India experts dive into the need for health checks before chasing adventure

Akshata Khetan 28 is a selfprofessed water baby and has been diving for the past four years In a full circle moment the openwater diver is now headed to Havelock island in the Andaman Sea mdash the site of her first dive mdash to obtain her advanced certification Khetanrsquos love for water comes alive during these diving expeditions ldquoWhen you are in your full gear and you look down just before you dive you realise that this is an entirely different world No matter who you are above sea level it doesnrsquot matter down below Here in the sea you are just a dotrdquo Khetan tells us over a phone callVikrant Man Singh is a diving instructor who says people are not upfront about their comorbiditiesWhen the news of Assamese singer Zubeen Gargrsquos demise in a scuba diving mishap in Singapore first broke it immediately sparked national discourse over how scuba diving and other adventure sports were ldquodangerousrdquo Many argued that India is not ready for adventure tourism with poor regulation of facilities and lack of awareness about safety protocols among people The outrage toned down after the famous musicianrsquos wife Garima SaikiaGarg told media outlets that he had suffered a seizure during his diveAkshata Khetan is going for training for advanced diving course in a few monthsKhetan agrees however that people tend to take adventure sports too lightly ldquoA medical crisis like a heart attack can happen at any time but it is up to us to make sure that we get our hearts checked every six months Just go talk to a doctor before heading out for a holiday with extreme sportsrdquo she saysKhetanrsquos diving instructor Vikrant Man Singh 34 has over 10 years of experience as an instructor He is a copartner at Scuba Yogi Dive Centre and runs a divers Cafe and resort called Vibes and Dives out of Andaman ldquoWhen we go on vacations we tend to take everything lightly We are usually drinking and having a good time When we are diving we think we are going with professionals and they will take care of usrdquo he says Man Singh points out that a lot of people hide their comorbidities while filling up the indemnity form mdash a must before the dive mdash limiting the instructorsrsquo ability to take appropriate precautions ldquoOnce a man did not reveal to us that he was on medication for depression and anxiety The night before his first certification session he messaged me saying he was uneasy We stop people from diving if they are on medication unless they get the liability form filled by their physicians Most people do not tell us the truthrdquo adds the Professional Association of Diving Instructors PADI certified instructorArtist and poet Zubeen Gargrsquos death has brought up the conversation of the unregulated side of adventure sport PICGETTY IMAGESIn 2022 the government also gave the sector a push launching the National Strategy for Adventure Tourism 2022 The vision states the Ministry of Tourism website is to position India as a globally preferred destination for adventure tourismKim Sabir a yachtsman rock climber and cofounder of Adventure Breaks in Goa feels that many operators in his industry cut costs But many who try out adventure sports also do not have the understanding that these activities have an inherent risk ldquoYou cannot be into adventure sports with no risk Even with experienced climbers heshe can meet with an accident that maims or kills them Although adventure sports have very high standards of safety as wellrdquo he addsKim SabirSabir an adrenaline junkie himself resonates with the concerns Mansingh raised about the lack of transparency from participants ldquoAs for operators who cut corners on safety itrsquos also the duty of the adventureseeker to check their credibility while being upfront about their health toordquo he adds While the debate about responsibility and safety rages on for those who are conscientious adventure sports still promises the high of adrenaline ldquoOnce you cross that line of fear the feeling is indescribablerdquo Khetan signs offFitness baseline is a mustDr Anuj Tiwari Physician and GeriatricianDr Anuj TiwarildquoThe ability of someone to do adventure sports depends on their fitness baseline If someone is regularly doing cardio and strength training can go for such activities but there are few prerequisites for someone who is doing it for the first time which are related to cardiac health heart respiratory lungs and musculoskeletal that have to do with your joints You get tests done to see the levels of your Hemoglobin Thyroid blood pressure and sugar an ECG or 2D Echo for the heart as well as a basic chest Xray for lungs You have to start working two to three months before engaging in these activities We usually donrsquot give a clean chit to people with uncontrolled hypertensiondiabetesheart disease including heart failure and untreated blockages in the heart obesity anaemia low blood levels poorly controlled asthmardquo