Rescue Diver?

[exitandleave]

Hey everyone.

I am an open water diver, currently, and plan on taking my PADI Advanced and Rescue courses in the near future. Is there a minimum number of dives I will have to have logged before I begin or finish either course?

Are there any course that are suited specifically for a public safety diver?

Thanks a lot,

Mike

 

[tc_rain]

No minimum number of dives needed but you will need to be certified in EFR

 

[rongoodman]

Public safety diving is very much it's own thing, with little relation to recreational or tech diving, much closer to commercial diving. There's a Public Safety Divers group down in Technical Diving Specialties.

 

[SDAnderson]

Completing OW requires four OW dives, those are the only requirements before enrolling in AOW. Likewise, enrolling in Rescue requires only that you have the four OW and five AOW dives, you'll complete several more during the class but no independent dives are required. More dives is a good idea (if you want to dive safely, you have to dive regularly) but not a requirement.

EFR (Emergency First Response) is not specifically required but you must hold a current CPR and First Aid certificate to qualify for a Rescue certificate. Certifications from American Red Cross, Medic First Aid, National Safety Council or (most) any ILCOR/BLS compliant agency will satisfy the requirement. Get your CPR/FA training done before you enroll in Rescue - you need those skills to build on.

The PADI Rescue certificate is a layman's class and not designed for professional responders. If you're serious about Public Safety Diving, you should investigate ERDI.

 

[kadleck]

EFR (Emergency First Response) is not specifically required but you must hold a current CPR and First Aid certificate to qualify for a Rescue certificate.

Whilst that is true, it is worth enrolling on the EFR couse first (it's only a one day class, with some hilarious (for all the wrong reasons!) videos.

When I took Rescue, I did hold a current CPR+First Aid certificate. I was offered exemption from the EFR prerequisite as a result, but I decided to take the class anyway, and was glad that I did. It covers the primary and secondary response with a diver (or at least water-based) slant, which I found very useful. Also, as always, a few things had changed (like the move to 30-2 CPR) since my last refresher.

 

[NudeDiver]

I am an open water diver, currently, and plan on taking my PADI Advanced and Rescue courses in the near future. Is there a minimum number of dives I will have to have logged before I begin or finish either course?

To start the Advanced Open Water course, you must have at least 4 logged dives. To take the Rescue course, you need to have at least 9 logged dives.

 

[Darcey]

Hmm...I know you need just your OW to start Advanced but I was told you needed 20 to start Rescue Diver and a recent First Aid/CPR certification within the past 24 months.

I was told this by my DI who's a PADI IDC Staff Instructor. I've got my AOW and told him that I wanted to start Rescue Diver ASAP and he said I had to have 20 dives under my belt before I start and I currently have about 7 more to go after this diving weekend...

 

[bsigmund]

According to the rescue diver instructor manual you need only open water for the confined water senarios, and the following to complete the open water senarios and to get certified as a Rescue Diver... "proof of 20 or more logged dives documenting experience in deep diving and underwater navigation." As well as Advanced Open Water.

Edit to add... Of course EFR or equivalent is required to start the course as well.

 

[Darcey]

According to the rescue diver instructor manual you need only open water for the confined water senarios, and the following to complete the open water senarios and to get certified as a Rescue Diver... "proof of 20 or more logged dives documenting experience in deep diving and underwater navigation." As well as Advanced Open Water.

Edit to add... Of course EFR or equivalent is required to start the course as well.

Hmmm...interesting...I may be sending my DI an email today asking what's up with that. I don't have my Rescue Diver book yet so thanks for checking that out!

 

[NudeDiver]

I know I had read somewhere that you have to have 25 dives. But then when I went looking for that info, I could not find it anywhere.

Personally, I think it's kind of lame you can get RD with really practically no experience at all - unless that 20 dive min holds up as being correct.