These are resources regarding SPUMS position on return to diving post COVID.

Disclaimer

These are guidelines only and not enforceable.

The Australian and New Zealand Hyperbaric Medicine Group 

Introductory Course in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine

Dates: 17-28 February 2025
Venue: Hougoumont Hotel, Fremantle, Western Australia
Cost: AUD$3,200.00 (inclusive of GST) for two weeks.

Successful completion of this course will allow the doctor to perform Recreational and Occupational (as per AS/ NZS 2299.1) fitness for diving medicals and be listed for such on the SPUMS Diving Doctors List (provided that they continue to be a financial SPUMS member).

The course content includes:

• History of diving medicine and hyperbaric oxygen treatment
• Physics and physiology of diving and compressed gases
• Presentation, diagnosis and management of diving injuries
• Assessment of fitness to dive
• Visit to RFDS base for flying and diving workshop
• Accepted indications for hyperbaric oxygen treatment
• Hyperbaric oxygen evidence based medicine
• Wound management and transcutaneous oximetry
• In water rescue and management of a seriously ill diver
• Visit to HMAS Stirling
• Practical workshops
• Marine Envenomation

Contact for information:

Sam Swale, Course Administrator
Phone:+61-(0)8-6152-5222
Fax:+61-(0)8-6152-4943
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Accommodation information can be provided on request.

Royal Australian Navy Medical Officers’ Underwater Medicine Course 

Dates: 14-25 October 2024 and 17-28 March 2025 

Venue: HMAS Penguin, Sydney

The MOUM course seeks to provide the medical practitioner with an understanding of the range of potential medical problems faced by divers.  Emphasis is placed on the contra­indications to diving and the diving medical assessment, together with the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of common diving-­related illnesses. The course includes scenario­-based simulation focusing on the management of diving emergencies and workshops covering the key components of the diving medical.

Cost: The course cost remains at AUD$1,355 (excl GST) but is subject to change.

Successful completion of this course will allow the doctor to perform Recreational and Occupational (as per AS/ NZS 2299.1) fitness for diving medicals and be listed for such on the SPUMS Diving Doctors List (provided that they continue to be a financial SPUMS member).

For information and application forms contact:

Rajeev Karekar, for Officer in Charge,
Submarine and Underwater Medicine Unit
HMAS Penguin
Middle Head Rd, Mosman
NSW 2088, Australia
Phone: +61 ­(0)2-­9647-5572
Fax: +61­-(0)2­-9647-511
E­mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Other courses from overseas providers may be approved on a case-by-case basis for doctors practicing in Australia and New Zealand, upon application to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The ANZCA Diploma of Advanced Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine (ANZCA Dip Adv DHM). 2022 dates and venues are yet to be confirmed. The viva exams were virtual in 2021 and likely so in 2022.

Late applications and late documentation will not be accepted after the closing date. All application fees are to be paid in full. No payment plans will be granted.

Applications are accepted via email only. Acknowledgement of applications will be via email within 48 hours of receipt by the College, except for weekends and holidays, these will be acknowledged within 48 hours of the next working day.

For more information please go the ANZCA website.

This area is available for public viewing. All documents that are available to the public will be available for download here. All downloadable documents are in a PDF format. 

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES FIRST!

The DAN AP Diving Emergency Service (DES) Hotline

Toll Free 1800 088 200 (within Australia)

User Pays +61-8-8212 9242 (outside Australia)

DAN currently funds the Diving Emergency Service (DES) Hotline.

The DES is a 24-hour diving emergency hotline run on a volunteer basis. Located at the Hyperbaric Unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia. It is available to all divers throughout the world. The DES doctors provide this service on a voluntary basis and DAN Asia-Pacific funds the toll free phone number.

How a call to the Diving Emergency Service (DES) in Australia is handled. 

The DES is not part of DAN; it is an independent entity. However, DAN utilises the services of the DES doctors and funds the operation of the DES phone.

A call to the DES first comes into the control room of the ambulance service in South Australia. It is answered by a qualified ambulance officer who takes relevant details and passes the call through to the on-call DES doctor. The caller is normally able to speak directly with a hyperbaric doctor within 2 to 5 minutes of calling. The DES currently handles some 500 calls per year, from all over the world.

Calls to DES from within Australia are toll free (call 1800 088 200).  However, calls from outside Australia (+61-8-8212 9242) are user pays.

The DAN Diving Emergency Service (DES) Australia Hotline 1800-088 200 
(funded by DAN)       

(toll free within Australia – English Only) +61-8-8212 9242
(from outside Australia – English Only)

New South Wales/ACT (02) 9382 2222 (Prince of Wales Hospital)

Northern Territory (08) 8922 8888 (Royal Darwin Hospital)

Queensland (07) 3646 8111 (Royal Brisbane Hospital) (07) 4433 1111 (Townsville Hospital) 

South Australia (08) 7074 0000 (Royal Adelaide Hospital)        

Tasmania (03) 6166 8308 (Royal Hobart Hospital)

Victoria (03) 9076 2000 (The Alfred)

Western Australia (08) 6152 2222 (Fiona Stanley Hospital)  

OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA

New Zealand 0800 4DES 111 (Diving Emergency Service)

Asia, Pacific Islands +618-8212 9242 (DAN World)

Americas +1-919-684 9111 (DAN)

Europe +39-06-4211 8685 (DAN EUROPE)

Southern Africa +27-10-209 8112 (DAN SOUTHERN AFRICA)

If you have a Diver Emergency, please use one of the contact numbers below.

Australia toll free from within Australia:
1800 088 200

Australia from overseas (user pays):
+61 8 8212 9242

New Zealand from within New Zealand:
0800-4DES 111

New Zealand from overseas:
+64 9 445 8454

In most diving emergencies divers should use these numbers in the first instance. One possible exception is where the caller is dealing with situation that is immediately life threatening, for example, where CPR or EAR is being performed on an injured diver. In this setting it is probably better to call the local emergency (ambulance) services direct (dial 000) to get help as soon as possible.

Requirements for candidates (May 2014)

In order for the Diploma of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine to be awarded by the Society, the candidate must comply with the following conditions: They must

1. be medically qualified, and remain a current financial member of the Society at least until they have completed all requirements of the Diploma;
2. supply evidence of satisfactory completion of an examined two-week full-time course in diving and hyperbaric medicine at an approved facility. The list of such approved facilities may be found on the SPUMS website;
3. have completed the equivalent (as determined by the Education Officer) of at least six months’ full-time clinical training in an approved Hyperbaric Medicine Unit;
4. submit a written proposal for research in a relevant area of underwater or hyperbaric medicine, in a standard format, for approval before commencing the research project;
5. produce, to the satisfaction of the Academic Board, a written report on the approved research project, in the form of a scientific paper suitable for publication. Accompanying this report should be a request to be considered for the SPUMS Diploma and supporting documentation for 1–4 above.

In the absence of other documentation, it will be assumed that the paper is to be submitted for publication in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine. As such, the structure of the paper needs to broadly comply with the ‘Instructions for authors’ available on the this website https://spums.org.au/ or at https://www.dhmjournal.com/.

The paper may be submitted to journals other than Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine; however, even if published in another journal, the completed paper must be submitted to the Education Officer (EO) for assessment as a diploma paper. If the paper has been accepted for publication or published in another journal, then evidence of this should be provided.

The diploma paper will be assessed, and changes may be requested, before it is regarded to be of the standard required for award of the Diploma. Once completed to the reviewers’ satisfaction, papers not already submitted to, or accepted by, other journals should be forwarded to the Editor of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine for consideration. At this point the Diploma will be awarded, provided all other requirements are satisfied. Diploma projects submitted to Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine for consideration of publication will be subject to the Journal’s own peer review process.

Additional information – prospective approval of projects is required

The candidate must contact the EO in writing (or email) to advise of their intended candidacy and to discuss the proposed topic of their research. A written research proposal must be submitted before commencement of the research project.

All research reports must clearly test a hypothesis. Original basic and clinical research are acceptable. Case series reports may be acceptable if thoroughly documented, subject to quantitative analysis and if the subject is extensively researched in detail. Reports of a single case are insufficient. Review articles may be acceptable if the world literature is thoroughly analysed and discussed and the subject has not recently been similarly reviewed. Previously published material will not be considered. It is expected that the research project and the written report will be primarily the work of the candidate, and that the candidate is the first author where there are more than one.

It is expected that all research will be conducted in accordance with the joint NHMRC/AVCC statement and guidelines on research practice, available at: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/ publications/australian-code-responsible-conduct-research-2018, or the equivalent requirement of the country in which the research is conducted. All research involving humans, including case series, or animals must be accompanied by documentary evidence of approval by an appropriate research ethics committee. Human studies must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki (1975, revised 2013). Clinical trials commenced after 2011 must have been registered at a recognised trial registry site such as the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry http://www.anzctr.org.au/ and details of the registration provided in the accompanying letter. Studies using animals must comply with National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines or their equivalent in the country in which the work was conducted.

The SPUMS Diploma will not be awarded until all requirements are completed. The individual components do not necessarily need to be completed in the order outlined above. However, it is mandatory that the research proposal is approved prior to commencing research.

Projects will be deemed to have lapsed if:

• the project is inactive for a period of three years, or
• the candidate fails to renew SPUMS Membership in any year after their Diploma project is registered (but not completed).

For unforeseen delays where the project will exceed three years, candidates must explain to the EO by email why they wish their diploma project to remain active, and a three-year extension may be approved. If there are extenuating circumstances why a candidate is unable to maintain financial membership, then these must be advised by email to the EO for consideration by the SPUMS Executive. If a project has lapsed, and the candidate wishes to continue with their DipDHM, then they must submit a new application as per these guidelines.

The Academic Board reserves the right to modify any of these requirements from time to time. As of October 2020, the SPUMS Academic Board consists of:

Associate Professor David Cooper, Education Officer, Hobart
Professor Simon Mitchell, Auckland

All enquiries and applications should be addressed to:
Associate Professor David Cooper
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Key words
Qualifications; Underwater medicine; Hyperbaric oxygen; Research; Medical society

THE SOUTH PACIFIC UNDERWATER MEDICINE SOCIETY GUIDELINES ON MEDICAL RISK ASSESSMENT FOR RECREATIONAL DIVING

© 2020, South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Incorporated

Permission is granted to reproduce this publication in full or in part, in print or electronic form for the purposes of assessment for recreational diving or for education.

First edition 1992 (Accepted by the SPUMS Committee 03 February 1991)
Second revised edition 1996 (Statement of Health for Recreational Diving replaced Certificate of Fitness to dive)
Reprinted 1996
Third revised edition 1999
Reprinted December 1999
Fourth edition December 2010
Reprinted July 2011
Fifth Edition with updated cardiovascular guidelines January 2020

ISBN 978-0-646-55047-3

 South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society, (Incorporated in Victoria) A0020660B, ABN 29 299 823 713
C/o Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists 
630 St Kilda Road
Melbourne, Victoria 3004,
Australia

SPUMS suggests that members have pages 12–19 reproduced as the form which they use for their diving medical examinations. The Statement of Health for Recreational Diving on page 19 should be used as a certificate of fitness to dive. The pro-forma statement on page 33 should be added to the Certificate in Section C, for use when counselling divers with diabetes about their diving.

Notice

Neither the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Incorporated nor its officers assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising from this publication.

South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society

Incorporated in Victoria  A0020660B

Privacy Policy 

Who are we? 

SPUMS is the peak medical society representing doctors in the field of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine in the South Pacific region.  

Membership is open to registered medical practitioners with an interest in Diving and/or Hyperbaric Medicine. Membership is also open to non-medical persons as associates without voting rights and educational organisations.  

SPUMS is a not for profit medical society with the following purposes and aims: 

1. To promote and facilitate the study of all aspects of underwater and hyperbaric medicine.
2. To provide information on underwater and hyperbaric medicine.
3. To promote communication between members of the Association and to publish a journal for the Association.
4. To convene members of the Association annually at a scientific conference and to hold meetings and other functions or activities to inform, and to develop fellowship and friendship amongst members of the Association.

A full copy of the purposes and rules is available on the SPUMS website: www.spums.org.au.

Our privacy commitment to you: 

Confidentiality and privacy protection is essential for health care. SPUMS is not a healthcare provider. SPUMS facilitates the exchange and sharing of scientific information between members, and provides scientific information about underwater and hyperbaric medicine, and promotes best practice in the field.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the information we collect from members, visitors to our website, people who contact us and from our suppliers and affiliates. 

SPUMS is also required to comply with applicable Commonwealth, State and Territory privacy law. Under these privacy laws, we are required to comply with a set of privacy principles. The core principles are in the Privacy Act 1988. More information about these principles and Australian privacy law can be found on the Australian Information Commissioner’s website:  http://www.oaic.gov.au.

What information do we collect and store? 

SPUMS collects personal information from members, persons enquiring or applying for membership, persons forwarding inquiries to executive committee members, and from our suppliers. 

Information is mainly collected directly from the person concerned, including through emails, telephone calls, SPUMS website and mobile devices. We also collect this information from publicly available websites, directories and maps and via Facebook and other social media.

Many SPUMS medical members who have training in diving and hyperbaric medicine choose to have their name published on the SPUMS website as part of a register of doctors who perform dive medical assessments. Members who are on the register must consent and supply their contact information that is published. 

Why do we collect this information and what do we use it for? 

SPUMS collects, stores and uses the information to provide services to our members, so that members can receive the Scientific Journal, communications and updates of medical knowledge, to communicate society activities and events including the annual scientific meeting, and other educational activities.  

SPUMS publishes contact information about members who choose to be included on the diving doctors list. This information is the doctor’s name, practice address and contact details. It also includes whether or not they undertake recreational or commercial medicals and whether or not they undertake paediatric diving medical assessments. This information is required so that a member of the public can contact the member at their practice to book an appointment. 

We only provide others with information that would identify you if it is necessary to provide you with the service or information that you requested, you have agreed to us providing it to them or it is already publicly available information.  

We provide your information to Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal (DHMJ) office which is based in New Zealand, and the mailing house for DHMJ, to permit mailing of the scientific journal to your preferred address, or for email communications. SPUMS does not provide your personal information to any marketing companies, or other third parties, unless permission is granted by you. 

You are entitled to see what information we hold about you: 

Under Australian privacy law, you have rights of access to personal information that we hold about you. These rights also include correction of any errors in this information. Should you wish to access this information please contact email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . There will be no charge for providing you with this access. 

For how long do you keep my personal information? 

Your personal information is usually kept active for as long as your membership is active, as is reasonably required to meet your needs. SPUMS is required to maintain a registry of members  under Victorian state consumer law, for reporting membership numbers (deidentified) each year. 

We keep membership records and other personal information on file to enable us to undertake statistical and historical analysis and reporting. Unless otherwise requested, members details will be destroyed within two years of membership ceasing.  

How can SPUMS members update or amend their information? 

SPUMS members can easily update their information by logging on to the SPUMS website, using their identifier and password. 

If you are unable to do this or require assistance please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

How is your information stored and protected? 

Information is stored in electronic systems under our control and website information is with contracted data storage providers. These providers may be located outside Australia, for example with our web host in New Zealand. We take appropriate steps to protect the security of the information we hold about you, including protections against unauthorised access, virus or other electronic intrusions, fire, theft or loss. Data is regularly backed up to maintain security. 

SPUMS executive and support staff are bound by strict requirements regarding confidentiality and protection of the privacy of the information we collect and hold about you. 

How do I obtain more information or have a complaint about SPUMS about privacy protection? 

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or write to: 

Secretary,  
South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society 
ANZCA House, 630 St Kilda Rd 
Melbourne, VICTORIA 3004 
Australia 

Download a copy of our Privacy Policy.

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