SEI Rescue Diver Course -a student's view

[lowviz]

Background:
I’m signed up for a course that requires rescue diver as a pre-requisite. Problem. Early in my dive training, I passed up recreational “Scuba Rescue Diver” for a PSD (Public Safety Diver) search and rescue / recovery course. Good choice at the time, but instead of trying to substitute the PSD course, I decided “suck it up” and find an “interesting” sport rescue course.

Looked at PADI, NAUI and IANTD, but I chose SEI for this one. First, I am a firm believer in moving around in both agencies and instructors for my training. Second, I make it a point to support what I want to see more of, and SEI (formerly YMCA) really checks to see if you can swim in addition to being able to complete the SCUBA rescue requirements. I like the idea of having a card that implies that I can swim to the most basic ‘Y’ standards.

The Course:
I signed up with Jim Lapenta then prepared myself for an "over the top" experience. Big surprise, entirely different flavor. The training style was not at all "over the top", not even close. Personal, realistic, intimidating, and attainable are how I would describe the two days of training. Perfect for me! I did not use the word "intense" because it just does not apply to any of the training. Goal-oriented would be a much better description. Each skill was clearly explained, demonstrated, and then practiced until Jim was satisfied that each student "got it" as opposed to “faked it”. Lots of discussion and re-trys. Perfect class size, no rush, nobody moved on to the next skill until everyone was up to speed on the current skill. Great class, very cool people. Instructor, DM, two “victims” and their own personal safety divers vs. six students. 1:1 ratio in my book. Nobody was ever left alone on top, bottom, or water column. The safety divers were two teenage daughters of one of the “victims”. Talk about moxie (look it up), they accompanied the victim in their care without getting in the way of the rescue and spent a lot of time in zero visibility just hanging out waiting for their victim to be found. Two totally impressive (and delightful) divers!

This training was held in a fairly shallow, mostly unused, back quarry that presented some very challenging conditions. Loose vegetation started about two and a half feet from a bottom that was mostly dark silt. Entanglement was assured, but easy to break free from. Not all was bad, the fingerling bass were friendly.

Why subject myself to this? First, it builds real, core confidence by pushing the little panic demons further and further away. The first time I was in blackwater, I found the experience very unsettling. Now, it is nothing more than a quick switch from visual input to tactile input. No biggie.

My dive buddy:
Emergency room type. Really getting to appreciate this mentality, trained with several like her in the past. I learned so much about being a real buddy in this course! First time down to get the unresponsive diver, we couldn’t find anything and quickly realized that we didn’t know what we were doing because we couldn’t communicate. Surfaced, made up a dive plan. Descended in constant touch contact, agreed on touch signals for “thumb the dive”, “found the victim”, and how to position ourselves so our inflators were on the proper side. None of this means very much in clear water, however, it is critical in zero visibility. My victim was too negative to lift, so I handed my inflator to my bud, she felt it and knew just what was needed and what to do because she asked how my inflator worked when she saw it on the surface. Situational awareness at its best! Back to my negative victim, I didn’t dare risk leaving the victim’s back to adjust my own buoyancy as the rules were that a victim’s hand on either my reg or mask meant a failed rescue and a re-try. Thanks to my bud, team success!

OK, I showed up in full NE Atlantic gear, “train as you dive”. Feeling kind of guilty when the exhausted diver tow was announced. At least I felt that way until my dive bud towed me across the quarry faster than I usually swim underwater, a most humbling experience.

Also learned to start doffing my gear on the swim to shore during a rescue. I wasted too much time wrestling out of my tech gear in the weeds. Wasn’t at all pretty or professional.

Extractions were interesting, -muddy slope through weeds. This course’s extractions were not “float the victim to the side of the pool and slide him onto the floor”. We tried both tow straps (per the SEI book) and brute force. Found a few really good real-world extraction tricks and what works best. –take the course and find out for yourself…

This particular rescue course develops the rescuer’s core strengths and confidence in real world conditions. I should have taken this course long ago!

Thanks Jim,

Well done!

-lowviz


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[Jim Lapenta]

Thanks for being part of the class! Your presence in full North Atlantic gear gave the rest of the class a chance to see a configuration they otherwise would not have. It was a great opportunity for them. Every person in that class now knows how to get someone out of doubles and a dry suit with a few other things unique to your set up tossed in. They know to look closely and be aware of more variables. With the introduction of that type of gear into more and more recreational settings it's important for rescue students to see as many different set ups as possible. Thanks again and hope we get the chance to dive together just for fun. Maybe a nice little no stress deco dive on one of those wrecks in the North Atlantic! I'll bring hammer, chisel, and crowbar.

 

[lowviz]

Jim,

Your class brought out the best in everyone. I would have to say that it was both very worthwhile and a lot of fun. The participants spanned a huge range of interests and experience, yet somehow we were all on task working together and progressing. It must be personally satisfying to know that you just released a new batch of divers who can actually swim, are CPR/AED/FA certified, and capable of effecting a challenging rescue/recovery. -beats standing around like a doofus saying "somebody should do something" when a dive goes bad.

I'll be re-taking your course in a few years. -just like my PSD certs and unused skills, everything times out sooner or later. Looking forward to it already.

BTW:
(I don't know if you overheard us, but the class consensus was "always be the victim" ) I might even volunteer to be a victim for one of next year's classes...
There are forces that are diminishing dive education and there are forces that are shoring-up dive education. As long as there is a choice, I'm not particularly upset. However, I will support those that choose to keep standards high for the recreational diver.

Best,
Dennis

 

[SeaHorse81]

I attended the Rescue class described above by lowviz. I concur completely with everything he said, and will add a few thoughts of my own.

Though it was never stated that "there are no dumb questions," it was just obvious that this was the approach. All questions were handled with respect and all necessary context. I know I certainly felt free to ask any question or make any comment, and all others apparently felt the same. The learning environment was very focused and yet very relaxed at the same time. I found this especially helpful, given that the training was around life-saving skills.

No time was wasted, yet we never rushed. Everyone got as much time as they needed/wanted to assure comfort with a skill before moving on. Everyone learned from the experience of everyone else as we went through the course. Again, it was never explicitly stated, but the clear message was, "We have all the time we need to make sure everybody knows what they are doing and why." I've had training where huge amounts of my time were wasted, not because an instructor was giving extra attention to students who needed it but because the instructor was doing... I'm not sure what, really. The instruction here was focused and engaged for every moment of the two-day training.

Even the "victims" got into the process, telling us what other "rescuers" had been doing and what effect it had been having. Very helpful.

A lot got learned and I knew it at the time, but the learning environment was so inviting and comfortable that it didn't feel hard at all. Looking back on it afterward, I was shocked to tally up the various skills that I got to practice. Everything was introduced one small, gradually-accumulating step at a time so that when we got to running a full rescue scenario on day two, involving everything from finding a diver to extracting him, it went remarkably smoothly.

It went smoothly because we all had good skills and confidence by then, NOT because the physical environment made it at all easy. The entry area was, I'll say, "unfriendly," meaning really steep and slippery. Footing once you were in the water wasn't any better. We all struggled with getting ourselves in and out for the two days of the training. Remarkably though, when it came to doing an extraction, even in a fake rescue situation, we all just worked as a team and got our victims (200# men) out far more easily than I'd ever have expected. As lowviz noted, it's not like we could see what we were doing when underwater, either.

Probably the best indication of the quality of this training was that a bunch of us who had never done such things before ended up finding divers in zero visability, getting them to the egress point with their gear stripped, getting them out over a steep, slippery entry, and positioned for effective surface first-aid. And it all happened with relative ease, given the environmental challenges.

Great job, Jim.