Ever had to use Rescue training?

[nolatom]

Since taking Rescue? Not really. Had a shared-air ascent when a buddy in a threesome ran low, but it went smoothly so not really a "rescue".

But before taking Rescue, I found myself offshore on a rough-seas night dive at Stetson Bank, at the end of which while approaching the ladder tag line from the side I saw the end of the line jerk out of the hands of Diver A and recoil back to the boat. But she had her fins off and it looked as though she was buoyant and had air. So not an emergency, right? Not exactly. She started doing that vertical bicycle kick faster and faster, no thought of just putting her fins back on, drifting away from the boat. The boat crew already had their hands full with divers struggling to reboard at the stern, so it was just me and her, it seemed (her buddy had climbed the other ladder and was unaware). I swam fast to get between her and the line, hoping to be the "bridge" if I could grab both. No dice, too far. As I looked at her I could see that "dinner plate eyes" thing, she had panicked. So I circled around, grabbed her from the side, and began kicking towards the line. It wasn't all that far, but it took forever with me finning for two against the seas and wind. I have never breathed that hard through a regulator, before or since. I prayed I wouldn't tap out because I'd probably have to let her go, and it was too rough for breathing without the reg.

But I didn't run out , and finally managed to get her hand onto the end of the line, it took three crew to get her up the ladder. I was exhausted, finally got on the ladder and the deck, sat down, and noticed my gauge was zeroed and the reg was breathing real hard, I was "out".

To her credit, she didn't attack me, and let me tow her. But she, ahem, wasn't tiny and wasn't able to help. She was in tears on the dive deck with the DMs gathered around, but was physically okay. Later she came over and said, "you saved my life". I sort of doubt that, and even doubt if it was a true "rescue" since she had air and was buoyant, but it was nice to hear. It cost both of us our weight belts (must have tangled buckles or something, nothing I could do, couldn't let go of her), and on next morning's dive I found hers, but not mine. The irony...

Being "pre-Rescue", I probably did many things wrong, but God watches over drunks and semi-newbies? I got away with it. A few months late I did take Rescue.

 

[drbill]

Rescue training was part of my original OW course way back in the 1960s (Los Angeles County). During the last decade I decided to get the PADI Rescue certification to update my skills and knowledge.

As I was going out to the float to pick up my "vistim's" gear, I saw a woman calling to me for help. My immediate thought was that some of my instructor friends were playing a joke on me by putting a fake "victim" out there. I decided to handle it as a real event, swam over to her, towed her to the float, calmed her down and let her rest for a bit. Then I started towing her back to the dive park stairs. As we approached the stairs, a guy swam out to us and said "I'll take over from here." I asked him who he was and he said "I'm her boyfriend and dive buddy." I replied "Where were you when she needed assistance? You can't offer much help sitting up there topside.

 

[Texasguy]

Rescue class is also about self-rescue and about making GOOD decisions that don't lead you a need to be rescued. Thus, while you might not have saved anyone, these are the skills to be alert towards others and yourself. And, to better judge a situation.

As my instructor said, if you take anything from this training, remember this: don't become another victim while saving a victim - think!

I guess my point is: Rescue gives you knowledge that you apply "implicitly" on every dive, not specifically some standalone moments of saving others.

 

[boulderjohn]

In this thread so far only a few of the posts are talking about the training they from a Rescue Diver course. Towing someone is taught in the OW course. Sharing air is taught in the OW course. Getting a diver buoyant on the surface is taught in the OW course. In this thread, by far the most common example that is actually from the course is dealing with a panicked diver, which is a small part of the total course. I wonder if this reflects the relative rarity of the more complex rescue scenarios taught in the course.

 

[DiversSupplyPDC]

More than I wish to recall here.... One thread I was reading elsewhere here on SB spoke of an incident, not accident, and shows exactly why we train.

I'd like to up forward just three little diving tidbits...

1. Nothing Really Good Happens Fast Underwater !

2. An Emergency is not an Emergency until it's an Emergency !

3. Expect the Unexpected !

I could go on but will not bore you... I will leave you with this one thought !

"When it Happens... and it happens FAST.... Remember the Training"... let that ring in your ears as you take action.

 

[divin'dog]

I've only had to use my rescue training before I actually took the course... go figure. If I never have to use it, I'm fine with that.

 

[SynCitizen]

Beyond the more typical intervening before a situation turns into something more serious and dealing with a number of high anxiety divers I have been in two circumstances that used every bit of my PADI rescue training. First was in 2013 while out at a dive training site another instructor was taking a class out on a deep dive when he and a student surfaced, the student was unresponsive... we got him to shore and started with CPR and oxygen. We performed cpr for 30+ min. with breaths, pocket mask and O2 and transported him by a bystanders boat across a lake to a waiting ambulance on the far side. Unfortunately he never regained consciousness and passed away.

Beyond speculation I still do not know what initially triggered this incident whether it was medical, equipment, panic or ?

This year while getting ready to do a dive on a small boat wreck, we heard a woman on a little tube float yelling for help and when we approached found that her boyfriend had gone underwater and not come up. Immediately we started a search pattern I found him in 40' of water, surfaced him, started rescue breaths while swimming to shore. Where our dive group then started CPR until park rangers finally showed up. Unfortunately he never regained consciousness either and also passed away.

This incident was very tragic in that it was on fathers day and his 4 young kids watched him go under from shore while swimming after a $5 innertube float that had blown across a cove in the wind.
Afterwards we figured out a timeline and found that he had been under a minimum of 20min.


With submersion incidents the outcome is not always positive but with all that were involved we held our heads high with the knowledge that we gave them the best chances possible in the situation. Much better chances than the bystanders that instead of calling for EMS with the phones in their hands instead choosing to take pics.

Also of note are that the "authorities" can be unreliable and when in a difficult situation it is up to us as individuals to be as trained and prepared as possible.
Training does make a huge difference in high stress situations. Both of the incidents I was involved in were eerily like the Rescue training class itself. Very methodical, very calm, very efficient. Training and retraining are invaluable. When you have a plan to fall into when an emergency arises it give you direction and confidence in what you are doing.
Having the right equipment is also paramount... I dive with a pocket mask attached to my BCD (It is not pleasant what can come up out of a drowning victim during CPR/Breaths) We also bring a DAN o2 rescue pak kit with us to the dive sites.

 

[Diver0001]

Let me know if you've ever had to rescue these types of people or if you know about any such rescues that happened. I'd be interested to hear about these real-life situations!

I don't know what you mean by "these types of people". people who have accidents don't fit into a pigeon-hole imo. Accidents don't only happen to certain "types" of people.

I've been involved in one real life rescue. It involved a lost diver under water who had run out of air and "drowned". Worst case scenario.

Short story. My team found him and his life was saved (not only by us but mostly by paramedics and medical professionals who pulled him back through the eye of the needle). For everyone who was involved it was a life changing experience.

R..

 

[RJP]

But I'm talking more about panicked divers, unconscious diver tows with rescue breaths, missing diver, etc.

Let me know if you've ever had to rescue these types of people...

Yes, yes, and yes.

 

[boulderjohn]

I've been involved in two true emergencies, and neither time was I in the water. Both were people who made it to the surface (or were always on the surface) in severe distress, and had to be removed from the water, gear taken off, and CPR done. Neither survived. Interestingly, in the second case, which involved a student in a class (not our class!), the instructional staff was kind of stunned and paralyzed, and it was our dive club, which had no relationship with them at all, which literally dove in and took over the rescue.

Beyond the more typical intervening before a situation turns into something more serious and dealing with a number of high anxiety divers I have been in two circumstances that used every bit of my PADI rescue training. First was in 2013 while out at a dive training site another instructor was taking a class out on a deep dive when he and a student surfaced, the student was unresponsive... we got him to shore and started with CPR and oxygen. We performed cpr for 30+ min. with breaths, pocket mask and O2 and transported him by a bystanders boat across a lake to a waiting ambulance on the far side. Unfortunately he never regained consciousness and passed away.
...

This year while getting ready to do a dive on a small boat wreck, we heard a woman on a little tube float yelling for help and when we approached found that her boyfriend had gone underwater and not come up. Immediately we started a search pattern I found him in 40' of water, surfaced him, started rescue breaths while swimming to shore. Where our dive group then started CPR until park rangers finally showed up. Unfortunately he never regained consciousness either and also passed away.

I've been involved in one real life rescue. It involved a lost diver under water who had run out of air and "drowned". Worst case scenario.

Short story. My team found him and his life was saved (not only by us but mostly by paramedics and medical professionals who pulled him back through the eye of the needle). For everyone who was involved it was a life changing experience.

I am glad Rob's story had a happy outcome. I have always wondered about the statistical likelihood that recovering an unconscious diver found under water will be successful. I fear that the other scenarios I quoted above are more likely, and probably much more likely.