QUESTION: My 17-year-old son took medication for asthma as a child, but that all stopped when he was about 12. Can he learn to scuba dive?
ANSWER: With the information you have provided, I can give you a somewhat conditional answer of “probably.” Many children who are diagnosed with asthma outgrow the disease as their airways mature. If your son has not required any intervention for asthma since the age of 12 and has been a healthy, physically active adolescent, it is very likely that he can participate in diving without any greater risk than that of his peers.
By answering “yes” on the medical history form he’s required to fill out prior to diving, he’ll need to see his physician for clearance to begin training. But I suspect he will do just fine.
Asthma is a very controversial medical problem when it comes to safe diving, and many prominent diving physicians agree to disagree on the topic. Asthma is essentially chronic irritation and hyper reactivity of the airways, frequently made worse by triggers like exercise, air temperature and allergens.
While it makes sense that anything that may negatively affect breathing would not be good for a diver, the disease does not affect all asthmatics equally. Many asthmatics are out there diving, most without significant issues.
