need to practice skills - including the rescue ones

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mania

Cousin Itt
ScubaBoard Supporter
Messages
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Location
Warsaw, Poland
# of dives
200 - 499
Well
Almost everytime I go to Egypt I'm witnessing an accident. It's sort of a fate or so...

Anyway this time it was a non - diving holiday (because of my recently broken leg). So I was taking it really slowly, staying on the beach and reading Perry Mason's stories. One day a friend of mine droped by the beach I was staying - and she recently finished, with a success, her IDC. We were chatting - like two girls. Meantime we saw an instructor (she knows him) going to the water with a student.
After sometime - not very long but can't tell you exactly as I was engaged in girl's talk my friend said - it seems that somebody is doing rescue course. I turned and saw this instructor pushing a body on the surface. He was doing it really slowly. I would say he was pushing the body as if he was having a romantic walk with a girlfriend. I looked closer and felt that something was wrong. So I run to the water (although I should not be running at all) and told the instructor "I'm a rescue, do you need help?". Then I saw that the body was of an unconscious kid of 14 - 15 years. So I hurried the instructor and took over the body to get it as quickly as possible out of water. Asked what happened and it seems that the kid swallowed a lot of water. The kid was breathing but very, very hard. So I started part of the CPR and quickly moved the child into the secure position so that the water could safely get out of his lungs. The instructor was in fact totally helpless, didn't know what a secure position of a body is and so on.
Finally guys from the diving centre saw that something is going on, called the ambulance and brought some oxygen in fact it took them 10 minutes to get an oxygen). The kid was regaining a bit of his consciousness but was barely making it.
It seems that it was an OWD course and during the procedure of taking the regulator out and finding it he swallow a lot of water, started frantically moving, hit himself on the head and lost consciousness.
I don't know what happened next. At certain moment the manager of the diving centre came and asked me whether I'm boys' family. I said no and he asked me to leave and that his instructor here is in charge of the rescue operation. I couldn't stop myself from making a comment that he should get better instructors for the future. And left the scene.

So why do we need to keep on practicing the skills?
The instructor should have started the rescue action on the surface and he didn't. He lacked the knowledge or experience or simply practice of rescue on the ground - not knowing what is the secure position is a scandal!!!!! My guess is that he simply forgot it because he was not practicing it for some time.

and when you have an unconscious person - hurry!!!! get it out of the water as quickly as you can. Especially when it's a kid.
Mania
 
You just keep having these interesting visits to Egypt.

Looks like you did a good job. :thumbs_up
 
Latest news from Sharm. The kid left hospital after one day. He - as I thought panicked when doing the regulator skill and run up from 4 meters. But he continues his OWD course.
Mania
PS. Honestly as a parent after this I would not allow my son to continue the course....
 
Note to self, do not travel to Egypt with Mania!!

Just kidding, but you do seem to attract adventures, or maybe you are just more observent and notice things others do not.

Good job on the rescue and I couldn't agree more that all skills need to be practiced.
 
Good job Mania!

Everytime I read about something like this I look forward to taking rescue more.

Bjorn
 
Xanthro:
Note to self, do not travel to Egypt with Mania!!
That's exactly what my instructor (the one I quoted in my signature) said
:D
Mania
 
Wow. I find it disturbing that after you saved this kid's life (or at least were instrumental), they "dismissed" you. I would have thought they would be grateful. Good job, by the way.
 
Well
I was not suprised. I was in fact the witness of rather bad things - the lack of knowledge and skill of their instructor. So it's better to get rid of such person rather quickly.
Mania
 
Mania, good job!

Question, since you started or took over the rescue, are you allowed to leave until dismissed by a professional such as paramedics?

It is my understanding (it's been a while since I studied any first aid) that once involved with a first aid situation, you can't just up and leave. I also realize that you were in Egypt and not Canada.

Cheers
Bill.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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