When to think about PADI Rescue?

[Kingpatzer]

Rescue is a course that is very instructor dependent. It's also the case that some of what's in the PADI manual is dated and is contrary to the the most current medical advice (at least according to an EMT-P who was in my class).

but it's by and large a great course not so much for the book learning portion, but for the practical in-water stuff. Which is why the instructor is important.

My instructor's imitation of a 'paniced diver' was superb -- he'd punch people in the face with allt he force he had if allowed. He'd kick you in the face without thinking about it. He'd crawl on top of you kicking and clawing. He had a few DM's under water in case someone got really messed up, but he was determined to make a student WORK to rescue him.

The experience really taught us the importance of approaching a paniced diver very carefully.

He also did some other, in my mind smart, things to make the experience more impactful. For our dives we didn't go to our local nice clear quarry. We went to a lake that had a vis of about 4'. And so when we had to go find our under-water victim using a search pattern, the ability to find that person was entirely dependent on following a search pattern well.

The PADI rescue class can be a great learning experience. It can also be just another c-card. This one really is instructor driven!

 

[D_B]

Note: the above is not necessarily exactly what you will experience in a Rescue Class ... an instructor can forcefully demonstrate a panicked person without ... punching you in the face with all the force he can muster.
The class is really more about what to watch for, to not let something evolve into a "rescue" in the first place

as others have said, if you can dive wthout constantly thinking about what your doing/need to do .. take the Rescue course ... after taking a good AOW course should leave you pretty close to being ready to do so

Me? I took it after only 18 OW dives ... it was for a reason much like yours, I wanted to watch over my vaction diver friend's very first cold water dives here, with a thick wetsuit, gloves, hood, and cold,/less than good visability ... I wanted to be prepared and be a better buddy

It's actually a pretty fun class even thugh it's a bit demanding , allways good feeling to find that you can do things that you didn't even think you could
Best, hardest, most rewarding class that you could take

 

[rstofer]

I am going to take the position that you should take Rescue just as soon as possible. In my view, the more important topics deal with stress and how to recognize it both in your buddy and in yourself. If nothing else, it will help you become a more confident diver.

OK, if you lack diving skills, you won't come out of the course a lot better off in that regard. So what? Any rescue skills are better than none.

If you feel strongly about Rescue, take the course again when you have a hundred dives or so. The second time around you will have the diving skills and an appreciation for what is really happening.

I think even the experts have recertification classes they are required to take. So Rescue doesn't have to be a 'once and forever' type of class.

Richard

 

[paddler3d]

Part of rescue course/class is managing stress and to a point, pushing your limits.

If you are stressed to begin with because you're skills aren't up to snuff, the class will be much more challenging and you may not enjoy it as much and learn as much as you could.

When I went through rescue class, I went though with one of the shops employee's. The employee had been diving for years and had their AOW, but had not been in the water in a while. The day before the in water portion, they realized that her gear wasn't working right, so they grabbed a set from rental (which was going from a Pinto to a Porsche). The very first thing the instructor had us do was stand in front of each others gear bag, tell us there is a person who has drowned on the bottom and we had 60 seconds to assemble the gear in front of us and get to the person. Needless to say, neither of us got to the victim in 60s. We then switched back to our own gear, which we were instructed to make sure it was assembled correctly and then throw everything (mask, fins, bc, so on so forth) in the deep end of the pool. We then had to jump in, swim down, find all of our gear and then don it. I fell asleep on the bottom waiting for them to get their crap together and get to the bottom. It was close to 20 minutes. We then started to work through the various scenarios. At the end of the class, the other student decided that they were not ready.

That left me the next day alone at the quarry with 4 instructors. That definitely stressed me.

I loved the class and learned a lot. Now I'm in the DM class with them. My instructor is always trying to find a new way to stress me. Last night we did the swim test. He forgot to count a bunch of laps for the snorkel swim and a couple for the regular swim. We then did a rescue scenario in the middle of it and demonstration quality skills.

My point is, I don't care what number dive you are on, just make sure you are comfortable diving.

Good luck!

 

[SubMariner]

Rescue is a course that is very instructor dependent. It's also the case that some of what's in the PADI manual is dated and is contrary to the the most current medical advice (at least according to an EMT-P who was in my class).

Actually, any "outdated" information is superseded by EFR guidelines, which are fairly current. If they're not, then the Instructor themslves have not kept up with their EFR training.

The PADI rescue class can be a great learning experience. It can also be just another c-card. This one really is instructor driven!

Very true in most cases: the Instructor "makes" or "breaks" the course.

That being said, one of the things the RD course teaches you is what you CAN and CANNOT do. More often than not the latter, in the form of recognizing your limitations, is the most important thing to remember.

Pax,

 

[Interceptor121]

Interceptor 121, from the PADI website:


Prerequisites
To enroll in the PADI Rescue Diver course, you must

Be 15 years or older
Have a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or have a qualifying certification from another organization)
Be trained and current for first aid and CPR within the previous two years (Ask your instructor about Emergency First Response CPR and first aid courses).

here's a link to the page:
Rescue Diver Primary and Secondary Care Courses - PADI Scuba Diving Training Organization

Not trying to start an argument, just trying to give out accurate information.

This has been changed with training bullettin Q1 2009 which is available to instructors and PADI professionals

Rescue Diver Course Instructor Guide
Changed prerequisite from Advanced Open Water Diver to Adventure Diver:
2. To participate in the rescue training sessions in open water, and to participate in the open water rescue scenarios, the student diver must be certified as a PADI Adventure Diver who has completed the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive or have a qualifying certification from
another training organization (defined as proof of certification beyond entry level with documentation of underwater navigation experience).
Rationale: Open Water Divers may continue to participate in confined water skills practice and knowledge development.
Adventure Divers who have the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive can participate in the open water portions of the course to become certified Rescue Divers. Since the Deep Adventure Dive is not essential to a successful completion of the Rescue Diver course, Advanced Open Water Diver certification may occur
after Rescue Diver certification. This gives further opportunity for divers to learn and master rescue diving skills, particularly where deep diving conditions are undesirable or when deep diving is unavailable.

 

[Kingpatzer]

Note: the above is not necessarily exactly what you will experience in a Rescue Class ... an instructor can forcefully demonstrate a panicked person without ... punching you in the face with all the force he can muster.

To be clear, he would not do that intentionally, it was rather that he fought, and flailed very hard, and it easily could happen. He was very aware that being a very active victim could raise the stakes, and in a class of only 4 of us, he had 2 DM's under water watching everything at all times ready to come help if needed.

I had my reg kicked out of my mouth twice by approaching incorrectly. After the second time I figured out how not to do it wrong. And it was largely because I had the experience of "oops, I'm not able to breath, now what!?"

 

[Peter Guy]

As some of the posters know there has been, and continues to be, some "controversy" as to the "completeness" of the PADI OW diver course. There are "some instructors" (NOT PADI instructors) who constantly argue that "their way" of teaching someone to be an independent Scuba diver is the way to go because "their way" includes really teaching buoyancy control, good trim and yes, rescue skills.

The reason I refer to "those instructors" is that what they teach their students in much longer classes than the PADI OW class is, in reality, a combined OW, AOW and Rescue class -- all rolled into one. So I wonder if the people who say "Don't take AOW or Rescue until you are ready (or until you have done some dives)" are giving the right advice. (Note, I've said the same thing before and I wonder if my advice was correct.)

It just might be that the most efficient way for most people to learn to become independent divers is to just go ahead and take the whole series -- with some dives on their own while they are taking the classes.

On another note, someone quoted the new PADI rules:

To participate in the rescue training sessions in open water, and to participate in the open water rescue scenarios, the student diver must be certified as a PADI Adventure Diver

The important thing to note is that this refers to the OPEN WATER parts of the Rescue program. My recollection from my recent IDC is that the OW diver may start the Rescue class and be involved in the confined water scenarios -- which would indicate to me that one could take AOW (or Adventure Diver) along with Rescue.

 

[Kingpatzer]

Peter Guy -- I'm of the view that at least some elements of rescue are necessary to be an adequate dive buddy. And diving skills that are necessary to be safe under water really do take time to develop. I'd rather see a diver do OW-AOW-Rescue as a set than for them to wait.

Not only will such students be more complete divers, they also (after having been challenged in rescue particularly) may well come away with a better sense of what they don't know - and a bit of humility about one's own abilities in a diver is a good thing.

 

[cwhitpan]

Wow, I didn't think there would be such a variety of opinions on the subject.

I really appreciate the feedback and I welcome more!

I definitely think this is something I want to at least explore and scope out some of the local programs so I can determine what my next steps are after OW. First aid and CPR are on the list for sure, then I think working towards AOW is next. That way maybe I can get 20 under my belt before making the decision with a better frame of reference.

And as a few of you have surmised, it is about trying to be the best diver and buddy I can. I realize that my skill level and knowledge will only increase with bottom time. (going into fall/winter that is poor timing on my part I suppose!) I don't feel the A in advanced actually means that either, nor do I think that just because I took a rescue course I will know more than people who have 90+ dives.

Thanks again for all the feedback! I am enjoying this conversation immensely.