Doing rescue

[ScubaSteve2000]

It hasn't been that long since I took rescue class (2 years and 1 week to be exact). We covered paniced diver, unresponsive diver, lost diver, injured diver, unresponsive then paniced, paniced then unresponsive, breathing, not breathing; each of these scenarios and combinations thereof both on the surface and underwater.

Multiple "victims" so everybody had a dance partner, multiple "victims" with a single rescuer. Two days of near death and mayhem happening all around us. I remember thinking, "Everytime I turn around, somebody is dying." We even had an "emergency" during the final written test.

We did full gear removal with rescue breaths. If you took more than 5 seconds between breaths during gear removal you had to start over. You did it until you got it right.

Required to carry three victims out of the water, one at a time, with no assistance. Set them down without cracking their skull open and do CPR until the instructor said they were dead or were breathing on their own. I forgot to brush my teeth that morning so most of my patients regained conciousness right away after I started CPR.

I know I'm leaving a lot out. We covered search and recovery methods, rescues from shore, managing a rescue scene. We covered so much. Oh, and at the risk of starting something...it was a PADI rescue class with a couple of great instructors. And more victims than rescuers, which made for some exciting emergencies. Thought I was gonna die. It was the best, most rewarding class I ever took.

Stay Wet.

 

[TSandM]

I just want to say thank you to the OP for thinking about the issue. My husband participated in a recent Rescue class as a volunteer victim, and came home minus his weight pouches and his prescription dive mask. The weight pouches were recovered; the mask was a loss.

Please don't drop stuff anywhere but in the pool. The instructor should arrange for a boat, float or DM to accept removed gear. Ask before you get in the water how it is going to be handled.

 

[Hawkwood]

I just want to say thank you to the OP for thinking about the issue. My husband participated in a recent Rescue class as a volunteer victim, and came home minus his weight pouches and his prescription dive mask. The weight pouches were recovered; the mask was a loss.

Please don't drop stuff anywhere but in the pool. The instructor should arrange for a boat, float or DM to accept removed gear. Ask before you get in the water how it is going to be handled.

Good point. We always assign a "gear handler" in any scenario. The communication is also clear, i.e. When the mask is passed to the handler the rescuer says "mask" and when the handler takes it they repeat "mask", etc. Weights are not physically removed unless there is a float to put them in. We will often put an empty weight belt on the "victim" for the rescuer to remove. If not, the rescuer simply states that they have "removed" the weights. We also tie strips of flagging tape to mask, fins, etc. in case they do get separated from the diver. Things tend to go south at the shore when everyone is stripping off gear and stuff floats off.

 

[parzdiver]

During my rescue this summer, I ran through it twice. First time was in Cozumel where I successfully brought a diver up from depth. The surface part of the rescue was not as successful. Due to strong winds and current, it was very difficult handling the victim (and keeping them from drowning) and we cut it short. However, the instructor used the situation as a great learning experience. Because it was not an actual rescue, we couldn't easily ditch weights and drop gear. Even with a "gear handler" assisting, we would have lost a lot of stuff. But it did give me a great appreciation for the difficulties you face in real world situations.

The second set of scenarios were in a quarry and were a piece of cake compared to the open ocean.

Even with a gear handler in the quarry, my mask was temporarily misplaced. The gear handler then turned into a Search and Recovery diver and luckily was able to find and recover my mask.

Overall, it was a great class and I learned much.

 

[capt. dave]

I completed the Rescue Diver certification 2 weeks ago, along with First Responder certification. Yes, this was a PADI course as well, with 4DM's and 2 DM's-in training. Class had approximately 12 students, including myself. Very physically and mentally demanding, tiring but well worth it. When everything was said and done, we huged each other because we knew what we just accomplished! ScubaSteve 2000 noted the drills perfectly. As I learned, "You did it until you got it correct", over and over and over again. While I agree and disagree with some of the above opinions, what I got out of the class, briefly, is this;

* Stop and complete an assessment of the situation. The victim will either be rational, passive, panicky, or unconscious. Based on A,B,C or D, that is how you will proceed.
*There are advantages and disadvantages to removing any piece of gear. Removing gear is based on need, enviroment, conditions, situation etc. When approaching a diving victim, above or below, never not rush in and drop weights, or remove equipment, always stop and think before you act on anything. Removing gear is not the priority-you can always take it off but probably not put it back on.
*The question of whether to attempt in water resuscitation or not is based on judgement, time, distance and the situation. You have to ask yourself "does the extra time help or hinder the victim? Who really cares what one agency or another says about what to do. Is rescue breathing in the water going to help? My conclusion after completing this course-maybe not, but, who cares, it couldn't hurt, do something. If I found no heart beat on initial examination, I would probably first include a cardiac thump. Will it help, who knows, the alternative is death. Heart beats don't just magically come back, CPR/rescue breathing is the time to pull out all the stops. The divers who will do this are the divers I want to be around in case things go south!
*Although time is of the utmost importance, it is NEVER a race. You have to pace yourself according to your training, limitations, restrictions, conditions and the like. I learned that lesson when we did 200 yd. buddy tows for each type of tow.
*While performing a rescue, there are no hard rules, because all situations are different and unique to that one moment, you must be able to adapt, overcome and improvise-use your head!.
*Finally, and in my opinion, most important, we all learned (or at least improved) our mind-set to have a high degree of confidence and complete faith in our abilities, training and equipment as well as the abilities of the other team members.

I think all divers should complete this course, as it was one of the most rewarding courses thus far. That being said, let the games begin......

 

[TSandM]

No games from me. I thought my PADI Rescue class was one of the better classes I took through my original LDS. If the instructors had been familiar with my equipment, it would have been a superb class, but it was solidly useful anyway. I agree; I think every diver should have some kind of Rescue class.

 

[Kingpatzer]

My one major complaint with PADI's training order is that AOW is required for Rescue.

 

[Dyno Bill]

My one major complaint with PADI's training order is that AOW is required for Rescue.

I think aow was just a way to get divers in the water exposed to new things, it didn't really imply any proficiency at much in my opinion. I think a certain number of dives should be required prior to rescue as it's really the first demanding class if given properly.

 

[Xaryo]

Beeing a "victim" for a rescue course was one of the reason I wanted to be a DM. It is so fun to "panic" and grab mask, reg, trying to push the rescuer in the water.

Mouahahh!!

And in bonus, you get to do the rescue course many time.

This s what I will be dooing this week end. My second rescue this summer.

 

[Dyno Bill]

Beeing a "victim" for a rescue course was one of the reason I wanted to be a DM. It is so fun to "panic" and grab mask, reg, trying to push the rescuer in the water.

Mouahahh!!

And in bonus, you get to do the rescue course many time.

This s what I will be dooing this week end. My second rescue this summer.

I think thats why we were taught to approach from below and behind