Rescue Diver Questions...

[deepdiver34]

So I am getting rescue diver certified and am having a little trouble with the unconscious diver ascent. I can do it and do it efficiently but It just doesn't feel comfortable. It seems like i am swimming in a circle and spinning the "victim" all the way up.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep your hand on the "victim's" reg and control buoyancy while pulling them up? Is it best to hold on to them by the face/jaw and just keep the other hand on their BC to help them up since I could kick myself up? I really want to get this down because, God forbid, I find myself in a situation where I need to perform this, I want to make sure I am very good at it so I can save a life if need be. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!:scubadive:

 

[fisheater]

The way I was trained, was to use my right hand to keep the reg in the victim's mouth and to hold his/her head back (to keep the airway open). My arm goes under the victim's right arm, my forearm on his/her chest holds him against my chest (as I'm behind the victim) and my hand is cupped under the victim's chin (to hold it back) and my fingers are on the reg (to keep it in).

My left hand goes over his/her left shoulder and I grab the inflator to control our buoyancy on the ascent. I use a combo of the victim's BCD and my upwards kicking to swim to the surface. There's only a bit of a controlled twist during the ascent to look for hazards.

It's very similar to the method I was taught as a lifeguard for retrieving an unconscious swimmer from the bottom. Keeping the airway open and the victim clamped to your chest are the keys. If you do those two things, it should feel comfortable.

 

[kathydee]

Make sure to have tank tightly clenched between your legs - and go very slowly- just a little air.

 

[rjack321]

This is the rescue of a diver suffering from O2 toxicity, but the principles are otherwise the same with an unconcious diver.
YouTube - toxing diver rescue

 

[deepdiver34]

ok cool, thanks a lot guys, i'll be sure to practice this some more. Any more suggestions guys?

 

[sotgecho]

The way I was trained, was to use my right hand to keep the reg in the victim's mouth and to hold his/her head back (to keep the airway open). My arm goes under the victim's right arm, my forearm on his/her chest holds him against my chest (as I'm behind the victim) and my hand is cupped under the victim's chin (to hold it back) and my fingers are on the reg (to keep it in).

My left hand goes over his/her left shoulder and I grab the inflator to control our buoyancy on the ascent. I use a combo of the victim's BCD and my upwards kicking to swim to the surface. There's only a bit of a controlled twist during the ascent to look for hazards.

It's very similar to the method I was taught as a lifeguard for retrieving an unconscious swimmer from the bottom. Keeping the airway open and the victim clamped to your chest are the keys. If you do those two things, it should feel comfortable.

The dive shop I primary dive out of did some rescue training with the local fire department on the open water. They were doing this scenario from 60 fsw.

They way it is described above is pretty much how all the instructors did it. However the main instructor of the group was telling us that she finds it easier, i.e. more manageable for her, to just put a little air in the victims BCD to help them begin the ascent and use their own BCD and kicks to control the rate of the ascent.

The reason she did this because she felt that it was easier to control the ascent from her own BCD because she had a better "feel" for the ascent rate and more familiarity with her own equipment to do the ascent.

 

[ssidiv3r]

In my rescue class we were taught to get the victim nuetral and then swim up, venting air from their bcd as needed IF POSSIBLE. If you simply couldn't and they were ascending too fast then you were to let go, because they will still make it to the surface and it does no good to have a bent rescuer. As far as keeping the reg in their mouth, we were instructed to hold it in place with one hand and grab their bcd shoulder strap with the other, venting air when possible

 

[muddiver]

Make sure to have tank tightly clenched between your legs - and go very slowly- just a little air.

Do not add air to any BC during this manuver, you will only cause yourself more grief.

You should dump your air from your BC, dump the divers air from their BC, get a good hold on them and dump their weight. Get the position discribed by fisheater and use their natural buoyancy to ride them to the surface while managing their BC air volume.

And, as ssidiv3r said, let go if they start to get away from you and they are ascending too fast. If they are already unconcious/drowned, getting them bent is less of a concern than for you. They can always be squished in a chamber, but lack of oxygen is a bigger priority.

 

[DBailey]

Do not add air to any BC during this manuver, you will only cause yourself more grief.

You should dump your air from your BC, dump the divers air from their BC, get a good hold on them and dump their weight. Get the position discribed by fisheater and use their natural buoyancy to ride them to the surface while managing their BC air volume.

And, as ssidiv3r said, let go if they start to get away from you and they are ascending too fast. If they are already unconcious/drowned, getting them bent is less of a concern than for you. They can always be squished in a chamber, but lack of oxygen is a bigger priority.

I can honestly say that is the first time I have heard/read that approach for bringing someone off the bottom. Personally, I think dumping someone's weight and riding them up is a recipe for disaster. In my cold water wetsuit setup with an AL80 tank, I am wearing about 26 LBS. Dumping all of that weight would make for an interesting Polaris missile. No matter how much air you dump from my BCD and yours, there is no way you are going to offset the 26 LBS.

I prefer not to add air to the victim's BCD. You should be neutral when you find the diver. If it is a lost diver, then he/she should already have some air in their BCD. It might come down to needing to add some air to physically move the person (like double last neutral in 20 feet but found at 100 feet).

 

[Randy g]

Great post and good timing! We are currently doing our rescue class. Did the classroom portion last night and the pool session tomorrow night.