Rescue Diver Questions...

[Crowley]

That regulator purge button thing was actually a US Navy Seal - or that is certainly the information I was given. I've seen some of the medical documentation and it's pretty grim.

I would actually disagree with you a little, DSD, on "inexperienced" divers taking the Rescue course. I think even people coming into the course with the bare minimum learn a *lot* - and if nothing else, learn how much more they *really* have to learn. I used to work at a CDC and taught a lot of Rescue courses there and watched interns progress over 6 months or more and found that the Rescue course could actually turn out very different divers at the end of it than when they started - beyond the new skills they learned they became more competent, confident divers with respect to their buoyancy control and general diving abilities. Many realised that they weren't quite as fit as they thought(!) and on one Rescue course that a colleague was teaching, some students got to witness a real life rescue...

If I had my way about it, yes, I would like to see the minimum requirements for Rescue increased a bit so that folks have a few more dives under their belt before starting. However in my case I also see it as a sort of end to the PADI Open Water Course. Other agencies teach basically what PADI teach from OW through to Rescue as their 'entry level' certification. Again - this is not the time and place for agency arguments but I think there is an argument for (relatively) inexperienced divers to take a rescue course.

And hence therfore something we do agree on - which is the potential for a more 'advanced' rescue course. Now again, back in my old job our interns would be repeating this skills over and over as part of their DM training, although admittedly this was more of a nod to passing the IDC than real rescue training. I think that especially dive prpfessionals, given that we are ultimately responsible for other people's lives, might benefit from some form of advanced rescue training. There are courses available but (certainly in my experience) they are not well represented.

And I will end with a footnote that a I have had to deal with several very serious incidents (fortunately none fatal), and my colleagues and I applied our Rescue/EFR training and in onc case the DAN medical people said that by doing so we had maybe saved the person's life.

So the training does work - it's keeping it fresh in the head that needs to be worked on further by the recreational training folks.

Happy diving (it's beautiful here at the moment!)

C.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

I would actually disagree with you a little, DSD, on "inexperienced" divers taking the Rescue course. I think even people coming into the course with the bare minimum learn a *lot* - and if nothing else, learn how much more they *really* have to learn.

That's true. My problem with many of them is that very often they have not mastered their skills sufficiently, nor have they experienced enough differing diving conditions to round out their skills. There have been too many instances where I must interupt rescue training to bring one or more students up to speed on basic skills. Perhaps my solution would be to pre-test prospective students for basic competency. In any case, a competent set of the essential skills would be all that was required to participate in the Basic Rescue program.

I think that especially dive prpfessionals, given that we are ultimately responsible for other people's lives, might benefit from some form of advanced rescue training. There are courses available but (certainly in my experience) they are not well represented.

Absolutely agree. WE are the ones that folks are going to turn to when things go south. I spend alot of time on resuscitation skills in my rescue courses - it's one thing to bring em' up, but quite another to bring em back.

And I will end with a footnote that a I have had to deal with several very serious incidents (fortunately none fatal), and my colleagues and I applied our Rescue/EFR training and in onc case the DAN medical people said that by doing so we had maybe saved the person's life.

Outstanding! As a professional rescuer, I get plenty of opportunity to hone my rescue & resuscitative skills; regretably, many do not survive ( eg.: the critically injured, the sudden cardiac arrests ), but some do, & the feelings associated with those events are truly wonderful.

So the training does work - it's keeping it fresh in the head that needs to be worked on further by the recreational training folks...

...and all of us diving leaders as well.


Best,
DSD

 

[rstofer]

C'mon up to Canada Richard & we'll put you through your cold water rescue paces - under the ice perhaps?!?

DSD

I am more than willing to concede that my training was a long time ago and, today, I am woefully underqualified. That's one of the reasons I like to join in on these threads.

Obviously, I have been considering the cold water issues quite a bit now that I dive in cold water. I am also quite aware of buoyancy and weighting issues for wetsuit divers.

But I still prefer SE Asia...

Richard

 

[deepdiver34]

So I finally finished the Rescue Course! It was an awesome experience and I got to do some dives at a quarry in VA called lake rawlings. First time doing that and I was impressed at how interesting they were able to make it. Very glad I made the choice to get rescue certified now its on to divemaster, I am regretting not logging all of my dives now, lol. :bonk: thanks for all of your input guys!