Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I’m an undiagnosed autistic who’s looking to go scuba diving. This isn’t something that will affect it particularly however I have what I believe to be an autistic shutdown on my record from 2019, but at the time it was written off as an absence seizure. All test results came back fine but the diving doctor said there was too much neurological concern over what it could be if not a seizure.
I know this is a very specific query but does anybody have any advice on what to do? You can’t commercially dive until at least 10 years after a ‘seizure’ and I was hoping to start much sooner.
Depends on whether you are willing to take your life in your own hands.
I have asthma, severe enough that I should never have dived in my entire life, but at University an opportunity presented to learn to dive. So I did. I signed off the medical questionaire with no illnesses. I am a qualified scuba diver with a bunch of PADI and BSAC tickets, can do some levels of technical diving and have dived solo (which is generally not acceptable to most divers), dived in caves (solo) and did a technical gas course which resulted in me being bounced from my University club (because I was no longer diving at the same level as them). I am very autistic and I take everything to the nth degree, so in reality I am a safer scuba diver than most as I read and practiced everything over and over. I did safety drills blindfolded in the pool repeatedly while with the Uni club. They knew I was different to the average diver who has a problem at 30m ends up in a tin can getting blown down for 6 hours. I did the SDI solo diver course and never looked back. Nowadays it's not even considered advanced. Most technical diving is essentially solo.
So I don't do it now. It was a chapter of my life. Some of the most spectacular things I've ever seen. I dived in Malta in the Blue Lagoon on Gozo, which was exquisite. I dived in some dirty cave in the south of England, introduced by a guy i met on a course. I only did that once as it was really cold. But I had the realisation towards the end that when you know you have something wrong with you, there are limits to how far you should push things. I got to see things many others never will and I am happy with having done that.
So in your case, why not start with a try a dive session. Many shops will do you a short dive in shallow water (a swimming pool) with an instructor. maybe 2m max. See how it goes. You may not even like it. Breathing air through a hose while underwater is very different to breathing air on the surface. There is an element of stress to diving. You have to manage your life systems and you need to be self sufficient while doing it. not everyone can handle that stress that is NT, let alone ND. If you like you taster session, then do a second one. If you like the second one too, maybe try for a PADI Open Water.
I'm not advocating crazy behaviour, but you're an adult and you are able to make decisions. You can choose to do things or choose not to do them.
That skydive sounds wild and like so much fun! Thank you for your suggestion, I appreciate it, although I believe I’ve been tested for epilepsy before and the results were negative - this dive doctor refused on the basis of I may have had a seizure before and even if I hadn’t that I’d had ‘concerning neurological symptoms that couldn’t be explained’.
Hi, thanks so much for your suggestions! The second opinion would be a really great idea.however, I’ve been referred before and recently got back from my local clinic that they did not have sufficient evidence to go forwards, so I’m not super sure where to go with that at the moment. The career I’d like to be involved in also includes some diving in relatively extreme conditions and whilst I know companies have discrimination policies I worry that they would think autism could affect the safety of an isolated team if I couldn’t do something (not a personal concern, just an outlook I know people often have). Still though, thank you very much!
Like Ice Swimmer said, if I were you I would get assessed and diagnosed - there is a wait but it would be a lot sooner than 10 years. Or you could get tested by the GP for epilepsy, also quicker than 10 years, and then you should be clear for diving.
A few years ago I did a sky dive, nearly had a heart attack lol and at first I wasn't allowed because of an epilepsy risk so I got tested and it all came back as fine and then I was allowed to dive.
That's a tough one
Two suggestions
1 Get a formal autism diagnosis. See your GP and get referred. There may be a wait but it will be less than 10 years. It would force reconsideration of whatever affected you.
2 Get the opinion of a second dive doctor.