Rescue Diver Course

[TigerDiver8]

Hey everyone,

I start my Rescue Course (PADI) in a few weeks and want to know what to expect. I have met some divers that told me it is physically and mentally demanding and quite hard, what can I expect, what kind of things will be doing etc.

Thank you

 

[Patoux01]

We talked about it on the "Do you need physical strength for rescue?" thread (or similarly named), you might want to read it, it should give you an idea

It's not really strength that is needed, at least not something exceptionnal. However, you might find the course exhausting, simply due to the awareness it requires. Doing AOW I was basically sleeping for 5 dives, forget about that for rescue. At the end of each day, I was happy to get to my bed.
You'll be doing basic "everyday life" scenarios (imo those things never happen, but well, I don't have enough experience to judge on that matter). Mainly assisting divers, you're not likely to do stuff for yourself on that course. you start by doing all skills separately (towing, removing gear, getting someone up, cramp, getting someone out of the water, rescue breaths, ...) and then you "simply" assemble all that. You also have to write an emergency assistance plan, which is simply getting the info together that you'd actually need when diving that site, what you're supposed to look for to prevent issues, etc etc.

I consider my experience to be quite positive, although still unsure about how much of it applies to my kind of diving.
Hope this helps.

 

[tursiops]

still unsure about how much of it applies to my kind of diving.

It is like any kind of incident/emergency training/preparation: you hope you never need it, probably won't, and are extremely glad if you ever do need it. Like having a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, or jack in the car, or first aid kit in your backpack.

Perhaps more importantly, taking the Rescue class can help prevent and mitigate bad things from happening...to yourself and to others. It can stop an issue before it occurs (calming someone down on a boat, double-checking your gas and regs and fin straps before jumping in), and turn "emergencies" into just annoyances.

I understand you may not have needed the training......yet.......

 

[beanojones]

Have fun!

While this does not directly answer your question, it could help you understand some of what is going on. (Note from your mother: Finish reading your book now, if you have not already. Nothing will make as much sense without the theoretical framework of the rescue book.)

There are two broad varieties of rescue courses:

1. Self-rescue, prevention, awareness, and reaction-focused courses.

2. Team Rescue focused courses, with huge scenarios and costumes and fake blood etc.

I know that option 2 courses are usually raved about by the people who do them because, at times, it's one big action movie the students get to play parts in. But it requires an instructor who has a clique of divers, Divemasters etc to work because there have to be several non-students playing roles as well as the instrcutor evaluating everyone. Even people who come back to help with these courses tend to rave about them. I help out as a cast member sometimes, and I take Japanese Divemaster candidates along when the stars align.

Personally I only teach type 1 courses for the practical reason that a rescue class will happen on a tourist's timing which makes gathering the cast for a type 2 impossible. There is also the philosophical point that I am of the opinion that the best rescue that happens, happens so invisibly that no one ever saw it happen. People who can instantly diagnose and solve a partially (or fully!) closed valve underwater could only kind of say they did a rescue (since it is only a type 1), but if they could not, then they would be forced to do a type 2 rescue.

I have been part of the type 2 style scenarios, but in real life, and I am not sure how having done the type 2 scenarios in training would help average rescue trained diver actually be able to be useful in the real world scenarios. But having done the type 2 scenarios certainly would make them more aware of what we were doing and why. In the end, when I am involved in a rescue/transport, it is all we can do to keep even experienced people from getting in the way so really all I want from around me is people with language abilities, local driving direction and place name knowledge, and a cellphone with good reception. So few people have delivered emergency O2 or done CPR in real life situations, so unless I know that the person trying to do it has actually done it, I am going to be having to do it myself instead while shouting directions to the person with the phone on what to say to fire/rescue to make sure they can find the dive site since they don't know the names that divers call them.

(Flow rate matters more than anything else. If the victim is starved for air, they will not keep the mask on. This is true underwater on scuba, and on the deck on free-flow O2 masks. The root problem is different, but people are remarkably consistent in how they react to basic input.)

 

[RJP]

Hey everyone,

I start my Rescue Course (PADI) in a few weeks and want to know what to expect. I have met some divers that told me it is physically and mentally demanding and quite hard, what can I expect, what kind of things will be doing etc.

Thank you

These would be great questions for your instructor. They'd even be appropriate to have asked before signing up for the class.

I can assure you that there are very few instructors in the world who want a student showing up not knowing what to expect from the class. There are fewer that would rather have you ask 250,000 anonymous strangers instead of asking them directly.

That said, I don't know that I would characterize the class as "hard" or "difficult" but rather - if properly conducted - you should find the exercises and scenarios "challenging." Not in a "bet you can't do it" challenging but in a "you'll want to be at the top of your game" to get the most out of it.

Most people will tell you they enjoyed the course. I'm guessing they mean that in a "sense of accomplishment" fashion. It's definitely a "the more you put into it... the more you'll get out of it" endeavor.

 

[Scubagolf]

I found it to be physically exhausting. But then I was 60 at the time....

 

[flyin01]

Then there is my favorite part of the class. As the DM I go hide and you have to find me and recover me. If you are doing the class in a quarry don't forget to look under platforms. Just a friendly hint.

 

[Scubagolf]

Then there is my favorite part of the class. As the DM I go hide and you have to find me and recover me. If you are doing the class in a quarry don't forget to look under platforms. Just a friendly hint.

Yes, this was what took the toll on me. Locate the "unconscious diver", bring him to the surface, simulated CPR on the surface, and then the swim back to shore (the steps at the Catalina dive park).

 

[TSandM]

I think the Rescue class is primarily hard because of the mental change that occurs during it. Up to that point, you have primarily been focused on learning to dive -- how to do it, how to be comfortable doing it, and how to enjoy it. The Rescue class brings home the fact that there are risks involved in this sport, and you could end up in an ugly situation someday because of those risks. No matter who teaches it, a lot of the class is about avoiding emergencies, and if you don't come out of the class determined to be diligent about practicing your emergency skills, the instructor has not done his job. A fair amount of time is spend on how to deal with emergencies when they do occur, and it is useful. You will learn your limits. For example, if I am diving with a six foot man, the likelihood I can get him completely out of the water is low -- but I can get him up on the beach far enough to do CPR.

Rescue in the PNW involves a lot of time in the water, although not much of it is actually diving. You do a fair amount of towing, and find out it's a lot harder to do if conditions aren't perfect. You do get cold.

I've been involved in 2 true diver emergencies (neither survived). It's well worth the effort to learn this stuff, especially the part that keeps YOU from becoming a victim.

 

[UserNameBella]

I'm doing my rescue course as well next week. I'm reading the book in my spare time this week.

I heard they have you do a bunch of exercises, such as tired diver tow, putting someone on the boat, removing gear ect. Assistant pretends to fall off the boat and be drowning...

I have also heard that they turn off your air and remove your mask (not at the same time...I hope!) I actually hope the mask thing is not true. I can FINALLY clear a full mask flood (I needed a proper fitting mask in order to do this) but I really don't like the idea of that happening. I will have to fight the urge to bop the instructor in the head if that happens...

It should be fun!