How much experience should you have before taking PADI Rescue Diver course?

[filmguy123]

Currently in my BOW course, and doing Nitrox, Drysuit, and advanced in the early fall after I get a dozen or so dives under my belt. Then a long Caribbean dive trip in November, and hopefully some good PNW cold diving throughout the winter.

At what point should I consider getting my PADI Rescue Diver training? I want to be a safe diver, and would like my girlfriend and dive buddy to get the Rescue Diver training as well, but I'm wondering if having only 30-60 dives under the belt is too early to consider a Rescue Diver course?

If that IS too early, at what experience level should I consider taking this course?

 

[northernone]

I took mine as soon as I felt I could add more taskloading to my dive training. That probably is different for everyone based on aptitude and learning goals.

You'll perhaps be a better judge of when you are ready after you've learned other habits in your coming dives as well as feedback from your instructors in the coming months.

I will also say some of the safest and most experienced divers I have had the honor to learn from simply hold open water certifications but have mastered safe diving practices.


Welcome to diving! And enjoy the journey.
Regards,
Cameron

 

[decompression]

There are some open water courses that include rescue as part of the course. This would mean, it's never "too early" to learn these valuable skills. The PADI rescue course isn't so much a diving course as a practical skills course. You will learn no matter what level of diver you are.

 

[MikadoWu]

If that IS too early, at what experience level should I consider taking this course?

I completed my PADI Rescue course after around 40 dives. Part of me thinks I should have waited a little longer, another part said take it sooner. I think the waiting part was because the piss poor training from my NAUI AOW course. My Rescue course was fairly vigorous, and the instructor expected me to perform all task at a high level.

That said, you start looking at your dives, the divers and your gear differently after the course. Being much more aware of the dive environment is very much a good thing. I would suggest at least being at 25 dives before your AOW, and your Trim and buoyancy should be solid. You need to be careful going from 60 feet to the surface lifting an unresponsive body or bringing one into shore from 200 yards out.

 

[tbone1004]

we include diver rescue in our OW course, so it's never too early, but we do it at the end of a 16 week semester with 4hrs/week in the pool, so that's a bit abnormal in terms of experience. You need to feel comfortable with the buoyancy/trim/propulsion techniques first before you add this to the mix otherwise you'll be very task loaded and that's bad.
The actual rescue class is semester 2 of scuba training and there are no dive # requirements, it's all comfort in the water.
Depending on your outlook on diving, consider taking GUE Fundies instead. This includes diver rescue skills and will make you a whole lot better in the water. There is a massive GUE community in the PNW and it would be a much better use of your money than continuing with the normal PADI progression if you are serious about diving, especially as a team.

 

[mmmbelows]

Personally I think you will get more out of it as a more experienced diver. For example with a couple dozen dives under someone's belt you're focus has to still be on so many of the basics that I think a person will miss a lot of the nuances of Rescue class until you're more experienced and have all your skills you're still learning dialed in. I've always thought having 40-50 dives under your belt was a good time to do Rescue. At that point you're dialed in and you're probably at the point where you're starting to pickup a few bad habits, so it's a perfect time to be able to really focus on the class and scrutinize your diving and maybe correct a few things that you now are able to understand.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Your question is not uncommon. Here are a few previous discussions:

Too soon to do Advanced and Rescue Diver?

Padi Rescue Diver Training?

How Many Dives ???

When should a Rescue course be taken

How many dives between gradings ?

 

[Neilwood]

I did my OW last August, just completed AOW and planning on nitrox shortly but I am not planning on doing my rescue this year.

At the moment, buoyancy, trim etc are not reflex actions to me - I need to devote a reasonable amount of thought to them so task loading with a rescue situation would not be good (for me or the other person). I think 50-60 dives will probably be about the right time for me which incidentally coincides with tbones course schedule of about 50hrs (guessing as it is near the end of a 16 week course with 4hr water time=64hrs total).

 

[Storker]

I did my OW last August, just completed AOW and planning on nitrox shortly but I am not planning on doing my rescue this year.

At the moment, buoyancy, trim etc are not reflex actions to me - I need to devote a reasonable amount of thought to them so task loading with a rescue situation would not be good (for me or the other person).

I finally took rescue last week, and I agree very much with your reasoning. One of the students had <50 logged dives, and I noticed that some of the stuff that was reflexive for me wasn't quite as obvious for him. I definitely wasn't as ready for rescue class with <50 dives as I was now.

 

[PatW]

I would think that you want the routine skills taught in OW and AOW to be pretty much automatic. You also need to be very comfortable with diving. Instructors like to throw some unexpected craziness at divers that are chance ting and rather fun.