is compatible with recreational diving. We screen the history at the visit; mild well-controlled cases are cleared in clinic, and uncertain cases are referred for spirometry and respiratory specialist sign-off.

How much does the dive medical cost?

The clinic charges a fixed transparent fee for a standard RSTC dive medical including the consultation, examination, signed PADI Form 10346 and English-language certificate. The fee is quoted on WhatsApp before the visit and confirmed at the desk. There are no hidden charges for the form, stamp or printout; if a specialist referral is needed we say so before booking so there is no surprise cost.

How long does the appointment take?

Around thirty minutes from arrival to stamped certificate. Walk-in is accepted; sending a WhatsApp message ahead lets us prepare the form, confirm the fee and skip the queue, which is useful when a course begins the next morning. The certificate is printed, signed and handed over before you leave; we do not email it later.

Can I dive with diabetes?

Yes, under defined conditions. Insulin-dependent diabetes was historically an exclusion but is now permitted by Divers Alert Network and UK Diving Medical Committee protocols if HbA1c is stable, there has been no severe hypoglycaemia in the past 12 months, a specialist has signed off on fitness to dive, the dive partner is briefed, and glucose is monitored before and after every dive. We screen at the clinic and refer for endocrinology input where the protocol requires it before signing the PADI form.

Sources

Recreational Scuba Training Council, RSTC Medical Examiner’s Guide and Medical Statement. PADI, Form 10346 Medical Statement. Divers Alert Network (DAN), fitness to dive guidance and emergency hotline. UK Diving Medical Committee (UKDMC), assessment standards for diving with chronic disease.

WhatsApp to book a dive medical | Call +66 81 718 9080 | Find the clinic on Google Maps

PADI dive medical, RSTC Medical Statement, Form 10346, fitness to dive, decompression sickness, arterial gas embolism, barotrauma, scuba certification, Divers Alert Network, hyperbaric medicine, Patong, Phuket