The reason that I pursued my Padi Rescue Diver Cert was that I was going to Rangiroa and did not want to be limited to shallow dives (they go by CMAS and AOW is only considered as CMAS 1 star and limited to 20m depth) - Simple as that!Here is a general observation about some of the sentiments I see expressed in this thread. I am going to start with a far-flung analogy that seems completely unrelated. Bear with me.
In my career in education, I came upon an interesting study contrasting the way a teacher with a very strong education in a subject area teaches with the way a teacher with more a more minimal subject area expertise teaches. The teacher with a lesser command of the subject matter tends to focus instruction on memorization of facts, while the better educated teacher focuses on thinking about the facts and using facts to draw conclusions. Conjecture on why that would be true includes this: the lesser educated teachers overestimate their preparation, thinking their knowledge base is much closer to totality than it is. The more educated teachers have a better understanding of how truly vast is that sea of knowledge and how very far they all are from that totality.
I believe something similar happens in diving. The way dive agencies promote continuing education, many and probably most relatively beginning divers think certifications for Rescue Diver and Divemaster put them near the top of the scuba learning curve. 50-60 years ago, that was true, but it has not been like that for a long time, so others will see those certifications as early steps in scuba instruction.
I thought it was a good course and would certainly try to help other divers if I saw the DM was not doing so, but only if it presented no risk of self injury - while I might take that kind of risk with a friend or family member, there is no way I'm doing that for a stranger/insta-buddy.