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Do you know which medicines you should take with you on your travels?

By accessing the interactive part of this web site you can obtain a list of all the medicines necessary for your trip.

Whether you are going on a holiday to a beach resort or a full blown expedition to some remote location.

However long you will be away or however many people will be in your group, wherever you are going and whatever you are doing, you can obtain your own customised list.

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During recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of people taking part in the sport of scuba diving and as a direct result of this there has been an explosion in the number of people travelling abroad on scuba diving holidays. Many holiday resorts nowadays have a dive centre where guests can "have a go" or even undertake a basic scuba training course.


 Sharm el Sheikh
Most sports divers who travel abroad on diving holidays go on trips arranged through a specialist diving company.

There are dozens of companies in existence catering for diving trips all over the world.

This kind of trip is designed specifically for qualified divers or those intending to become qualified divers and the whole holiday centres around the diving activities.
Oonas Dive Centre Na'ama Bay
It is vitally important that those intending to dive whilst abroad are properly trained in the use of scuba equipment and are familiar with the risks and dangers associated with the sport, i.e. basic resuscitation skills, recognition of the signs and symptoms of decompression illness and how to avoid it etc.

Qualifications can be obtained by joining a club prior to travel or attending a recognised diving school for training, and subsequently making sure that you keep your skills up to date.

Popular destinations with UK divers are the Red Sea, Mediterranean and Caribbean but other locations such as the Maldives, Great Barrier Reef, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands offer superb diving. The photograph above shows the popular Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

Diving holidays can either be land based at a resort or dive centre, or based aboard a specially designed dive boat known as a liveaboard.

MV Coral Queen Liveaboard
It is important that all divers who are going on diving holidays are aware of the availability of (or lack of) hyperbaric facilities in the area they are visiting, or alternatively, how a diver may be evacuated to a chamber in the event of a decompression incident.

Decompression accidents can and do occur even amongst divers who use personal decompression computers.

Liveaboard divers can make up to five dives per day and are often most at risk due to the remoteness of their location.
For further information on decompression sickness, it's causes, symptoms
and treatment


Most reputable dive companies will operate dive boats that are fully seaworthy and are equipped with all the necessary safety and navigation equipment, and carry comprehensive first aid and oxygen equipment. (It is always worth checking). They should also employ fully trained and competent personnel as dive guides and boat crew.

All sports divers should make sure that their travel insurance includes cover for scuba diving. Divers must be covered for accidents which may occur during diving or as a direct result of diving, recompression costs, hospitalisation etc. and loss or damage to diving gear. The better dive companies will offer specialist diving insurance.


Divers should be able to provide proof of medical fitness should also take their 'C' Cards, Qualification Records or other evidence of their diving qualifications for the Dive Master or Guide to inspect.

If you are flying to your destination you will usually have a baggage allowance of 20kg plus hand luggage. This can be a problem since basic scuba gear weighs around 15Kg which does not allow for much else. If you also carry underwater photography equipment your allowance is quickly used up. For this reason, cylinders and weights are usually provided on site and equipment hire is also available. Sometimes divers get an extra 10Kg per person "sports allowance" Check with your agent.

Diving knives should always be packed with the rest of your diving gear and carried in the hold. Pony bottles and emergency cylinders must be completely emptied and also carried in the hold.

Many divers travel abroad to dive on coral reefs which are one of nature's wonders. Nearly all coral reefs are in the tropics which means that the local climate will be hot. Divers must take care to avoid dehydration and desist from sunbathing immediately following a dive since both are predisposing factors in decompression illness.

Most tropical dive locations are in and around developing countries with poor standards of hygiene etc. Therefore, all the usual travel precautions should be observed; i.e. vaccinations, malaria tablets etc.

Because of the repeated immersion in sea water, divers are prone to ear problems. Infections can result from sea water trapped inside the ear canal. Ears should be cleaned out with fresh water after the last dive of the day and dried without poking anything inside. Aluminium acetate ear drops are good for drying out the ears.

After several days diving a build up of catarrh can lead to blockage of the sinuses and Eustachian tubes giving rise to problems during equalisation. Decongestants such as pseudoephedrine are useful for treating this condition. One tablet should be taken prior to the first dive of the day, the decongestant effect will last up to eight hours.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON LARIAM & SCUBA DIVING


Lariam (mefloquine) is an anti-malarial drug used in regions of the world where chloroquine resistant falciparum malaria is prevalent. e.g. East Africa, South East Asia.

Possible side effects of lariam such as dizziness, blurred vision and a disturbed sense of balance are common and could cause problems for divers.

These effects can often imitate or even worsen the symptoms of DCI. There could also be confusion between the side effects of lariam and the symptoms of DCI or nitrogen narcosis resulting in a misleading diagnosis.

Therefore, lariam must not be taken by persons intending to take part in scuba diving.

The manufacturers of lariam recommend that it should not be taken by persons who carry out tasks demanding fine co-ordination and spatial discrimination, including scuba diving. If barium is taken, these persons should refrain from such activities during and for at least three weeks following use.

Dangerous Marine Creatures

Tropical waters can sometimes give the impression of being alive with dangerous creatures that can sting, bite, devour or otherwise injure the unwary diver. Divers intending to dive in the tropics should take time to familiarise themselves with the potentially dangerous creatures they will be likely to encounter to reduce the likelihood of injury from such creatures.

Everybody's favourite villain is the shark. However, most species of shark are completely harmless to man and even if a potentially dangerous species is encountered it will more often than not ignore the diver and swim away.

Most encounters with sharks are thrilling experiences but when they are encountered during a dive they should always be treated with the utmost respect and caution.


Remember
Sport Divers are probably at a greater risk from travel-related illness than from diving-related accidents.
Potentially Dangerous Sea Creatures
  • Certain species of coral e.g. Fire coral causes a stinging and burning sensation.
  • Jellyfish including the Portuguese man-of-war and the Box Jellyfish with a lethal venom.
  • Sea Urchins - posses long brittle spines which contain venom.
  • Cone shells - have the ability to fire a toxic dart into the victim.
  • Certain species of octopus e.g. the Blue Ringed Octopus is highly toxic.
  • Sea Snakes - all of which are poisonous but will not bite unless provoked a bitten person should be evacuated to a hospital immediately. The fatality rate is about 40%
  • Stingrays and Moray Eels - these are all harmless unless molested.
  • Lionfish, Scorpion fish & Stonefish - these are very poisonous. They are usually brightly coloured or camouflaged. They possess spines which contain venom, contact with which causes severe pain and sometimes even death.
  • Jellyfish stings can be inactivated with a dilute solution of acetic acid (vinegar). Any adherent tentacles should be removed carefully (not with bare hands).
  • The excruciating pain from the venom of scorpion fish, lion fish etc. may be relieved by immersing the limb in hot water, the hotter the better (as hot as the victim can stand).
  • Sea urchin spines that become embedded may need to be removed surgically.
  • The best form of treatment is avoidance.

CORAL REEFS OF THE WORLD

Coral Reefs are made up of millions of tiny sea creatures called polyps. Polyps are very closely related to the jellyfish and sea anemones and like the anemones they possess tentacles for catching their prey. They are colonial creatures with hundreds of polyps in a single coral colony and they co-exist with algae in a symbiotic union. Each polyp secretes an exoskeleton of chalk which forms the basis of the reef and they are filter feeders catching tiny food particles with their tentacles. The algae is able to produce nutrients by photosynthesis and gives each coral its distinctive colour.

Coral reefs are almost exclusively located in tropical seas. This is because of the conditions required by the corals in order to sustain growth. Which are:-

  • Bright sunlight - to enable photosynthesis.
  • Warm water - optimal growth is between 24 - 32 deg.C
  • Clear water - allows light penetration. Heavily silted water will choke the corals.
  • Shallow seas - sunlight cannot penetrate sufficiently below 100 metres to allow reef growth.
Coral reefs are unique structures built up over many years. They flourish in the warm waters of the tropics, fringing islands and continents, and forming atolls far out in the ocean. Some are like beautiful gardens, paved with delicate corals and home to innumerable brightly coloured fish. Others are full of drama, with massive coral formations extending into deep water with sharks patrolling along the reef edge.

Sadly, like virtually every other natural habitat, coral reefs are coming under intense pressure. Many have been polluted and choked with sediment and rubbish washed from the land. Others have been damaged by coastal development, coral mining, over-fishing and collection of reef animals. Tourism too has an impact, but YOU can help to minimise the damage.

DIVERS

  • Don't touch corals, rest on them or kick them. Corals are living animals and are damaged even by gentle handling.
  • Avoid kicking up the sand. It spoils the visibility for other visitors and damages corals and other reef animals when it settles.
  • Do not spearfish. This is now prohibited in most countries and spearguns are usually confiscated by Customs officials.
  • Leave all corals and reef animals where they are. Corals are the 'building bricks' of the reef. In many areas shells and other reef animals have become rare because too many people are taking them. Many tourist resorts and dive operators ban collecting.
  • Make sure you are properly weighted!
  • Take great care in underwater caves and caverns. Avoid crowding into a cave and don't spend too long there. Bubbles collect in pockets on the roof of the cave and the delicate reef animals there can 'drown in air'.

BOAT OWNERS

  • Never anchor on corals. They are easily broken or damaged by anchors. Tie up to a mooring buoy or jetty, or anchor carefully in sand or rubble patches.
  • Mind the reef! Grounding is bad for your boat and the reef. Navigation in reef waters needs special care.

REEF CONSERVATION

Nowadays more and more people are visiting coral reefs, to look at their amazing variety of colourful life. Unfortunately, all over the world reefs are suffering from too many visitors. Corals that take years to grow are being damaged or destroyed in an instant. Now is the time to act.
  • Encourage efforts to protect reefs by visiting marine parks. Help them to be a success by carefully obeying all the regulations.
  • Learn more about reef and other marine life. Your visits will be all the more enjoyable.
  • Be satisfied with nature as it is. Fish feeding has a place in selected areas but is best resisted elsewhere. It disrupts natural behaviour and can upset the balance of species on reefs.
  • Help keep the reef clean. Always take your own litter away, and also pick up other rubbish from the beach or reef.
  • Support groups such as the Marine Conservation Society that are involved in promoting the conservation of reefs.
  • Follow the visitors code. Take care of the reef not just for yourself, but for all who follow.

Please Note:

If you intend to access the interactive page to determine your customised medical kit for a scuba diving trip. Please remember that it assumes that you are organising a dive expedition to a remote location with no immediate medical infrastructure. If however, you are staying around a holiday complex in a developed resort or using a modern liveaboard boat with all the necessary first aid & safety equipment, you should modify the medical kit accordingly.
 
 

     
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