Rescue Course

[Phish-phood]

I started training for my rescue course last night in the pool. I have not done any reading on what is involved, don't have the manual yet but my instructor decided it would be good for both of us to practice some things in the pool.


Afterwards we were discussing how I got on and he was asking meloads of questions to see how much I took in and we got talking about the way the courses are run. I know everyone says that PADI rescue course is probably the best course they have but do many instructors make their students practice in the pool first before going into the OW to do it. I found everything tough last night, very enjoyable but tough, I was also told that people have passed their rescue course doing things at the level I managed them last night. I cannot understand this mentality either on the students behalf or the instructors behalf because surely a rescue diver would want to be rescue capable!!! Right?? I have earmarked February as the time to do my actual course and in the mean time I plan on practicing as much as possible in the pool and my instructor plans on jumping spot tests between now and then to make sure that I am aware and capable and not just going through the motions for a course!! his point you never know when you are going to have to rescue some-one and without regular practice you will lose the awareness and ability to perform a rescue!

 

[Walter]

I've never looked closely at PADI's rescue course, but rescue skills are like most other skills, they are learned in the pool. I find it hard to imagine someone teaching a rescue course without pool time. I know it's required by YMCA standards and would guess other agencies require it as well. It sounds like (without more details, it's impossible to know) your instructor is doing a good job.

 

[Phish-phood]

As I said I haven't done any reading of requirements yet so I may be being a bit unfair to PADI here but I only have my limited experience to go on That experience is that several people I know that have done rescue courses have not done pool time before going in the OW, something I cannot understand as just from last night I can tell the course requires physical strength as well as mental awareness neither of which I think you can get simple by doing a weekend course in the OW.

 

[Walter]

I'll have to take a look at their standards.

 

[Washy]

I did my rescue back in the beginning of Sept 03. The pool time is invaluable time to practice skills. We did about 3 hours pool before even hitting OW.

It's like the other PADI training I've done though - some people in the group take to it, others will be complete spanners no matter how much pool time you give them...

 

[Drew Sailbum]

It lets you practice some of the in-water skills before adding other potential nasties like how to remove a patient from the water at a tricky shore entry site.

PADI does not require confined water training for the Rescue Course, but it is recommended.

 

[JDostal]

I didn't practice any pool at all. We had a couple of days of classroom, watched the videos, and then went to one of our local lakes to do the training/evals. For us, it wasn't much of a problem - were avid divers and dive all the time so nothing is "rusty" at all. I personally have always had a knack for learning things quick too so it was easy for me...

 

[Walter]

Drew,

I'm sorry to hear that.

 

[mech]

I also just started my PADI rescue class last night.
Ours is out of our dive club and just about everyone in the class has been diving together consistantly for the last four months.
We will not be getting pool time.
I believe that PADI requires 2 days of water work.
Our instructor doesn't think this is enough so we are doing four days in Monterey and I believe 5 days in class (this includes CPR).
I can see your instructor not thinking that two days is enough also.
There are 11 divers in our class two instructors and several others from the club will probably assist in the waterwork.
What is the size of your class and how many instructors?
Congrats and good luck.
mech

 

[brizzolatti]

I did PADI course which didn't have pool time. I can see the importance of practising the exercises but more on a regular basis once you've learned them in the class than preparing in the pool. Though I agree honing skills in the pool is a good thing. But for many of the exercises, the pool situation is nowhere like real conditions with depth, current, waves etc. I actually quite liked the fact that it was done in real conditions with no pool practice because it kind of gives you a feel for what it might be like in real life should you need to put your training into practice. I think it would have made things easier if I had had the pool practice of things like rescue breathing while towing and removing equipment. I had the advantage of having a 1:1 class with just me and the instructor. Divemaster from the dive centre played victim when required so I had a lot of opportunity to practise in the course of the training in any case. But I can see that it could be a benefit to have prior pool work. Maybe goes to reinforce what someone else said which is that you really need to be very very comfortable in water and with basic stuff before you do the rescue course