Question Rescue course location recommendation?

[BoundForElsewhere]

I'd rather learn in the conditions that I dive in most frequently, which for me meant taking Rescue in Puget Sound in a drysuit and shore diving with typical wave action since that represents 80-90% of my diving.

That's hardcore. I found towing rescue breaths hard enough in 1' ripples.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Hop on a cheap flight to LA, then take the ferry over to Two Harbors in Catalina. They run an intense week long rescue course and expose you to a working hyperbaric chamber. Plus, you get to learn rescue diving from two of the best in the sport. The cost is cheap compared to going to florida or other options. You don't even need to rent a car here.

Emergency Response Diver > USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

dornsife.usc.edu

Oh man. That sounds amazing.

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Haven't decided where I'll take my rescue course, but my first thoughts would be, is where am I going to do most of my diving.

 

[Doctor Rig]

In another “rescue coarse” thread I’ve read, there was a lot of talk about how physically & mentally strenuous and intensive the coarse is and you’ll likely be able to only appreciate the warmer water and little more, if one travels for the coarse. This is further confirming justification to do ones Rescue coarse at home.

I‘ve heard my LDS mention several times, they would take extra steps to get a student to the completion finish line (certification). This dedication seems to be a desirable attribute one would like to have in taking a Rescue coarse, and ”earning” its certification.

Does anybody have any related comments or experience?

 

[Marie13]

I’d expect it would be more strenuous done off a boat. Doing it in a quarry at home sounds a heck of a lot easier. I don’t know how strenuous some of these courses get. I was able to do mine. The worst issue I had was the chair carry of a very large individual with another diver due to my bad knees. We did it as far as I could. I had a much easier time with the back carry (arms draped over your shoulders) of a smaller individual. I was able to get that person out of the water just fine.

Instructors were aware of my knee issues and worked around them.

 

[Phil Ravlin]

I have a solid recommendation for you that checks a lot boxes. I just did my PADI Rescue course on the island of Roatan in Honduras. If you want hot humid weather, warm water, and great diving too, then this is a great place. I used "Coconut Tree Divers" dive shop. It was a challenging but fun experience. I stayed in a hotel across the street from the shop, and had plenty of small little restaurants nearby too. I have spent some time in the Florida keys, and this is dramatically cheaper (diving/lodging/food). The quality of the visibility and reef geology was really impressive. I will definitely go back.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

That's hardcore. I found towing rescue breaths hard enough in 1' ripples.

In real life you wouldn't do the breaths in those conditions. It would just add to the damage done to the victim by delaying them getting to where effective CPR could be done. In fact while I am required to teach them, I tell students in water rescue breaths, unless practiced regularly, are a waste of valuable time.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

In another “rescue coarse” thread I’ve read, there was a lot of talk about how physically & mentally strenuous and intensive the coarse is and you’ll likely be able to only appreciate the warmer water and little more, if one travels for the coarse. This is further confirming justification to do ones Rescue coarse at home.

I‘ve heard my LDS mention several times, they would take extra steps to get a student to the completion finish line (certification). This dedication seems to be a desirable attribute one would like to have in taking a Rescue coarse, and ”earning” its certification.

Does anybody have any related comments or experience?

The main thing to remember is that a recreational rescue course does not make you anything more than a diver with more awareness of things that can go wrong and how to START to address them when they do.

Unless the accident happens on the surface or more likely begins before the person gets in the water, it's not going to be a rescue. It'll be a recovery and you won't be ready for that. You might get asked to check cars in the lot for the missing diver, keep the crowds back, or call 911 but unlikely to be asked to participate in any way in the water.

A good recreational rescue course is as much, if not much more, about preventing an incident. Catching gear issues, pre dive stress, piss poor planning, people getting in over the training and experience levels, etc.

It will also make clear that unless you regularly practice the in water skills as often as you dive for fun, you're not a rescue diver. You just have a piece of plastic with the words on it. You are also not a public safety diver, dive medic, or dive EMT. Unless you have those qualifications to start with or get them.

A number of them will also put you in completely unrealistic situations with responses that might actually cause more damage to the victim. Example - wasting time getting a victim to shore because you are trying to do rescue breaths you have only done a couple of times under little to no stress and delaying getting them to where effective CPR can be done.

I do rescue workshops where I spend most of time going over prevention in addition to the course where we do all the things that standards require. The workshops are actually more applicable to the average diver and don't require me to pass on info that is of dubious value to the person who will not be practicing the skills all the time as they should.

A good rescue class will in some ways ruin some aspects of your diving. Instead of the blissful ignorance one might enjoy just getting on the boat or to the site and just getting in the water, you'll spend time now looking at everyone else and seeing who these is likely going to ruin your day by screwing up. You'll change your dive plan because you won't want to be anywhere near the joker who is likely going to have a problem.

Or you'll find yourself agonizing over telling the loudmouth expert diver that he has his tank on backwards or that he doesn't need 30lbs of lead with a 3 mil when he looks like a stick figure. Do you tell them and risk a confrontation or just let them go with the knowledge that you may have to fill out a witness statement later?

Touching on the last point, a good rescue class will also spend a SIGNIFCANT amount of time covering the possible life long and devastating after effects of being involved in a rescue, accident, witness to, or recovery of a diver and not just gloss over or ignore them. If it doesn't do this, it's setting a person up for potentially bad results.

 

[rx7diver]

In real life you wouldn't do the breaths in those conditions.

Hmmm. If you need to pull the victim a quarter mile (say) back to shore, then rescue breaths probably should be administered. Maybe. Depends. We learned to administer them even when there were ripples, chop, boat wakes, wind-driven spray, etc. But, this was for recreational diving in MO fresh water temperatures. For very cold water temps (e.g., Lake Superior), there are other considerations.

rx7diver