To take or not to take the Rescue course, that is the question coming up a lot among divers looking to advance their skills and improve their diving. Many typical Pro's and Con's have been thoroughly discussed. I would like to offer a different perspective from me, a Diver with Disabilities (DwD).
Sorry for the college application essay. TL;DR: Everyone SHOULD (eventually) take the Rescue Diver course, including and especially DwDs.
I won't go into details any of the regular arguments, such as:
A bit about me: I'm a tiny Southeast Asian diver with multiple health issues, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and chronic pains. Doctors have diagnosed me with different things over the years, such as fibromyalgia and autonomic dysfunctions. I have also had disabling psych issues long, long before the physical problems caught up. When on land, I'm pretty much a zombie 99.5% of the time, too tired, in too much pain, and/or too depressed, too anxious, too panicky. I'd like to think I'm still a Big Bad Bitch but my brain isn't as sharp as it used to be. I have mostly retired from work. My partner works from home to take care of me. I can't do yoga anymore because even restorative yoga feels desperately painful. I walk with a cane.
But scuba diving saves my life. Not only am I generally a lot happier in the water, the pains also dissolve. I'm not ever anxious at any depth. I don't ever have to cry in my mask over any unexplainable pain shooting up from out of nowhere somewhere random in my body or inside my skull. I don't ever feel nauseated like I do half of the time on land. Scuba therapy is legit, guys.
Now, as a DwD, I've spent the last few years listening to friends and instructors discouraging me from taking the Rescue Diver course. They said there's no way I could handle the course. One promised to teach me Self Rescue, but ended up didn't because he didn't think I was fit enough. A former friend made it a habit to share with me all the scary, exhausting bits of her Rescue course (not the reason why she's former, but it should have given me a clue). So I've put off this course for years.
Someone very important to me is going to start diving, however, and I want to make sure to the best of my ability he's safe in my world. That's why I finally decided to push ahead. I researched pretty much all the accessible course options in my region and picked RAID's Master Rescue Diver course. As someone previously trained with PADI (OW, AOW) and SSI (Nitrox, also sat in classes at my local dive club), my diving skills have a lot of room to improve. I like RAID's focus on basic dive skills like trim & buoyancy and in-water awareness/alertness.
Coming into the course, I didn't pressure myself to finish it. I signed up only to learn as much as I could. My instructors were encouraging, patient, and flexible. They found different ways to teach the course, adapting to my strengths and weaknesses. I found the course nowhere near as hellish as people had warned. It was okay. It was a course, challenging at the appropriate level, as any course should be. I finished it. I'm a Master Rescue Diver now.
To all those people who doubt DwDs' abilities as Rescue Divers, I say, SUCK IT. Here's why:
Few caveats:
PC: Tom Jang
Sorry for the college application essay. TL;DR: Everyone SHOULD (eventually) take the Rescue Diver course, including and especially DwDs.
I won't go into details any of the regular arguments, such as:
- Liability: I think the vast majority has, by this point, agreed that it's a non-issue. It is especially true for divers in non-Western countries. I live in Southeast Asia, nobody ain't gonna sue nobody, especially over such a silly, technical detail.
- Dive skills improvements
- General risks mitigations for self and others, ability to recognize and address issues in time
- Ability to better assist other First Responders when SHTF, become better bystanders
- Also maybe be a better victim when SHTF for yourself, if you don't completely panic, perhaps as a Rescue Diver yourself you can at least not impede others' rescue efforts.
(My personal note: I wish people would treat the Rescue course like First Aid, as in everybody should and can learn it as a basic skill in life, that elements of the course should be taught to all divers according to their levels like how Comprehensive Sex Ed should be taught to all students at all grades, then whoever interested in advancing their skills can take master courses/seminars)
A bit about me: I'm a tiny Southeast Asian diver with multiple health issues, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and chronic pains. Doctors have diagnosed me with different things over the years, such as fibromyalgia and autonomic dysfunctions. I have also had disabling psych issues long, long before the physical problems caught up. When on land, I'm pretty much a zombie 99.5% of the time, too tired, in too much pain, and/or too depressed, too anxious, too panicky. I'd like to think I'm still a Big Bad Bitch but my brain isn't as sharp as it used to be. I have mostly retired from work. My partner works from home to take care of me. I can't do yoga anymore because even restorative yoga feels desperately painful. I walk with a cane.
But scuba diving saves my life. Not only am I generally a lot happier in the water, the pains also dissolve. I'm not ever anxious at any depth. I don't ever have to cry in my mask over any unexplainable pain shooting up from out of nowhere somewhere random in my body or inside my skull. I don't ever feel nauseated like I do half of the time on land. Scuba therapy is legit, guys.
Now, as a DwD, I've spent the last few years listening to friends and instructors discouraging me from taking the Rescue Diver course. They said there's no way I could handle the course. One promised to teach me Self Rescue, but ended up didn't because he didn't think I was fit enough. A former friend made it a habit to share with me all the scary, exhausting bits of her Rescue course (not the reason why she's former, but it should have given me a clue). So I've put off this course for years.
Someone very important to me is going to start diving, however, and I want to make sure to the best of my ability he's safe in my world. That's why I finally decided to push ahead. I researched pretty much all the accessible course options in my region and picked RAID's Master Rescue Diver course. As someone previously trained with PADI (OW, AOW) and SSI (Nitrox, also sat in classes at my local dive club), my diving skills have a lot of room to improve. I like RAID's focus on basic dive skills like trim & buoyancy and in-water awareness/alertness.
Coming into the course, I didn't pressure myself to finish it. I signed up only to learn as much as I could. My instructors were encouraging, patient, and flexible. They found different ways to teach the course, adapting to my strengths and weaknesses. I found the course nowhere near as hellish as people had warned. It was okay. It was a course, challenging at the appropriate level, as any course should be. I finished it. I'm a Master Rescue Diver now.
To all those people who doubt DwDs' abilities as Rescue Divers, I say, SUCK IT. Here's why:
- DwDs are experts at risk mitigation: We constantly try to avoid further injury or pains while moving around in an able-bodied people's world. We constantly scan the environment for potential issues. We always think about the best escape strategies in any situation. The course helps us translate our experience into something we can apply to divers.
- DwDs are also experts at task-loading and situation management when SHTF, as well as handling discomfort, challenges, unexpected things or when things aren't "just right:"
Despite our best efforts, we still get further injured or hurt. There are always problems, so we always have to figure out which problems to prioritize and which must wait. We have lots of practice in leveraging external support vs self. In an emergency situation, I bet I would be calmer than the average "healthy" diver out there. I'm used to my brain feeling a bit woozy and unsettled. I wouldn't freak out as much. I'd imagine that on average, DwDs are generally more mentally prepared for emergency situations underwater than able-bodied divers. "Theory is one thing, reality is another," and it's reality that we live with 24/7, we got lots of practice! - DwDs are likely to have better than average medical/health-related knowledge: Because we have health issues, many of us are already hyper-aware of anything medically relevant underwater. We need to know what might affect the safety of our diving. Not all people with disabilities are interested in medical knowledge, but those who are divers would likely have to be at least basically aware.
- The physical challenge was not as much a big deal as people say: The biggest challenge my friends thought I couldn't overcome is the physical part of the Rescue course. Well, what can I say, I repeatedly towed my two instructors up the shore, they are big Westerners compared to me. I felt like dying and my legs gave up on me, *just like* I would feel after walking up half a flight of stairs! Yes, it's hard, but it's not any harder than my daily existence.
- DwDs can help instructors identify blindspots in their teaching and practices; I imagine most teaching materials are developed with the average able-bodied divers in mind. Working with differently-abled divers should help instructors better understand the different aspects of their Rescue course.
- DwDs figure out inventive solutions to deal with different situations: Differently-abled divers with their diverse experiences can surely share different and useful perspectives. Our bodies and needs are different from the norm, so we must think of ways to make diving work for us. Some of our tips and tricks might be helpful to you too! We spend all this time forced to ruminate and obsessed over the functioning of our bodies, trust us we *know* what we can and cannot do, and what we can't do your way but can do in ours.
Few caveats:
- Elements of Rescue should be integrated into ALL levels of dive training in addition to the standalone course
- I think it's better to take the full course when you're already more comfortable in the water and familiar with many aspects of diving as well as the science behind it
- Course content should be flexible and adaptable rather than all about machismo and proving ego
- Certified Rescue Divers should regularly audit/assist Rescue courses if possible to refresh/update their skills and knowledge
PC: Tom Jang
