Rescue diver or nitrox?

[whimsicalbirdy]

Hi!

I'm thinking of taking either the rescue diver or nitrox course (i can only choose to take one course for now) and I'm wondering which one should I go for first?

I'm an AOW diver who goes on a diving trip only once a year. Is it worth taking the nitrox course?


Thanks!

 

[tbone1004]

nitrox isn't really a course so much as buying a card. That said, for your dive trips, it may allow you to stay down longer.

Rescue is a very important class, but it's one of those that if you don't practice regularly, then you will lose the skills and may as well not have it. If you already have CPR and First Aid certs through wherever, and are only diving once/year, you won't really benefit. Assuming you're on a boat, that is what you're paying the crew for.

If you dove locally and dove frequently, then my answer would be to take rescue fwiw

 

[AJ]

Take Nitrox for your kind of diving.

 

[Bubblesong]

I took Rescue after AOW, because I had the time, and took Nitrox, which did not include any diving requirement, later on when I had less time to fit in a class.
Nitrox did make it safer to increase daily diving on trips. So if you want to dive a lot more, Nitrox.
I only dive buddy with family, but if I instabuddied, Rescue would be more critical class to take since The skill level of the buddy could be a problem.

 

[Blasto]

Rescue is one of the tougher classes, and it's really something that can be done at home - you won't dive much.

Nitrox is really just some fun diving on EAN with a bit of theory on it and a card (and there are versions without diving, just pass a quiz and buy a card).

 

[uncfnp]

For diving, take nitrox. Usefulness will depend on the locale and your dives but there really is no down side.

I agree with others. Rescue is highly recommended but one really needs refreshers to keep current. It is however not required. Instead I suggest getting CPR and first aid certified if you are not already, useful diving and in life in general.

Then in coming years you can add the actual Rescue course if still interested or find yourself diving more.

 

[tbone1004]

note, most important thing about rescue diving, for all rescue divers unless you actively train to do it regularly.

Get them to the surface, get them to the boat/shore/wherever there is someone else who can manage the situation. Most people don't have the skills to effectively do rescue breathing in the water and it takes too long for them to move. Far better off just hauling a$$ to the boat or shore and dealing with it there. After that, it is all surface stuff and a CPR/First Aid/O2 admin course is far more beneficial

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .

I'm an AOW diver who goes on a diving trip only once a year. Is it worth taking the nitrox course?
. . .

Based only on that information, you could be an AOW diver with 500 dives whose one trip a year is to advanced destinations like the Galapagos. I will assume that's not what you meant. Rather, it seems more likely you have maybe 50 dives and your one trip a year is to do some relaxed, tropical reef diving, where you aren't diving from sun-up to sundown or otherwise pushing the limits. Am I close?

In any case, a reasonable question is what is the limiting factor that typically results in your dives ending? Is it that you run low on air before you run low on no-deco time? Is it that you run low on no-deco time before you run low on air? Is it that the divemaster requires you to end the dive before you have run low on air or no-deco time?

The main benefit of Nitrox is extending your no-deco time. So, if you typically find yourself having to end a dive because your air runs low before your no-deco time runs low, then diving with Nitrox wouldn't give you the main benefit that Nitrox offers. Another benefit of Nitrox that can be traded off with increased no-deco time is increased safety buffer against DCS. However, if you are doing nice easy dives with lots of safety stop time in the shallows, long surface intervals, fewer than four dives a day, etc., then that's already keeping you pretty far from the no-deco limits.

Rescue is useful to all divers, no matter what kind of diving they are doing. Unless you can benefit from Nitrox for the reasons mentioned above, take Rescue first.

 

[Marie13]

Nitrox, yes. Rescue won't be that useful to you unless you're diving a lot, which you most certainly are not at this point. Even then, the skills need to be practiced.

 

[PatW]

Nitrox is just a short course.

I believe that rescue is a very good course. The important thing about it is self rescue. The trick is o recognize a bad situation and resolve it, or failing that, calling the dive. One would have to take the course and repeatedly do drills to really get proficient at the skills. Rescue made me think of diving in a different way. There are times when I have a dive and things do not go that well. I think about it. What was the problem? How do I recognize it next time. And what will I do better to minimize it?