I must disagree. I have people returning annually for CPR/1st Aid re-certification, and year after year most show the same inability to do the skills correctly. It's not really their fault, simply because the skills I teach them are ( likely ) never used, or perhaps even thought about again until they show up in my class the following year. I refuse to use the term "re-certification" - it is always a "re-teach."
Are rescue diving skills & knowledge any different? I would say yes, to a certain degree. If your an active diver, your general diving skills should be sharp, and chances are you might think of the skills &/or knowledge you learned as you continue to dive & be engaged in the diving community ( eg.: reading the Accidents / Incidents forum on this board ). Still, how many times have you used your search skills? When was the last time you re-calibrated your timed / measured distance swim? When was the last time you reviewed in your mind the steps to take if you heard an alert for a missing diver?
I've offered my LDS employer a one-day refresher program to any who are interested. I'm getting some interest from the Tek community as they'd like some experience with their kits ( I hate to tell them that I'd simply cut them out of their rigging rather than contend with stripping-off their complex systems! ).
I'd be quite pleased if folks wanted to refresh, and they'd be pleased with the refreshment should they ever find themselves in the thick of things...
Regards,
DSD