Ever had to use Rescue training?

[CheddarDavis]

Hi everyone,

I just completed my PADI Rescue Diver course this past weekend. And it got me thinking - how many certified Rescue Divers have ever actually had to use their training? I know it's a very small percentage, but I'd be interested to hear stories about people using their rescue skills in a real emergency. I know a decent amount of people have had to use some of the more basic skills like cramp removal, out of air situations, and even helping to eliminate diver stress before a dive. But I'm talking more about panicked divers (had to use the "approach out of their reach, spin them around, cradle tank with knees" technique) and things like unconscious diver tows with rescue breaths, missing diver, etc.

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!

 

[fisheater]

Yes. I encountered a solo diver who was very, very low on air. I put him on my main reg (with a 7' hose) and we made a safe assent. At the surface, he had enough of his tank air to inflate, which he did, but thereafter panicked. He took off his mask and stared off into the distance. He wouldn't turn towards me or the boat. He wouldn't respond to my commands. Eventually, I towed him to the boat by his tank valve. Once he was at the ladder and the DM was right in his face (in Calif., the DM stays on board unless there's an emergency), he "snapped out of it" and climbed aboard.

Of course, he never did thank me.

Things progressed pretty much as the Rescue Course taught me. It's an invaluable course.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalko

 

[TONY CHANEY]

Yes and several times. Bolo Point Okinawa, Japan: Picture three of us coming back to the rocky shore and there is some very large waves comi9ng in. We could feel the surge 20 feet deep on a safety stop. so we have to exit one at a time around the back side of a rock. so you wait until the surge takes you toward shore and then hold on like hell as the current goes back out. So I went first and after forward progress stopped I grabbed the rocks and saw two divers, heading out to sea and later bouncing off my back in an uncontrolled manner. I got out, dropped my gear as the other two team members pushed the two divers up to me. All were pretty beat up but all were safe.

At a quarry in NC post class: Most of us were either in waist deep water at the fin rack or had already exited the water. Ones in the water were talking to the two instructors. I look over toward my right side and see one guy fighting to stay a float with no reg in his mouth and no air in his reg. I yelled to him to put the reg in his mouth but he was beyond the point of being able to follow commands. I went to him, grabbed his tank and put the reg in his mouth and inflated his BC.

Peacock cave, Fla: (I am in full cave training) An fellow student, myself and our instructor are heading out. My student buddy had called thirds and he was working his ass off to get back to the exit. The instructor and I were high toward the ceiling checking out the features of the cave when i noticed him. He was on the bottom pulling on the gold line and huffing and puffing. I showed the instructor and I shot down to him and took him to the side of the cave. Told him to hold on and catch his breath. He calmed down and we had a very safe exit.

Maeda Point, Okinawa, Japan: We, instructor and I as the DM, had a married couple wanting to do their deep dive cert. We found out later that the cert was more about his wanting it and he had talked her into it. We had no idea of this. So we get in and fin out on the surface in small chop. (Small to a lot of us but hugh to her). So here we are about 300-500 yards from shore, in chop, she is already scared and her mask begains to fog up. Now she is in a panic mode!. I took hold of her tanks valve and towed her back to shore against the current. It really kicked my ass! All went well and all were safe.

These are just a few examples and there are others. I am not somebody who is great but somebody who has had great mentors and instructors. I hope that this helps.

 

[Mr. Black]

I guess it's a numbers game. If you do enough diving activity you will come across a bunch of emergencies. If you do 20 dives a year you might do that for 10 years and get away unscathed. Do 200 dives a year and you will probably see emergencies every other year.

I also suspect there may be regional factors. I.e. where you dive will influence the % probability of being involved in stuff.

 

[MalibuJerry]

Over the years I have used this training a number of times.

You will find that you are looking at your fellow divers on the boat a little differently, anticipating situations and often providing assistance before it becomes a problem. You don't often get thanked, but that is not the point.

I think the two most common circumstances are OOA and being overwhelmed by gear.

Jerry

 

[Adobo]

Hi everyone,

I just completed my PADI Rescue Diver course this past weekend. And it got me thinking - how many certified Rescue Divers have ever actually had to use their training? I know it's a very small percentage, but I'd be interested to hear stories about people using their rescue skills in a real emergency. I know a decent amount of people have had to use some of the more basic skills like cramp removal, out of air situations, and even helping to eliminate diver stress before a dive. But I'm talking more about panicked divers (had to use the "approach out of their reach, spin them around, cradle tank with knees" technique) and things like unconscious diver tows with rescue breaths, missing diver, etc.

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!

Fortunately, I myself had not had to do anything heroic or potentially life saving to help another diver. I have been onsite a couple of times where divers have been pulled out of the water unconscious. In fact, on the first day of my open water certification dives, someone was pulled out of the water unconscious in front of me.

At this particular dive site where open water certifications are done in my area, I have had to help divers on numerous occasions to get out of the surf zone. Lots of times where divers have been knocked over and unable to get up unassisted.

In terms of my dive buddies, we usually focus our efforts and energy towards prevention rather than rescue. I have a considerable amount of training and I suppose I have decent diving experience however, I am not confident that I can do much more for a diver that I find unconscious than get them to the surface and perhaps back to the boat or to the shore. I mean, I can do CPR but if the situation is that bad, the chances for a positive outcome is going to be very very slim.

For that reason, I try to keep my buddies and myself conscious, un panicked and with sufficient resources to complete the dive. I also do my best to restrict the dives to conditions and sites that my buddy and I are both trained and comfortable to do. And as soon as I spot something that is unusual, I am proactive about assessing whether we or not continuing the dive is a sensible thing to do.

---------- Post added October 27th, 2014 at 11:35 AM ----------

Over the years I have used this training a number of times.

You will find that you are looking at your fellow divers on the boat a little differently, anticipating situations and often providing assistance before it becomes a problem. You don't often get thanked, but that is not the point.

I think the two most common circumstances are OOA and being overwhelmed by gear.

Jerry

One time, I was on a boat headed to Molikini crater. On the outside of the crater, the dive is meant to start out deep - 80-90ft and then working slowly shallow up the wall. However, the wall slopes deeper to however deep it gets out there. On the inside of the crater is a site that is shallow (40ish feet) and sheltered. The inside is frequented by snorklers.

On the boat, all of the divers seemed "newish" or "not current". In fact, one diver was asking what the various buttons on the inflator were used for. At this point, I went to the captain of the boat and suggested that we dive the inside of the crater as opposed to the outside wall. I mentioned that I thought the inside was a great looking site that I wanted to dive and perhaps could give decent bottom times. Of course, the captain shood me away as he said, "the outside of molikini crater is the signature dive in Maui."

All that is to say that I agree with you that whenever on a boat with strangers, I tend to give the other divers a once.

Oh, and about that dive to Molikini crater. I found myself alone at 100ft deep. Everyone else was deeper than me at perhaps 110ft or 120ft. Fortunately and surprisingly, the dive ended without incident.

 

[TSandM]

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.

I've seen two cases of panic, both passive. One was dealt with by the instructor with whom I was taking a class (again, the student was not one of us, and his instructor was totally unaware that one of his students had both become lost AND surfaced). The other was quite literally my first dive as a DM candidate, and I really had no clue what to do with the woman, who had had difficulties submerging, finally got underwater, and froze -- she was breathing but COMPLETELY unresponsive!

 

[Herb-alaska]

I think that you also need to account for the times that your rescue training will save your own bacon or even prevent a issue from becoming a emergency. I have had a couple of times that I have had to take a deep breath and tell myself that " ok your still breathing there shouldn't be anything that you can't fix if your still breathing" Rescue training is for self protection and assurance as much as it is to assist a buddy

 

[Subcooled]

A collection of close calls:

My dive buddy developed a buoyancy problem and then slowly went into panic. I had to use all my hand holding skills to buy time. It did not help forever: Escape. Inversion (drysuit). Entanglement. Loss of consciousness. He was finally dragged out of the mine unconscious but alive. Yes. He was formally qualified to dive in caves and mines.

Speedy descent + drysuit hose come detached during descent leading to disabilitating suit squeeze halfway down to 45m at sea. The diver was able to move his fingers only to signal distress. Sometimes rescue only takes seconds and a press of a button.

 

[Steve_C]

Was diving in the Keys. Got a pair of instabuddies. One went on and on about how he was a sky diving instructor and had lots of diving experience (but not recently). We agree I will lead. We are diving permit ledge so we drop to the bottom at around 30 ft. There is a flat area you swim across to the ledge. I drop first and am floating there a few feet off the bottom. My two buddies come down. One has sort of trim. The sky diver is vertical standing on the sand. All of sudden I see his eyes getting big and he starts fumbling to drop his belt. There are bubbles so it is clear he has air. I shoot over and put my hand gently but firmly on his. Giving him the calm down motion with the other. He relaxes after a tense minute, lets go of his belt, and points to his mask which is over half full of water and filling up. I motion the other diver to stay. He signals ok. I lead the sky diver to the surface maintaining contact since he cannot see well at this point. We are at the stern of the boat. Turn him over to the boat crew to replace his mask. Water clarity was such that I could also watch the other diver easily. Dropped back down and waited. A few minutes later sky diver rejoined us and we had a nice dive over to the ledge.

The avoid problems in the water by solving them on the boat by getting to know your buddy has been used several times to calm obviously nervous new divers.