Rescue class flavours - PADI or GUE?

[DeeplyCurious]

I guess, it's not the agency, it's the instructor that makes the difference.
As always.

I'd usually be the first to agree with such a statement. But as mentioned earlier in the thread it might not be so clear-cut in this case due to concerns regarding the quality/thoroughness of the base syllabus material, justified or otherwise. I can be taught by a diving god, but if said divinity is restricted to the confines of far-from-polished standards and protocols, you could end up worse-off than with a less-skilled instructor teaching from a more robust syllabus. I'm sure someone like Bob Sherwood is awesome with putting GUE Tech 1 Rescue techniques into practice, but what about teaching others to handle situations with typical recreational gear like jackets and short hoses?

Hence the follow up question of how much latitude is given to instructors to expand or tweak the syllabus, perhaps by some of the names mentioned here, and if so which is the best syllabus to work-off from for your buck. I'd like to treat it a bit more seriously than just a card to tick off on the way to DM-hood

why do you want to be a PADI divemaster? Does PADI acknowledge GUE's rescue primer as a pre-req for their leadership?

If the GUE pass is valuable to you, then take it, if not, then go with whichever is cheaper because I have rarely seen a fully fleshed out rescue class outside of a university setting...

Several projects in the local waters here (e.g. reef cleanups, coral planting, marine site surveys) could do with a bit more leadership manpower, and I'd like to do my bit. They also tend to overwhelmingly be PADI-affiliated. Of course, there's also a desire to do my part to keep fins off the coral, nudge divers fresh from Thailand's OWD-factories into polishing their skills, and hopefully inspiring them to do more for said local dive sites.

I've been told by a single, cross-agency instructor I trust that there's recognition from PADI HQ of GUE's rescue class. This at best implies a base-level recognition of equivalency, but is no indication of the quality of each course - hence this thread. What @Trace mentioned seems to also be a key point of consideration too - that PADI might be best when working with resort types, and GUE for the more technically-inclined and equipped. But as mentioned earlier, it's a little hard to compare due to the newness (and some say immaturity) of the GUE recreational syllabus. Hoping to hear some thoughts from those with knowledge of both.

 

[rabe]

I'd usually be the first to agree with such a statement. But as mentioned earlier in the thread it might not be so clear-cut in this case due to concerns regarding the quality/thoroughness of the base syllabus material, justified or otherwise. I can be taught by a diving god, but if said divinity is restricted to the confines of far-from-polished standards and protocols, you could end up worse-off than with a less-skilled instructor teaching from a more robust syllabus. I'm sure someone like Bob Sherwood is awesome with putting GUE Tech 1 Rescue techniques into practice, but what about teaching others to handle situations with typical recreational gear like jackets and short hoses?

Hence the follow up question of how much latitude is given to instructors to expand or tweak the syllabus, perhaps by some of the names mentioned here, and if so which is the best syllabus to work-off from for your buck. I'd like to treat it a bit more seriously than just a card to tick off on the way to DM-hood

"Rescue subject" is such a big grey area, I wouldn't talk of restricted confines... Everything is very depending on so many different aspects (of the situation, of the victims, of the rescuer, etc etc) that "restricted confines" and "diving god" are just two other variables in this big equation

 

[tbone1004]

@DeeplyCurious honestly if you're working with some local projects, just ask one of the instructors if they'll run you through a rescue course on the cheap/free for volunteering. They shouldn't balk to much at that request.

The question really comes down to the value of the course. We had this discussion on here a few months ago and while @Trace Malinowski and I agree that properly taught rescue is an incredibly valuable skill, the harsh reality is that it's more often than not going to be a recovery, and with anything else the priority needs to be getting the diver to the boat as soon as possible. It's something we've been fighting with NAUI for years.

Take whatever is cheap/easy/fast and pay more attention to the BLS stuff.

 

[Landau]

My recommendation if you really want to hone your rescue skills and are located in Canada is a PADI Rescue to cover the Scuba specific + the Lifesaving Society Bronze Medallion lifesaving course which covers water rescue skills in more detail for more situations. The next level up the Bronze Cross would also be useful as it teaches more advanced rescues.

I don’t know what the equivalents are in the USA or elsewhere are.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

I don't really know much about GUE and I probably wouldn't take a PADI course myself, even if you are most likely to rescue resort type divers in jackets. The skills don't really change much because the gear might be different. The real basis for the rescue course isn't so much focused on the actual rescue skills, but more on how to recognize a situation that could possibly go bad before it happens. How to keep incidents from turning into accidents or from happening at all. It teaches you to be more aware of yourself and your fellow divers. I'm sure there is some variance in the way the actual rescue skills are taught but at the end of the day I'd almost be willing to bet they're all based around the same basic techniques. Maybe I'm wrong and there are huge differences between PADI, GUE and the NASE and NAUI courses I just completed at the end of June. But to me, all that counts is whether or not the given method is effective at getting the distressed diver the help he/she needs and keeps you the rescuer safe in the process.

I have both the NASE and NAUI eLearning training materials (minus the videos) in PDF form if you want them. Obviously neither are one of the choices you're considering, but they might at least give some insight as to what you can expect from a rescue course and might help with the knowledge part of whichever course you choose. If you want them, shoot me a message with your email address and I'm happy to send them over.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I would love to hear from someone who has taken GUE Rec 2, but apparently few people have taken it. Few enough have taken Rec 1. The logical candidate for Rec 2 would be someone who has taken Rec 1 and doesn't intend to move into tech diving.

 

[boulderjohn]

I assume the OP knows that the GUE course has specific requirements for the gear to be used. If he has that gear already, no problem.

 

[Scuba Scott]

First of all the PADI Rescue course is an excellent course and I don't know many people who would argue with that.

I am surprised this thread has gone this long without someone saying you are going to be a PADI pro so you should take the PADI rescue course. If you plan to become a DM to mainly supervise divers and won't be assisting with instruction and do not plan on becoming an instructor then someone may make the argument that GUE is the better rescue course but I don't know about that part of it. I know the PADI course is excellent but have no idea if GUE is better, worse or the same. We would have to hear from someone who has taught both of them.

So why PADI? If you are going to assist with classes, and as a PADI DM you will assist PADI classes, don't you think more experience with how the PADI rescue class actually runs would be a good thing? If you go on to be a PADI instructor then the experience will be even more valuable.

I know my path to instructor took so many years that many of the classes I had taken changed quite a bit. Some more recent experience with PADI courses as they are currently taught would have helped quite a bit. I think that may be similar to the situation you are entering by becoming a pro in a system where you are not going to be familiar with the courses you will be assisting.

Of course the best answer is to take both.