The only way one can inform and help you work out your situation is if one knows what your situation is, not by guessing at the puzzle created by bits and pieces of information and hints that you drop about yourself. That's the point.
And that's what I did. I presented my situation (bad wrists, no desire to lift anything, please suggest if/which QD camband would work for my situation). What puzzle are you talking about? Simple reading comprehension, my friend. It wasn't that complicated... How many more times would you like me to repeat myself? Or do you demand my full medical records in order to understand the "puzzle?"
The only one being judgemental is you. The only one placing labels on folks in this thread is you. The only one being contentious is you. The rest of us are here to help...definitely not to flex and/or show off.
Teeheehee, if that's how you want to look at it, i'm afraid we have to agree to disagree.
In my opinion, there is a big difference between passing a Rescue course as a recreational diver, and having a professional responsibility - a legal duty of care - to provide adequate rescue services, if you will.
Oh come on, you know this line of argument is silly and has been debated to death on SB, most recently here
Rescue or ???
If you are a recreational diver with Rescue certification, and you are diving with a buddy who becomes in distress, and you are not physically able to do what is needed to save that diver, you have no legal liability for that and, in my opinion, you have no ethical failing, either. You can only do what you can do and you are not responsible for doing any more than what you can do while still keeping yourself safe. And there is no standard that defines some level for what you SHOULD be able to do.
All that changes when you step into the role of scuba professional. Now, there are higher standards for what you should be able to do in regards to assisting a diver in distress, as defined by each agency. Further, in my opinion, there are higher standards for what I think any professional SHOULD be able to do in regards to assisting a diver in distress. So, passing a Rescue class is great (really!). But, aceing it does not at all say to me that any given person has what is needed to step up to the role of a professional.
Anybody (more or less) can learn to drive a car. That does not mean that anyone is really suited to being a professional driver. And especially not to driving as a pro at the highest levels (i.e. professional race car driver). Yes, I just compared being directly responsible for the safety of other divers to being a race car driver. When other people's safety is in your hands, you need to be able to not just perform, but perform at a high level.
Having your Rescue cert is like saying you can even drive in New York City. But, it does not mean you have what it takes to get out on the track and race at the Nurburgring.
Yeah...? The Earth is round, the ocean is salty, cats are the most majestic, you're just stating the obvious. What's your point?
"I'm 5'2" and 110lbs" is not an acceptable excuse (in my mind) for "that's why I couldn't get that non-responsive diver out of the water." If your stature, strength, or stamina means you are not physically up to the (potential) requirements of the job, stepping into the role means you are endangering your customers. Just like a fireman who can't carry an unconscious person out of a building.
Uhm you're allowed to refuse to work with customers you don't feel you can adequately take care of. nobody will force my fins and make me be in charge of a 7ft new OW diver.
Your last paragraph is what I find most concerning. The entirety of that paragraph translates as "I can't do it by myself, but I can help others get the job done."
The litmus test for me as an SDI Open Water Instructor is "is this person I've just trained someone that I would feel comfortable letting a loved one dive with?" I feel similarly about this. Would I let a loved one dive in the care of a divemaster who was not competent and able to accomplish a rescue completely on their own? I would not.
Huge difference between "Absolutely cannot do something" and knowing and leveraging your strengths and weaknesses as well as that of your team. Nothing in my sentences says I can't accomplish a rescue completely on my own. if I couldn't do that, my instructors wouldn't have passed me with flying colors. Logic.
I would not put a loved one in the care of a divemaster for whom the simple, yet fundamentally important task of being able to disconnect a low pressure inflator is excruciatingly painful. Every person has a point where pain will prevent them from completing a task. Being able to complete it while experiencing excruciating pain is good, but you are VASTLY closer to that limit of failing to complete it than other people. In a diving emergency, can you really say that nothing else will be happening that would result in you getting pushed just past that limit - where you are unable to complete a vital task - where most any "able" scuba professional would have no problem completing the same task?
Silly pee, that's why i want to go through the training. isn't that the point of training - stretching your limits and getting you used to being out of your comfort zone? Wouldn't you think I'm a safer dive buddy now that I can begrudgingly disconnect a stuck LPI rather than hating the pain soooo much I don't even want to practice the skill?
What makes you think you are and other "abled" dive pros are infallable and would have no problem completing all the tasks? Disabled or less able diver pros can still excel in skills some albe-bodied dive pros are less proficient in. The key is to utilize strength in diversity.
And, to be clear, this is not about whether you are "disabled" or not. The same thing goes for some of the scuba professionals I have seen that are not labeled as "disabled", but are grossly overweight, grossly out of shape, and/or, essentially, do not have nearly the physical strength that they should. Any of those reasons could mean they are not the "able" scuba professional that I referred to.
And any of those reasons could also mean they are working hard to overcome their limitations and compensate for their different physical abilities, maybe even turning them into strengths (for example, because of my health issues, I happen to have very strong build-in bodily and situational awareness, making finetuning my own diving skills and keeping an eye on other divers easier to do). Making the assumption that "disabled" or "overweight" (btw do we really have to be fatphobic besides being ableist here?) would likely not be accomplished dive pros is just prejudiced and narrow-minded.
If a loved one is diving with a divemaster, no matter what else happens, I want to know that my loved one is not going to drown just because the DM was too weak or out of shape to save them - where any DM that had decent strength and stamina could have saved them.
I can actually assure you your loved ones would be much safer buddy-diving with me than the slightly above average diver out there. You want your loved ones to dive with someone who would jump immediately over to help without any hesitant. A physically strong but liability-avoidant buddy might still leave your loved ones to drown, but someone like me would do everything I can and try to be as smart as possible to save and help anyone in need.
In my opinion, if you can't do it by yourself, you should leave the role to someone who can. But, as I said earlier, it is up to you and instructor to decide.
Here's where we disagree. All of my RAID instructors emphasized first thing in my Master Rescue course, that after quickly assessing the victims/situation, I must always start by looking around for extra help, and use extra help effectively. You should know and be able to do everything, but you must also be able to delegate tasks and effectively manage human resources. No reason to be tough and take it all on your own.
Also, help whenever you can. Even if you can't do it by yourself, learn as much as you can so you can help whoever in charge effectively. Even if you can't do anything, STILL LEARN so you know where and how to step aside and leave space for those who can. KEEP LEARNING and BE ACTIVE in any situation. The mentality of 'I can't do it so i won't bother," kills.
If you think you can do it and an instructor (and I hold RAID in high regard) thinks you can do it, and you want to take on that responsibility, then (again) more power to you.
Again, this is all that needed to be said!
