Just wanted to bring this up to the group as a reminder that we train for a reason and should follow our training and instincts:
We were at a local diving spot this weekend and it was decently packed with divers and classes. Upon coming up from our last dive I noticed that there was a swimmer hanging on one of the bouys that was tied off to a platform for students to use for descents. He looked pretty much relaxed. I told the rest of the divers I was with that I was going to hang around and keep an eye on things. I looked back at the leaders for the group that this guy was with and they were watching him closely from shore.
At this point I made my first mistake, I assumed that this was a rescue class and that I needed to stay out of the way. However, I did stay exactly where I was (about 20 yards from the guy) and continued to watch. Then I heard one of their groups leaders say to someone (I had my back turned to them), "Head on out there." Again, I made the assumption that this was the start of a practical exercise in a rescue class. I continued to float as the swimmer went out and hung with the other guy on the bouy chatting. They finally did a tired diver tow and I watched them until they were in water they could stand up in to safely exit via the stairs. I never moved from the spot that I had surfaced at.
I saw the swimmer who had gone out to help a little later and asked him if they were doing a rescue class. He said, "No, that was a real assist. [The tired swimmer] had been doing swim tests all afternoon and exhaustion hit him. Both of us (instructors) were keeping a close eye on the situation." Which they were, they were ready, and they did the assist when needed.
Why am I posting this? Well, I was floating on the surface just a handful of yards from the guy with a 50# lift wing and a drysuit on me. I have the training that was screaming in the back of my head to just swim out there and say, "Hi! How are things?" I could have assisted in the situation more easily than the guy who had to tow the tired diver freestyle through rough water with no equipment on. All I would have had to do was inflate myself and I would have been a living buoy with a built in propulsion system.
The moral of the story: If you see a situation and the person isn't screaming their head off for a pizza, take action if you have the training to do so. It's easier to deal with a ticked off instructor if you interrupt their rescue class than to turn your back on someone in need, even if they just need a friendly smile and a "Just rest for a second."
We were at a local diving spot this weekend and it was decently packed with divers and classes. Upon coming up from our last dive I noticed that there was a swimmer hanging on one of the bouys that was tied off to a platform for students to use for descents. He looked pretty much relaxed. I told the rest of the divers I was with that I was going to hang around and keep an eye on things. I looked back at the leaders for the group that this guy was with and they were watching him closely from shore.
At this point I made my first mistake, I assumed that this was a rescue class and that I needed to stay out of the way. However, I did stay exactly where I was (about 20 yards from the guy) and continued to watch. Then I heard one of their groups leaders say to someone (I had my back turned to them), "Head on out there." Again, I made the assumption that this was the start of a practical exercise in a rescue class. I continued to float as the swimmer went out and hung with the other guy on the bouy chatting. They finally did a tired diver tow and I watched them until they were in water they could stand up in to safely exit via the stairs. I never moved from the spot that I had surfaced at.
I saw the swimmer who had gone out to help a little later and asked him if they were doing a rescue class. He said, "No, that was a real assist. [The tired swimmer] had been doing swim tests all afternoon and exhaustion hit him. Both of us (instructors) were keeping a close eye on the situation." Which they were, they were ready, and they did the assist when needed.
Why am I posting this? Well, I was floating on the surface just a handful of yards from the guy with a 50# lift wing and a drysuit on me. I have the training that was screaming in the back of my head to just swim out there and say, "Hi! How are things?" I could have assisted in the situation more easily than the guy who had to tow the tired diver freestyle through rough water with no equipment on. All I would have had to do was inflate myself and I would have been a living buoy with a built in propulsion system.
The moral of the story: If you see a situation and the person isn't screaming their head off for a pizza, take action if you have the training to do so. It's easier to deal with a ticked off instructor if you interrupt their rescue class than to turn your back on someone in need, even if they just need a friendly smile and a "Just rest for a second."