Do not ever say you are a rescue diver

[Trace Malinowski]

I am sorry for the pain you experienced man. I can’t really know how hard it was and I understand your point. However, do you think that the survivor guilt if you lost your buddy wife would not eat you up with the permanent thinking: I could have saved her? I am not even mentioning the look in the eyes of her friend/ family or your kids.

I thought the victim was an 80-year-old guy?

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Perhaps there is naive reasoning behind those that suggest decompression sickness is better than dead

girlfriend or no girlfriend

Dead is better than a lot of things in life, I would bet. I think people feel better about themselves when they think they've helped. I was reading in WWI there were a lot of mercy killings. Today, people would send you home paralyzed, deaf, blind, and brain damaged and feel good about it. In the past, someone would put you out of your misery.

I must have misread the rescue scenario because I thought an 80-year-old guy was the victim. If it was my ex-girlfriend, though, I sure loved her but she loved sharks more than she loved me.

 

[Dody]

Let's please leave a conversation about tanks out of this thread.

Oops

I thought the victim was an 80-year-old guy?

not you? I am at a party. I must have drunk too much Sprite.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Agree. Pretty much all Dive shops are also Dive Operators, but not all Dive Operators are Dive Shops. We dive with Dive Operators, not Dive Shops...unless they are also a Dive Operator.

Yup today I am going to a dive shop to buy a low pressure inflator hose for my BCD. They are just that, a dive shop they are not a dive operator.

 

[uncfnp]

Dead is better than a lot of things in life, I would bet. I think people feel better about themselves when they think they've helped. I was reading in WWI there were a lot of mercy killings. Today, people would send you home paralyzed, deaf, blind, and brain damaged and feel good about it. In the past, someone would put you out of your misery.

I must have misread the rescue scenario because I thought an 80-year-old guy was the victim. If it was my ex-girlfriend, though, I sure loved her but she loved sharks more than she loved me.

The scenario was an 80+ diver but I mentioned age to give a reference for the possibility of less then peak performance skills and slowed reaction time.

It seems you have taken it into consideration in your decision to offer rescue. I don’t think you would get any argument for giving an extra effort for a teen but not sure about adding an extra degree of caution for the elderly diver.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I don’t think you would get any argument for giving an extra effort for a teen

With kids these days? I'd let him drown.

 

[Scubagolf]

If someone got Rescue Diver certified over a decade ago, how much he/she retains now may vary widely?

I was Rescue certified 12 years ago in 2010. Since then I have 250+ dives, nearly all vacation travel diving with DMs. I haven’t done anything to keep my rescue skills current and I no longer consider myself a rescue level diver. I use my AOW and Nitrox cards when registering with dive ops.

 

[Polarorbit]

My first dive after completing my Rescue Diver course I rescued a young woman who panicked on a deep ocean dive in heavy seas. It's one of my most proud moments. Far more so than being an instructor. I don't tell people that I'm a Rescue Diver, but it is probably one of my most meaningful certifications. It's the main one focused on helping other divers rather than just improving yourself. Be confident in your abilities but humble. If it's appropriate to mention, do so. Personally, I generally just show my AOW card on dive boats because it's all they need, and I don't want them to expect me to babysit incompetent divers. However, I'm never ashamed to discuss my experience and training, when appropriate to the conversation.

 

[Scubagolf]

In Europe, you don’t sue just because you feel you can make a buck.

Actually, fewer lawsuits are filed in Europe simply because in most European countries if a suing party loses he or she is responsible for paying the other side’s attorneys fees. This is not the case in the USA, with some exceptions. The risk of having to pay the other side‘s attorneys fees is a huge disincentive to filing lawsuits.

 

[Mr Blue Sky]

Now, that's a tip

Indeed. Kudos!