5 Things You Will Love About Your Rescue Diver Course

[Robert H. Diver]

IMO most rescue courses are worthless. I definitely learned more in the required rescue portion of my cave and deco classes as well as fundies that’s I did in a paid sponsored rescue course

Good for you, the vast majority of divers will never do a cave or deco course.

 

[rddvet]

Good for you, the vast majority of divers will never do a cave or deco course.

I was making the point that most rescue courses aren’t great.and echoing manatees comments. No need to get all fluffed up over it.

 

[InWay2Deep]

My wife hates when I say that I am a rescue diver. She believes that as I have never done it in real life several times, I am not trustworthy much like a surgeon who has only practised on corpses. Secretly, I hope that I will never have to use those skills. But if I have to, I will be ready. I rehearse every now and then… without the stress of the real situation.

Let her know that the FACT you have never 'rescued' someone makes you the best kind of rescue diver! The first thing we learn is how to PREVENT a person from needing rescue in the first place. If you are to the point where you have to bring someone to the surface or are doing CPR you failed (outside the medical emergency issues).

 

[Robert H. Diver]

I was making the point that most rescue courses aren’t great.and echoing manatees comments. No need to get all fluffed up over it.

Like any course, it depends on the instructor.sorry didn’t mean to sound like an @$$.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I try to make my rescue classes as informative as possible. Adding material, accident prevention because some of the stuff that is supposed to be taught in the standards would not be done in real life. Missing diver? Unless it's within the 1st 5 minutes a missing diver search will be done by pro's and more likely involve calling in a PSD team. Joe Smith rescue diver is going to be told to stay out of the way or maybe asked to check the parking lot. And I tell my students that. They know that card doesn't make them an actual rescue diver because in an accident that doesn't happen at the surface or before they get in the water, a rescue is not going to be what happens. A body recovery will. Or the person won't be found until the bloat and float or are never recovered.
Rescue breaths during a tow? Good way to ensure more damage to the brain from lack of circulation or blood carrying oxygen due to the delay in getting them to a surface where effective CPR can be done. They get told that as well. Practice the drill to meet standards but then compare it to the same tow without the breaths and see for themselves how much faster effective care can be started.
I do make a harness for one of my back plates that they have to cut me out of. Shows why the unclipping stuff is another delaying technique even though they do it. If the person has to have their gear removed to aid in getting them out of the water, cut the damn stuff off and get it done.
We also spend a fair amount of time on the after effects of an incident. Even a successful one has the potential to leave some with lingering doubts and an unsuccessful one can damage them seriously with the resulting PTSD.
I don't see a rescue course as supposed to be fun. It can feel like that afterwards. But it should be one of those this is what you do or someone might die. And they may die anyway. But at least you'll have tried where you could.

 

[FF / EMT]

I try to make my rescue classes as informative as possible. Adding material, accident prevention because some of the stuff that is supposed to be taught in the standards would not be done in real life. Missing diver? Unless it's within the 1st 5 minutes a missing diver search will be done by pro's and more likely involve calling in a PSD team. Joe Smith rescue diver is going to be told to stay out of the way or maybe asked to check the parking lot. And I tell my students that. They know that card doesn't make them an actual rescue diver because in an accident that doesn't happen at the surface or before they get in the water, a rescue is not going to be what happens. A body recovery will. Or the person won't be found until the bloat and float or are never recovered.

Sage advice.
Accurate.

Rescue breaths during a tow? Good way to ensure more damage to the brain from lack of circulation or blood carrying oxygen due to the delay in getting them to a surface where effective CPR can be done. They get told that as well. Practice the drill to meet standards but then compare it to the same tow without the breaths and see for thmselves how much faster effective care can be started.

Early defibrillation and drugs will bring them back, very low chance of cpr alone doing that, but it helps.
And CPR changes every few years, so it’s wise to take a refresher course on this.

I do make a harness for one of my back plates that they have to cut me out of. Shows why the unclipping stuff is another delaying technique even though they do it. If the person has to have their gear removed to aid in getting them out of the water, cut the damn stuff off and get it done.
We also spend a fair amount of time on the after effects of an incident. Even a successful one has the potential to leave some with lingering doubts and an unsuccessful one can damage them seriously with the resulting PTSD.

Just as you should do diving, an AAR (after action, or Post incident Strss debriefing should take place, and chances are all those divers are going to be pretty shaken up over an incident. They should also document everything that happened when it goes to court.

I don't see a rescue course as supposed to be fun. It can feel like that afterwards. But it should be one of those this is what you do or someone might die. And they may die anyway. But at least you'll have tried where you could.

Yes

 

[Dody]

Missing diver? Unless it's within the 1st 5 minutes a missing diver search will be done by pro's and more likely involve calling in a PSD team. Joe Smith rescue diver is going to be told to stay out of the way or maybe asked to check the parking lot. And I tell my students that. They know that card doesn't make them an actual rescue diver because in an accident that doesn't happen at the surface or before they get in the water, a rescue is not going to be what happens. A body recovery will. Or the person won't be found until the bloat and float or are never recovered.

I can think of numerous cases where it would be deadly wrong to sit tight and wait for the cavalry to come just because a diver has been missing for more than 5 minutes. Like a diver entangled in a fish line or kelp. Then, the next question when the pros arrive after an hour and find the poor OOA: why didn't you look for her/ him? Hubris can kill too.

 

[Wibble]

I can think of numerous cases where it would be deadly wrong to sit tight and wait for the cavalry to come just because a diver has been missing for more than 5 minutes. Like a diver entangled in a fish line or kelp. Then, the next question when the pros arrive after an hour and find the poor OOA: why didn't you look for her/ him? Hubris can kill too.

Kind of sumarised as doing something is better than nothing -- as long as that something doesn't put others in genuine harm's way. Sending down more experienced divers to do a quick scan of the wreck/site -- if they've enough gas for the search and deco obligation***.

The absolute worst thing is thinking of the bloody lawyers. "We tried our best given the circumstances" should be all the mitigation required.


*** another benefit of rebreather divers

 

[Searcaigh]

The absolute worst thing is thinking of the bloody lawyers. "We tried our best given the circumstances" should be all the mitigation required.

Add to that Sharia Law when diving in certain places in the Middle East!

 

[Blackcrusader]

*** another benefit of rebreather divers

Who also seem to have their fair share of diving tragedies that are commonly posts on scuba board.