PADI Rescue in a Drysuit?

[RobPNW]

I did mine in tropical water. I know it's kind of cheating but as a newer diver, I didn't want to overload my circuits. Once I got the concepts, I thought I could add the task loading of more complicate exposure wear later. Once I get used to drysuit diving, my intention is to get with buddies that know what they are doing and practice some of the same drills in the more challenging conditions. That's just me though as a 50 something newbie. If I was younger, I may have gone the other route.

 

[BlueTrin]

Just bear in mind that it will take you probably 20 dives or so to be comfortable in a drysuit after the dry suit class, and you want to be comfortable in your setup before to do a rescue class.

However it probably makes sense to do rescue in the same config than what you’ll be diving the most (like others said)

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I would be concerned about tearing a seal while wrestling with gear.

 

[NYCrecdiver]

Whether in drysuit or wet, you're going to learn the same skills. I'd just be annoyed with a brand-new drysuit going through all the tussling and skills. You're going to be carried on someone's back, dragged on your back on the sand, hanging over someone's shoulders while he's pressing his knee in your jewels pushing you up a ladder. Pulling you up by your arms and twist you around, Etc. In a real emergency it doesn't matter what gear you have or what happens to it or if your suit starts leaking water. For my class, I was happy to be wearing a simple and cheap wetsuit rather than a new drysuit 'm still getting used to.

 

[NYCrecdiver]

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[VikingDives]

A lot of the rescue course is going to be at the surface. More than half the skills are going to require significant time there. I'd recommend you either bring both a wet and dry suit or a couple of options for undergarments.

You're very likely going to be vertical going to the surface, so the chances of getting wet will skyrocket. Make sure you have extra neck and wrist seals when you show up for class, just in case you rip one.

 

[Hammy_Dives]

An update to this post... Just completed the rescue class this weekend. The instructor was awesome and the scenarios were great. So much more to learn... this is just the beginning.

 

[blueskies_up_ahead]

An update to this post... Just completed the rescue class this weekend. The instructor was awesome and the scenarios were great. So much more to learn... this is just the beginning.

Did you end up doing it in your dry or wetsuit? I'm at the same point you were. Doing my drysuit very soon, then will dive on vacation with it (guess some 20-30 dives) and then I was planning on doing my rescue in my drysuit as that is what I will do most of my diving in. But there were good points about possibly tearing a seal and being dragged around (and dragging someone around) in my shiny new drysuit. Not sure that's such a great idea after all... I'm considering doing it in drysuit for the underwater rescue scenarios and wetsuit on the surface, if it's possible at all to split that. Would love your feedback!

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I think divers should take Rescue in the equipment configuration that they normally dive in. If you normally dive dry, take the course dry.

 

[Jersey1971]

I just did my rescue in June, in PA through my NJ LDS. It was an excellent experience. I did it in my dry suit shortly after certifying in dry suit and with much fewer than 20 dives in it. I thought it was a good experience, because it served the dual purpose of learning rescue and getting comfortable in the dry suit under stressful conditions. Since I do most of my diving in NJ, all of which will be in dry suit, it also made sense to learn the skills in the gear I’ll actually be in if I ever need to deploy them.

While task loading and unfamiliarity may seem like a negative, I thought they were actually a plus, because they helped simulate a fraction of the stress of a real rescue. The only downside to me was that we spent significant time above water so I soaked my undergarment in sweat.

I would say it really comes down to your appetite for “adventure”. If you want a comfortable, controlled environment in which to focus on the skills, doing it as a new dry suit diver won’t be fun. If you like to push the envelope and see value in a little adversity in a well supervised and safe setting, it’s a rare opportunity to get that.