Stress & Rescue - my first class

[emoreira]

Hi all, I had yesterday afternoon my first Stress&Rescue class.
The course is under SSI and consist of 7 x 90 minutes theoretical classes + 7 x 90 minutes pool sessions.
The first pool session was 1/3 rescue drills and 2/3 swimming, swimming and swimming.
First breast swim, then breast swim with one 4 pounds lead solid weight in each hand, then free style, then back down, then free style, free style with fins 120 % of our capacity, then static flotation, then static flotation with fins out of the water in our hands !!!

This was the most similar to my military service a lot of years ago.

I understand that as a rescue diver i need to know the procedures and practice them in the pool. I also understand that I need to swim well enough to be able to rescue somebody and not turn into a new victim, but such a session, going to the ultimate capacity of the students, as it was not only me, several of us got calf cramps, foot cramps, out of air, and so on.

I don't know if this is only the school where I'm taking this course or if this is the SSI standard or the Stress&Rescue standard.

 

[randytay]

Looks more like a swimming class to me; or it got fluff up

 

[kmurray719]

That is definitely not the "standard" SSI Stress and Rescue course. I am taking it now and we have one academic session of about 4 hours, one pool session, and one day (6-7 hours) of "dives", and that is the same as others I have spoken with and other shops that I researched. It appears that they are trying to get you intimately acquainted with the stress part before teaching you about the rescue portion

 

[ChrisV]

Yea my S/R class with SSI was one day of classroom, one day of pool, and one day of checkouts.

 

[Ozwald]

Yikes !!! I just finished mine on the weekend and I can honestly say had I needed to do that I wouldn't be the certified rescue diver I am today. Two 4 hour in class sessions, followed by two days of open water scenarios.....about 12 hours in water time total over the two days. While it was grueling it was a blast!

 

[lakediverdoug]

I'm a SSI diver but that sounds like a PADI course that is a level above the standard stress and rescue. I read about it
somewhere and I think there was a discussion on the board somewhere about it. I told a SSI instructor about it
and she said that is what she had to do when she went through. I forgot to ask her if she went SSI or PADI for
rescue.

 

[eDmAn]

well i've done the PADI rescue course, and it sounds not as physical as you've stated.

Not idea what kind of a course is that... sounds pretty hardcore to me!!!!!!

 

[ThomasScherrer]

hole moly !! you went to the hardcore military class !!
not the normal padi rescue class, even the padi DM phycical tests are much easier !!
poor you !!

 

[Akimbo]

I can’t speak to what is standard, but you are fortunate to be in such a good class. Until someone or circumstance pushes you to your limits how can you judge what they are? Rescuing somebody can be one of the most hazardous and potentially rewarding aspects of diving. To limit your risk, it is good to know for certain what you really can and can’t do.