Pre Rescue Course - so challenge me!

[OceanEd]

So much of diver rescue in the real environment is technique. Much more so than your strength. Some of the best rescue divers I have trained have been smaller women because they take the time to learn what works for them and what does not when they are with larger divers.

Really focus with your instructor on all the multiple ways there are to do just about everything in a diver rescue and then find the ways that work best for you. This will drastically cut down on your physical exertion and could make a big difference if you had to do it for "real".

 

[damage]

Congratulations if you decide to quit drinking, it really takes courage; regarding the rescue course I agree with the others, get mental and physical prepared, read your manual, answer the quiz, and don't forget the "stop, breathe, think, act" sometimes when you want to do something fast, you forget something important (happened to me last week)

 

[azchipka]

One suggestion I would make is ensure you are enrolling in a rescue class with multiple people, bring a friend along who is also interested in getting to rescue diver level.

To often in the tropical dive destinations rescue classes only have one or two people in them. The more people in the class the more fun you will have doing it and the more you will learn.

Rescue is one of those courses I normally suggest people take in a more unpleasant environment then clear blue ocean waters. Even in the keys I will often take my rescue students to a spot with extremely poor vis for open water skills.

You really don't gain much search for a missing diver in 200 feet of vis. Makes the whole search pattern thing pretty useless when all you have to do is go down to the bottom and look around from a single point to find the missing diver.

 

[Monarch_15w]

I will second the physical strength part and general swimming. That is definitely an area you will need to be strong in. The tired diver tows and breathing while towing in will be quite a challenge. I just completed my Rescue diver course on 10/11/2009 so. It is still fresh in my mind. CPR is a must also for a Pre Rec. You will need to know the 5 B's and my instructor called it. You will also want to practice the different techniques of carrying a diver out of the water and find which way works best for you physical strengths. Some are easier than others. knowing what to do on first aid before you take the course wouldn't hurt.

 

[OceanEd]

No question physical stamina plays a big role in it all. Sometimes I think that one of the best things about the Rescue course is that it shows the divers how hard and physically challenging it truly is to actually try to rescue someone. It is a real wake up call.

 

[InTheDrink]

Sorry for delay in replying. Christmas in conjunction with UVeitis in conjunction with the drugs they gave me to fight it (which gave me completely major totally spun out nausea) has curtailed my SB activity. I should have a few more moments tomorrow so will respond to your interesting thoughts on comments then.

Cheers,
John

 

[ding dang]

i'd advise you to simply study the book, but being a college student, i definitely understand that many more 'fun' things seem to arise when reading and studying!

when you get bored of reading and studying, instead of seeing what others are up to at the cantina, try to either relax and take a nap, or take a walk with the ipod.

it's impossible to study at a party, right?!

 

[FireInMyBones]

I'm not sure what you can do directly but I would offer two insights.

First, consider taking a better First aid course. I don't know if the training varies region to region but I was very disappointed in the F/A component offered as part of the rescue course locally. It can't hurt to know more first aid.

Second, improve your physical strength in general and swimming skills in particular.

First, I am proud that you are taking your health and others seriously. Drinking can be a terrible way to waste your life. Bonus Points!

As a lifeguard instructor through the American Red Cross, I recommend the class. Call your local chapter and ask for the most difficult instructor. Being a lifeguard is not just for teenagers.
Beefing up your swimming skills, understanding how drag and efficiency work in and under the water, will absolutely help.
First Responder training is also a great way to be prepared.

Most of all just doing research and seeking out challenges for yourself is a big part of the class.

 

[InTheDrink]

Hi,
Back after the break and the festivities. Back home in Dublin that means a lot of festivities although I was pretty well behaved

I'm looking to do my Rescue in Tanzania, between dives or during slack times. I will be hunting out a good EFR course here in Brighton prior to going. One of my buddies is an instructor so we'll work on the rescue course while we're in TZ and try to make it as challenging as possible. The course book is being ordered tomorrow so that'll be of great interest for me to study prior to going. Few things dive related bore me so I'm looking forward to eating up the content and preparing mentally.

In terms of booze - well it's probably too off topic for this thread but there's a lot of fun, mad, insane, strange and wonderful things I've done pissed up and I'm not sure I'd turn the clock back. However, I like to try to nip problems in the bud before they become (major) problems. Hence re-evaluating my relationship with alcohol (and quitting cigarettes asap thereafter).

However, if anyone still has their own personalised list of rescue instruction they do that is above and beyond the normal PADI rescue syllabus, I'd love to look it over to see what additional challenges I can pose myself.

One thing that has been mentioned repeatedly through this thread is swimming skills. I'm presuming this is with fins rather than without. For sure, I can boogie pretty well with my jets. I'm not so hot without fins though. Hoping that won't be an issue (fyi, I have re-started swimming lessons to improve my non-fin swimming technique).

Thanks for all the responses. Now, if anyone's got any variation of any rescue skill or drill that you think is really hard or challenging, well, I'm all ears

J

 

[DaleC]

Probably the best directly dive related PT training I do is fin kicks in the pool. I have a pair of smaller pool fins and do 1/2 mile forward kicks (holding a small boogie board) and 1/2 mile backwards kicks (it works slightly different muscle groups) then 1/2 mile frontcrawl. Try keeping your legs as straight as possible to work the core muscle groups, you can tell you are getting tired when your kicks degrade to modified flutters. Other than that I do the treadmill and stationary bike.