How soon is too soon for a Rescue Diver course?

[Moby Dickins]

Theoretically one can get OW and AOW finished with nine dives and then go right to Rescue Diver. Not sure if this is the best idea, but the agencies will allow it.

I haven't done Rescue yet, but I'm curious from those who have done it what level of diving experience would be appropriate.

 

[Brett Hatch]

It seems to me that the purpose of this course is to expand your bubble of awareness. I took the course when I had about 150 dives, and would say that this was a good number for me. The course meaningfully improved my situational awareness. When I had 9 dives under my belt, pretty much every dive I did was already bringing a significant improvement to diving

But I'm not going to tell you that there is one right number for everyone. Each one of us grows as a diver at a different rate, and is ready for different improvements at different times. Maybe it's best to take this course when you feel your situational awareness is already pretty good, and that it is not improving very quickly in your regular diving

 

[pdwh]

For rescue, some of the skills in dealing with another diver require some decent buoyancy control - the course itself, especially the pool time I had, was good practice for that. I had around 30 when I did the pool stuff, 55 when I did the open water bits. I think I would have really struggled without at least 25 to 30 dives before it. I also took the buoyancy class before rescue.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I took Rescue Diver when I had about 50 dives, and most of those 50 dives were in the days and weeks immediately preceding the course. I was spending a month on the island of Utila and diving every day. So by the time the course started I felt pretty comfortable with all the basics of diving. I didn't fumble with my gear anymore. I could descend to the bottom and arrest my descent without crashing into the bottom, I could ascend at a controlled rate and not pop up at the surface like a cork, and I could do all that without having to devote too much brain bandwidth to it. It's a low bar, but I know I was not yet that comfortable with those basics after only 9 dives.

I agree with Brett's addition of situational awareness as a skill to acquire before Rescue. You don't have to be a Zen master, but it would help if you were attuned to checking your gauges at regular intervals, knowing where others in your group are positioned around you, what is above and below you, etc. When I was new--and probably even at 50 dives--my situational awareness was just so-so. I was good at monitoring my gauges, but I had a long ways to go before I was good at knowing where I was in relation to others and my surroundings.

 

[tursiops]

Theoretically one can get OW and AOW finished with nine dives and then go right to Rescue Diver. Not sure if this is the best idea, but the agencies will allow it.

I haven't done Rescue yet, but I'm curious from those who have done it what level of diving experience would be appropriate.

Actually, with PADI, you only need OW and the Nav dive from Adventure Diver to meet the prereqs for Rescue. And, you need EFR or equivalent before you can be certified for Rescue.
OW is all about you.
AOW is all about some additional task loading.
Rescue is all about what to do if you if things go sideways.
Better to take Rescue sooner rather than too late.
You are ready for it if you are comfortable enough in the water to think about other things and other people and not just about yourself.

 

[batdiver_82]

I had about 50 dives, which was quite OK. I think u geht more out of the rescue-course if u have been able to develop decent buoyancy-control and some situational awareness before. Reflecting that I probably would have been better off waiting another 20 dives before rescue....

 

[34109411]

Theoretically one can get OW and AOW finished with nine dives and then go right to Rescue Diver. Not sure if this is the best idea, but the agencies will allow it.

I haven't done Rescue yet, but I'm curious from those who have done it what level of diving experience would be appropriate.

There is no rush too complete any certification, what will make you a great and proeficient diver is the experience you gain over the time. A certification itself will not provide that.

I ve done my rescue i had about 100 dives maybe. I will start sidemount in two weeks i am close to 250 dives.



Be safe

 

[Lorenzoid]

OW is all about you.
AOW is all about some additional task loading.
Rescue is all about what to do if you if things go sideways.

It can also be said that Rescue is where a diver starts to think about the welfare of other divers--and not just when things go sideways but also before things go sideways. Sure, there are all in the in-water skills relating to helping other divers, but there were also some soft-skill things relating to just being aware of how other divers are getting along. Before Rescue, I might have looked at another diver and noticed something, but I might not have then asked, "Are you feeling okay?" Rescue was also where I was introduced to the idea which in later tech-oriented courses was referred to by the adage "any diver can call any dive at any time for any reason without further questioning." Before Rescue, I hadn't really given any thought to divers sometimes feeling pressured to do a dive or continue a dive. My Rescue instructor helped us grasp that diving is supposed to be fun, and as divers whose next rung on the training ladder could be Divemaster, we might start thinking about how other divers are feeling and let them know it's perfectly fine to sit out that dive. The soft-skills part of the course really was valuable to me. It has been said in many threads about Rescue that the course can vary widely between awesome and sucky depending on the individual instructor. I had a great instructor for Rescue.

 

[34109411]

It can also be said that Rescue is where a diver starts to think about the welfare of other divers--and not just when things go sideways but also before things go sideways. Sure, there are all in the in-water skills relating to helping other divers, but there were also some soft-skill things relating to just being aware of how other divers are getting along. Before Rescue, I might have looked at another diver and noticed something, but I might not have then asked, "Are you feeling okay?" Rescue was also where I was introduced to the idea which in later tech-oriented courses was referred to by the adage "any diver can call any dive at any time for any reason without further questioning." Before Rescue, I hadn't really given any thought to divers sometimes feeling pressured to do a dive or continue a dive. My Rescue instructor helped us grasp that diving is supposed to be fun, and as divers whose next rung on the training ladder could be Divemaster, we might start thinking about how other divers are feeling and let them know it's perfectly fine to sit out that dive. The soft-skills part of the course really was valuable to me. It has been said in many threads about Rescue that the course can vary widely between awesome and sucky depending on the individual instructor. I had a great instructor for Rescue.

do they still teach navigation in the rescue class ? I find it so important. A student should get involve in navigation that a good base to be a commited diver.

 

[RobPNW]

I would recommend doing at least 30-40 recreational dives in various situations from here before even considering it. And do it in the gear you plan to use for the rescue diver class. That will give you some time to develop some muscle memory with the gear, have some better situational awareness, and better buoyancy, trim and breathing control. That will allow you to focus more mental energy on the curriculum.

Also, in those 30-40 dives, don't just be an aqua tourists. Sure, enjoy the dives, that's why you're doing it. But on every dive, you should take moments to practice your different basic skills. For example, swap your 2nd stage regulators a couple times a dive. Take your mask off, put it back on and clear it (do that towards the end of your dive or you may ruin the dive with a foggy mask). At the safety stop, try to use your breath control to hold your vertical position in the water as tight as you can. Practice your hand signals. Practice looking around you, and noticing what everyone else is doing. Things like that.