Rescue Diver - PADI Standards

[Bernie_U]

Question to all PADI professionals: What are the minimum required skill demonstrations of a PADI Rescue Diver course?

I have two copies of the PADI Rescue Diver Manual, German edition: The older one from 1993 lists all exercises / skill demonstrations in detail. The most recent one, revision no. 6 of 2020, does not. Unlike SDI, PADI do not make their standards publicly available, confer to SDI document paragraph 11.11 for better understanding what I am looking for. At least, I have not found the PADI standards yet - your help is very much appreciated.

Background of my request: I obtained both OWD and AOWD certifications from PADI, so it would make sense to continue with PADI's Rescue Diver instead of the SDI Rescue Diver, for example. However, after talking with two local PADI centers, I am a bit unhappy with the way they teach the Rescue Diver. In particular, they spend a lot of time with full-blown rescue exercises from A to Z. I cannot find that requirement in the PADI standards of 1993, but these might have changed since then. If the full-blown rescue was not mandatory, it would be negotiable and could be replaced by another content that fits my needs better - provided that I can gather enough students who share my interests to fill the class.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

As an OWSI.... the Rescue class was my favorite class to teach. Both for me, the DM's and the students.

 

[L13]

If you are already sure you know what you need to know out of the rescue class, why are you even taking it?

 

[Bernie_U]

Let me put it this way: When you go to a restaurant and there is a yummy dish you would like to eat, but you are allergic to one of the ingredients - what do you do? You ask the waiter whether you can have the dish without. Or you prefer another side dish, what do you do? It is not a crime to ask "can I have French Fries instead?". The waiter then answers "yes" or "no".

In my case, the answer was "no" and I accept that. In the end, teaching SCUBA diving for money is a commercial service. As a student, I am customer as well, pay the money and invest my time. Asking for whatever extra should be allowed, as long it is not off the teaching standard.

Thank god, dive accidents are rare and I completed 600 dives without witnessing any. However, we all get older and our diving gets longer and deeper, so my risk profile increases. There was a bad series of fatal dive incidents in the news this year, with multiple victims per case. You cannot avoid a medical situation or a technical issue under water, but these events should not escalate to a total loss of the buddy team trying to rescue the first victim. One victim is more than enough. I don't want to become a victim myself, neither due to a medical/technical problem, nor by failing to help.

If a Rescue Diver course had 50 open water lessons, then why not practicing all dive rescue exercise ever been invented? Unfortunately, there is just one or two lessons, and we need to make choices. And how many would I remember after two years and being able to correctly reproduce? A rescue training related to my way of diving should focus on the basics and include dry-suits, double-tanks backmount and sidemount.

By the way: What is the fun part of the Rescue Diver class?

 

[L13]

why do you want to take the course at all? Just pay the instructor an hourly rate to teach you what you want and don't already have. Probably cheaper than the course. It isn't unreasonable that they won't give you credit for the course if you don't complete all the requirements, but that doesn't keep you from getting the training you want. If you want the certification, not just the training, then expect them to ensure that you actually meet the certification expectations.

 

[tursiops]

By the way: What is the fun part of the Rescue Diver class?

You'll never know.
I sincerely hope you never need any of the information or skills.

 

[Edward3c]

If you dive in a drysuit you need to know, and practice, recovering a drysuited buddy so you know how to control the 4 possible air spaces; your bc and drysuit and your buddy’s bc and drysuit. With BSAC we teach Controlled Buoyant Lift (CBL) in Ocean Diver and all higher level courses.

Ocen Diver from 6m,
Sports Diver from 10m
Dive Leader from 15m
Advanced Diver from 20m

 

[Bernie_U]

You'll never know.
I sincerely hope you never need any of the information or skills.

Thanks! I hope so, too. Dive accidents can cause psychic traumas to the rescuer or witness, so it is best to never experience one.

I have heard a few voices saying that the Rescue Diver could be fun. I have no clue what the funny parts might be, but it could change my mind.

@Edward3c: I had a look at the BSAC scheme and it looks that some basic rescue stuff is integral part of the regular diver curriculum. SCUBA clubs can go this way, but commercial schools cannot because they compete by price. The German CMAS division does so as well and offers additional rescue workshops that deal with dry-suits, cutting backplate harnesses and so on. But BSAC is probably way ahead in this regard.

 

[L13]

I have heard a few voices saying that the Rescue Diver could be fun. I have no clue what the funny parts might be, but it could change my mind.

All of it was fun when I took it!

But then, most people who take a rescue diver class find most scuba related activities and classes fun. I have no clue what the not fun parts might be.

 

[Edward3c]

Thanks! I hope so, too. Dive accidents can cause psychic traumas to the rescuer or witness, so it is best to never experience one.

I have heard a few voices saying that the Rescue Diver could be fun. I have no clue what the funny parts might be, but it could change my mind.

@Edward3c: I had a look at the BSAC scheme and it looks that some basic rescue stuff is integral part of the regular diver curriculum. SCUBA clubs can go this way, but commercial schools cannot because they compete by price. The German CMAS division does so as well and offers additional rescue workshops that deal with dry-suits, cutting backplate harnesses and so on. But BSAC is probably way ahead in this regard.

BSAC has commercial centres in the UK and overseas, plus BSAC Egypt appear to be competing quite well with PADI/SSI.

But, yes, Ocean Diver included some rescue, navigation, nitrox and drysuit (if taken in one). All additional income streams with the other agencies. But then we teach people to go diving with us; not train and forget.

 

[berndo]

Both PADI instructors I talked with about the course content emphasized how exhausting the training will be. I wonder why the goal is to get to your physical limits while or after diving. To prevent the rescuer from taking a DCS hit, I wish to learn energy-saving techniques.

If you think you already know better than the instructors why even ask about the class? An actual emergency situation is not about saving, it's going to be very exhausting and extremely stressful. The point of a rescue class is to prepare you for a difficult situation and to think about who you should be diving with and where and consider what you would to in case of an accident.

By the way: What is the fun part of the Rescue Diver class?

It's not supposed to be a fun class.
Everytime I conducted a rescue class I made sure to really stress the students out and leave them exhausted... like my instructor did when I took the class... it's supposed to be a learning experience and to see where your limits are, it's not try scuba and looking at fish.