Surface rescues - Hogarthian style rig

[OceanEd]

Mattboy:

As far as I know PADI has not changed its standards for breaths during rescue training.

 

[boulderjohn]

When I took my DM in the summer of 2008, they were teaching rescue breaths while towing. This was taught by a PADI course director whom I suspect is pretty up on current PADI standards. It's entirely possible that they've since switched this. I.

I seem to be having trouble explaining this. I will try again.

You are supposed to make a decision. One size does not fit all cases.

If help is nearby, you should head for that help without any undo delay. No rescue breaths. No removal of equipment.

If help is not nearby, that tactic will eventually result in you towing a corpse. If help is not nearby, therefore, you provide rescue breaths in the hope that the victim is circulating. It is your only chance, so you take it. That is why you practice it, and that is why it is still being taught.

When PADI changed the Rescue class to this concept, they emphasized the first choice. When they did it, they had an article in the regular magazine (not the UJ) in which a DM acting as a rescue victim wondered why he was being towed without rescue breaths, and he was informed of the new standards. In this case, the rescuer had made the decision to tow directly to shore.

When they did this was also the time that first aiders were stressing what has been mentioned here--rescue breaths without circulation are worthless. I therefore wondered why were were doing it at all. I therefore asked PADI. They gave me the explanation above. I am not making it up. It came directly from PADI headquarters.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

If a diver recently lost conciousness due to failure to breath underwater or on the surface, then I would think that rescue breaths might possibly be very effective if initiated very quickly after the incident.

This type of situation seems different than a "typical" CPR/first aid situation where you find the victim not breathing.

 

[SailNaked]

+1 what BJohn said. long haul (over 5 min). and you get out of gear for the streamlining and speed, under 5 min you do not bother. I did my rescue scenario as if the drowner was a third party so I had a buddy, they took over I dropped the harness (over head). and then took over for buddy while they unclipped. I think since they are not breathing in real life it might be OK to let go of fully flotational victim and quickly over the head drop your gear 1-3 seconds max. obviously in class this is not permitted.

 

[SCUBA_Phil]

I did go thru this for real about three years ago. O2 toxing incident in the last 5 minutes of deco. The three of us were in doubles and had both 50% and 100% O2 bottles. My partner brought the diver to the surface while keeping the regulator in his mouth. Once we were all at he surface, he was still breathing but unconscious . My partner inflated the toxing divers wing. I inflated my wing and drysuit then disconnected the drysuit inflation hose. Then I released my buckle and undid the crotch strap and raised my arms then dropped under my rig - it came off clean. We stripped his deco bottles off him and clipped them to my floating rig. My partner repeated my motions while I held the toxing diver. Before cutting him out of his rig and dropping his weight belt, we overinflated his drysuit. We got the toxing diver back into the boat then pulled all the gear back on board.

Recommendations:
1) Float the diver first (inflate wing/BC)
2) If required, bailout of your rig first
3) Inflate his drysuit before cutting him out and dropping his weight belt
4) Practicing this maneuver sequence before you need it.

I hope this helps