Australian Embassy Pohnpei Travel Bulletin

SCUBA DIVING IN THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

The waters around the four island states of Pohnpei, Kosrae, Chuuk (Truk) and Yap which make up the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) are considered to provide some of the best scuba diving in the world. However, diving safety standards in the FSM can be very poor. Many dive operators in the FSM do not have portable oxygen equipment on dive boats, or in their offices, and many operators do not provide extra tanks at safety stops. Divers should question dive operators to determine if they have appropriate equipment to deal with diving accidents. Also, hospitals in the FSM are not well equipped, particularly for the treatment of decompression sickness (or more commonly known as the bends). The nearest decompression chamber is located on Guam some one and a half hours by commercial flight from the FSM.

There are no emergency or regular commercial services in the region that can be relied on to airlift a diver suffering from decompression sickness. On occasions, one of the two international airlines that service the FSM has agreed to carry a sick diver. However, the service to Guam is infrequent and the airline may not be able to pressurise its cabin low enough to transport a patient with a severe case of the bends.

Private medical evacuation companies which operate internationally can airlift sick or injured persons from remote locations. However without appropriate travel insurance it is extremely expensive to be evacuated by these companies. Australian citizens planning a scuba diving holiday in the FSM are therefore strongly encouraged to take out travel insurance that covers the cost of a medical evacuation by one of the international medivac companies.

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