Rescue diver confusion...

[leigh]

Hey all,

I just finished up my open water cert (with padi). I am a certified lifeguard and a first aid/cpr instructor with the red cross so logically I'm quite interested in doing a rescue diver course. I gather NAUI does not require advanced open water before rescue diver but PADI does. I don't want to turn this into another NAUI vs PADI debate, I'm just wondering what folks sentiments are on the best order to do this in. Advanced open water first then rescue, or rescue then advanced open water?

thanks!
-leigh

 

[MechDiver]

IMO an OW graduate is not ready for rescue as you need to develop your skills before you can hope to help someone else.

That being said, PADI AOW doesn't do much for those skills, but at least you make some more dives before the Rescue class.

MD

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

I did AOW first, but looking back now I think Rescue would have been more appropriate.

I learned more in the rescue diver class than I'd anticipated, and I gained alot of insight into preventing accidents/incidents. I've been hanging around a NAUI shop for a little while now and they're beginning to encourage rescue before AOW. I think that the Rescue course material is more pertinent and timely, especially if you're going to be making shore-dives or buddy only dives, with no other oversight (ala boat dives/club dives with dms or surface support).

Not that there isn't value in the AOW class, but it's more of a guided tour of the deep, night, land nav, (elective dives) environment. You don't necessarily gain alot of knowledge, you reiterate what you have learned and do it in new places.

Just MHO

Chris

 

[jroy017]

Leigh, I'm a lifeguard with CPR for 7 years and use to be a director of aquatics department ofr a pool. I'm presently finishing up my Instructor for OW. You learnt a lot of theory in your lifeguarding classes about first aid wich applies as well to diving. However how much did you cover concerning diving related injuries and what to do . Normally you should have gotten a breif on decompression sickness what it is and the first aid to administer (O2, rest, EMT) a part from that you didn't learn that much. The rescue course covers this but a lot more things as well and there are some differences in the training. For example in a pool if you have to remove an unconscious submerged victim, you pull head douwn and close nose and mouth. If you found a submerged unconcious diver at 60ft (ok if you sse a buddy go unconscious) and did the same the air would expand in his lungs and you could rupture his lungs in addition to all the other problems that could exist. I know your first reaction is that this is evident but can you really say for sure that with no diver rescue skills you lifeguarding skills wont kick in (wich are usually good ) and ...
There numerous things covered in the rescue apart from first aid and CPR that are well worth learning. If you have the oppurtunity do the course you will still learn a great deal even though you probably know some of the material.
heres a non-eshaustive list of stuff your training did not cover:
recuperation submerged victim
preventing accidents
panicked diver
exits
surface tow
missing diver recuperation(serach and recovery)
O2
dive4r sicknesses
wildlife first aid
etc...


As for AOW being required, my thought is AOW will only make you a better diver wich will be of enormous help as a rescue diver the better your diving skills the better chances you have of helping someone else without becoming a victim yourself. If you are a lifeguard you probably are really at ease in the water and the skills taught in AOW will only make your dives more pleasurable.

 

[leigh]

Thanks, I definitely recognize there are a lot of differences between lifeguarding and rescue diving--that's why i want to take the rescue diving class! So so far I have 2 votes AOW first, 1 vote Rescue first--guess I should lean towards AOW--that just means likely putting it off until next spring since it's much more $$! patience is a virtue and all that -leigh

 

[Atticus]

Leigh -

I would hold off a little on rescue for one reason - you want to have your basic diving skills down pat before you start worrying about helping someone else.

AOW is one step along the path to being comfortable in the water. PADI AOW is a pretty short course though - you do five dives and call it done.

My suggestion would be to consider taking the AOW class, and then to go get on a dive boat and have some fun for a year.

After 50 dives or so things will begin to be automatic to you, and then you can really focus on rescue.

That being said, knowledge is power, and if you really want to start in on it, perhaps you can start on the book work.

Best,
Atticus

 

[learn-scuba]

Why does everyone always insist you have "your own skills down before you help someone else" ??? Man, I don't care if you're the world's worst diver... if I'm in trouble I'm not going to turn down your help.

Here's my personal take on it... learning stress management and rescue skills is probably the most valuable thing a diver can do regardless of their personal skill level. In fact, just the process of the learning will serve to improve the skills and make a better buddy diver out of the student. Even divers who are still "lacking" in personal diving skills benefit from the knowledge gained, benefit from the experience gained in the pool and open water work and are potentially a life saver in an emergency.

imho it's never too soon to take a rescue course and I always recommend exactly that to my OW students. I just believe with all my heart that rescue makes a far better diver out of anyone than AOW ever will and the sooner the better.

 

[HammerNoMore]

learn-scuba once bubbled...
Why does everyone always insist you have "your own skills down before you help someone else" ??? Man, I don't care if you're the world's worst diver... if I'm in trouble I'm not going to turn down your help.

Amen

Here's my personal take on it... learning stress management and rescue skills is probably the most valuable thing a diver can do regardless of their personal skill level. In fact, just the process of the learning will serve to improve the skills and make a better buddy diver out of the student. Even divers who are still "lacking" in personal diving skills benefit from the knowledge gained, benefit from the experience gained in the pool and open water work and are potentially a life saver in an emergency.

imho it's never too soon to take a rescue course and I always recommend exactly that to my OW students. I just believe with all my heart that rescue makes a far better diver out of anyone than AOW ever will and the sooner the better.

I couldn't agree more. In my opinion the skills covered in the rescue class should be included in the OW class. Lets face it, PADI's rescue class really has almost no diving involved it is about 99% surface skills. What little diving there is does not require great skills. If you can do a bouyant ascent and read a compass you can handle the dive portion of rescue.

In addition to makeing them a better buddy, rescue will make them more self sufficient as well.

James

 

[jroy017]

Why does everyone always insist you have "your own skills down before you help someone else" ??? Man, I don't care if you're the world's worst diver... if I'm in trouble I'm not going to turn down your help.

Ok I cant argue with that.

Only thought is that some poeple once they get their rescue considerer themselves ready to handle any situation and even sort of go looking for them (want to put their training to use) and end up putting themselves in danger rather than helping victim.

Then again if your UW there no body else to help...
Also chosing when to intervene without putting yourself at risk is something that you are taught in Rescue therefore......

OK now I,m not sure but lets just say if you wna to dive enough you should consider that a good diver should go through all three courses (OW/AOW/rescue)

BY curiosity does anybody know the official reason(s) PADI and other agencies consider AOW necessary before Rescue

 

[divemed06]

Hey leigh,

I'm an NLS/First Aid instructor/examiner and I completed my courses in the following way OW, AOW, Rescue. In all honesty, I found that the rescue course gave me a few new skills that would help myself and others in an underwater emergency. That being said, If you feel comfortable with all the basic skills you learned and you want to add different skills, than by all meens take the rescue. You don't, however, want to be task loading too much if you're still getting used to diving. It's a bit like lifeguarding, make sure that you can keep yourslef safe in the water and then you learn how to help others. Another idea would be to ask an instructor if you can sit-in on one of his rescue classes, it's a good way to go through some of the material covered in the class (not all instructors will allow you to do this). Best thing is to just keep diving, whatever you decide to do.