Diver Rescue

[DCBC]

At what point in a diver's training should they be able to rescue their buddy (unconsious diver at depth, panicky diver at the surface)? Do you feel that these skills should be part of the OW course? AOW? or should they wait until the diver is ready for Rescue Diver training?

How do you feel about being buddied up with a diver who can't perform a basic rescue if you get into trouble?

Have you performed a rescue while diving? If so, were you trained to do so?

 

[webjr]

unconsious diver at depth?

I'de call that a body recovery, and I don't teach that till Rescue.

panicky diver at the surface?

I teach that in the pool during OW as part of the Diver Tow skill.
You cant tow'em if you cant control'em.

 

[sjmueller61990]

i think you should learn some basics in open water and/or advanced open water. but in the end i do believe it should be its own specific specialty course just because theres alot of learn, such as tehcniques and what not. it takes some time and dedication.

 

[Crush]

At what point in a diver's training should they be able to rescue their buddy (unconsious diver at depth, panicky diver at the surface)? Do you feel that these skills should be part of the OW course? AOW? or should they wait until the diver is ready for Rescue Diver training?

They should be taught in OW - all of them. These skills used to be part of basic OW. There is no reason why they cannot all be taught-to-proficiency in OW and later refined upon in SRD.

I'de call that a body recovery, and I don't teach that till Rescue.

No, it is called a rescue. Recovery is what the DM has to do if you don't know how to react and leave the unconscious diver (hoping that you will be able to find them later) to get help.

How do you feel about being buddied up with a diver who can't perform a basic rescue if you get into trouble?

You don't often have much choice. If I know that my buddy isn't up on unconscious diver recovery I tell them that, if in doubt, they should release my weights or cut through my webbing, sending me rocketing to the surface (I prefer AGE and DCS to drowning). If I stop them from releasing my belt or cutting through my webbing they can assume that I am OK for the time being.

Have you performed a rescue while diving? If so, were you trained to do so?

Only practice so far, thankfully.

 

[Jim238]

Having recently completed OW, Nitrox and AOW and planning to take Rescue sooner than later, I agree with mpetryk that all of the skills DCBC lists as an example, should be included in a beefed up OW. And that OW should also include the AOW skills and nitrox.

 

[Kingpatzer]

At what point in a diver's training should they be able to rescue their buddy (unconsious diver at depth, panicky diver at the surface)?

When they have sufficient experience to make such training a useful component of their skill set and not a means to endanger themselves. Personally I think that doesn't happen for most divers till they have amassed a fair number of dives. Certainly it varies, and divers who spend more time practicing skills will get to that point sooner than those who don't.

Do you feel that these skills should be part of the OW course? AOW? or should they wait until the diver is ready for Rescue Diver training?

They should wait until the diver is ready for the training.
I do think they should be available to the diver prior to AOW. Within the PADI system, at least, I see nothing that to me demands AOW be a pre-requisite for rescue.

How do you feel about being buddied up with a diver who can't perform a basic rescue if you get into trouble?

I've been being buddied up with such folks as a DM and instructor for a while now, so I guess I don't have an expectation that they'll have those skills. My wife is my normal buddy, and she's very conscientious about her skills so I have no worries there. Where I in an "insta-buddy" situation, I'd be talking about experience with a diver prior to entering the water, and I'd know the situation at the outset, so I would dive with that in mind.

Have you performed a rescue while diving? If so, were you trained to do so?

I've had to help students on the verge of panic, but I have no had what I would call a rescue. Yes I'm trained to do so.

And the poll doesn't have a choice that adequately reflects my view, so I left it blank. Rescue skills start in OW and are built upon through a diver's development. Smart divers who take safety seriously never stop learning more.

 

[pnw_diver]

At what point in a diver's training should they be able to rescue their buddy (unconsious diver at depth, panicky diver at the surface)? Do you feel that these skills should be part of the OW course? AOW? or should they wait until the diver is ready for Rescue Diver training?

I think that a subset of the Rescue Diver material / skills should be part of OW.

How do you feel about being buddied up with a diver who can't perform a basic rescue if you get into trouble?

I've thumbed dives when I've been paired with someone that I wasn't comfortable with. I operate under the assumption that I may be on my own when it comes to rescue, and plan and gear up accordingly.

Have you performed a rescue while diving? If so, were you trained to do so?

Only simulated, thankfully.

 

[Max Speed]

Good grief! Give new divers a break. You don't have to take CPR, Jaws of Life instruction and fire management when you get your drivers license. And that's a sport where you *might* take out a crowd of third graders waiting for the bus!

Keep it in perspective folks. You're not training people to be combat medics.

 

[Crush]

Good grief! Give new divers a break. You don't have to take CPR, Jaws of Life instruction and fire management when you get your drivers license. And that's a sport where you *might* take out a crowd of third graders waiting for the bus!

Keep it in perspective folks. You're not training people to be combat medics.

With your OW cert you should be a competent diver and a competent buddy. Do you believe that a competent buddy should not be required to be able to get an unconscious diver to the surface? Leaving an unconscious victim at 30 feet in water with 100+ foot vis to "get help" is one thing, leaving an unconscious victim at 60 feet in water with 20 foot vis is almost a death sentence.

 

[themagni]

The next class for me is Rescue. I'm waiting until I feel like I've got enough confidence in my own abilities to feel like I can take care of myself before I start volunteering to look after other divers. I'm a beginner at diving. How would you feel about being paired with a buddy that's done OW, AOW, and did Rescue after 60 dives?

As mpetryk said, we always go over what to do if someone's out cold (pull their weights, follow them up, call the Navy) as part of the pre-dive brief. (The Navy has a chamber in town, beats a trip to Vancouver...) I tell my buddy that I'll be orally inflating at the end of the dive so they don't worry about that.

In OW we practiced diver towing and that's not hard. I've got very good endurance. I also have experience dealing with paniced (panicked?) people and my voice can cut though ear defenders, so that's never something I've considered a problem.