Are Rescue Skills really needed by the average diver.... ?

[Jim Lapenta]

Rescue course or no rescue course, I'm realizing that I need to continue my diving education. I certified in 1988 at 18 years old and dove only a dozen times over the next 25 years. Since my 12-year old son discovered diving this year, I've learned more in 4 months than I ever did in 25 years and now have 31 dives and realize that I know almost nothing

As an 'average' recreational diver, I put far too much trust in dive masters while on holiday dives. I was definitely the 'muppet' on the dive boat that an earlier post mentioned. Looking back on those dives, I can count up several incidents where it was damn good luck that got me and my buddy out of the water safely--certainly it wasn't skill! In the past few months, working through basic OW with my son while he certified and then doing our drysuit specialty, I've woken up a few times thinking of events that scare the crap out of me now but didn't even cause me to blink back when they happened.

My new knowledge, coupled with more frequent diving, is slowly improving my awareness of the dangers and the fun of diving. It may not be the optimal order, but we will both be taking our AOW (Jr for him) while on vacation in Hawaii this Christmas and then looking into the rescue course next summer. I'd like to think I'd feel this way no matter what, but diving with my own child certainly hammers home the need for advanced training, safely & steadily increasing experience, and thoroughly debriefing each dive to discuss what went well, what went just okay and what really needs improving.

I certainly see the benefit of the rescue course as soon as possible, but I think I will get much more out of it now that I've had a little (very little) extra training and more experience under water.

I don't allow new divers that I have not trained to do AOW without rescue skills first. Think about it. Why would go for a cert that gives you access to dives with more risk and not know how to save yourself or your buddy? Rescue needs to come before AOW if you did not cover rescue skills in the OW class.

 

[DarinJ]

I don't allow new divers that I have not trained to do AOW without rescue skills first. Think about it. Why would go for a cert that gives you access to dives with more risk and not know how to save yourself or your buddy? Rescue needs to come before AOW if you did not cover rescue skills in the OW class.

Jim, your logic is clear, and I would prefer to do the two courses in that order.

On vacation, with a dive school I've only ever contacted via email, I signed us up for the AOW. My thinking is that this course is a safe and supervised way to get a 'taste' of what will be open to my son and I when we are ready for it. We both know we won't be 'advanced' divers regardless of what's written on the cert card. In my mind, Rescue is the more important of the two courses, so I'm waiting until next summer when it will be offered through our local dive shop with instructors I know and trust.

This fall or winter we will both take first aid/CPR courses to prepare. With only rental wetsuits available here, there isn't going to be any diving in winter or early spring unless we drive 500km to the west coast where we can find rental drysuits to fit my son. Once our local lakes warm up, we'll take Rescue. As we practice the skills learned in both classes, we will slowly start extending our comfort zone. I've read enough stories of newly-minted AOW divers getting themselves in trouble to know that we will move VERY slowly from our current comfort zone to extend our limits.