Rescue diver class questions

[TSandM]

mcclete, the class is about rescue. How to prevent having to rescue somebody; how to rescue yourself; and how to rescue somebody else if the necessity presents itself. It was a very good class, and the only PADI class I've taken about which I have almost nothing but positive things to say. (And the "almost" comes from the fact that neither of the (very good) instructors knew how to manage my gear (BP/W, long hose).)

You get practice in dealing with panicked divers, with injured divers, and with unconscious divers. You learn techniques for removing people from the water (and there are ways to make it MUCH easier!)

It was a very good course. I would recommend it highly.

 

[knotical]

What agency? To do most rescue classes in such a limited time would be a challenge. For PADI, in addition to open water exercises, the students must complete and review the knowledge reviews, pass a written exam, and prepare an emergency assistance plan (requires some research). Also, CPR and first aid are required either as a prerequisite, or in conjunction with the course. The skill exercises often conducted in the pool can be done in either pool or open water, so the lack of pool session is not necessarily a problem. Is it possible there was a miscommunication with the dive shop?

 

[ReefHound]

PADI requires EFR as a prerequisite but there should still be classroom time. Since there were only 3 others in my class, the instructor said if we would be sure to watch the video and read the book beforehand and stay a little late, we could knock out the normal two evenings in one night.

It seems that your pool work will be done at the quarry. That is no problem as long as the quarry has a shallow area that offers pool-like conditions. But it is going to have to be a sunup to sundown couple of days to adequately cover it all.

 

[snowmaker]

It's a PADI class and EFR is a prerequisite. So that part of the class is already done when you take the class.

No mistake it is done over just a weekend.

 

[vkalia]

Dropping gear is deciding what/when and more importantly WHY you are removing certain gear from yourself and/or the victim. For example, you might want to remove the weight belt to establish bouyancy in some situations...but not in others. Stuff you discuss in class. The most important thing is to stop and think about what you are doing and why. Again, stuff you discuss in class.

This doesnt have to be in a traditional classroom setting. A lot of these concepts can be (and should be) included as part of a briefing and debriefing while working on the actual skills? A lot of additional information and theory can be imparted by an instructor without necessarily sitting in a classroom.

Good, realistic scenarios, ample in-water time and detailed briefings/debriefings which evaluate the techniques used and discuss alternatives/options make for a far more effective method of training than sitting in a classroom discussing in a vacuum. CPR/O2/AED stuff can also be done on-site - which would probably be a more realistic approach than doing it in a classroom.

The fact is that the OP's question does not provide any indication as to whether or not the class is going to be enough or not. 2 days is a bit hectic, but depending on class size, schedule, etc., it could be doable as well. I would assume that CPR/First aid training would be done beforehand. I'd prefer to take 3 days - 1 day to go over theory, as well as the mental aspect of rescuing, but the main thing is the quality of the in-water training: 2 full days could do a very good job in this area.

I am always amazing by the detailed inferences that we here on SB can draw from such miniscule facts. Sherlock Holmes would have been proud.

The one minor nit I have with rescue training in a quarry is: no waves or currents, so potentially too easy. I just finished a rescue class 3 days ago in a monsoon sea (and yes, it was 2 days in the water - me & 1 student, with a couple of our staffers playing victims), and it was *wild* - but the student left knowing he could pull off a rescue anywhere after this.

Cheers,
Vandit

 

[MikeFerrara]

I can't imagin conducting a rescue class without classroo m time. True, all that could be done out at the dive site but it eats up time that could be spent in the water. We used to do the class sessions over 2 or 3 evening before going to OW.

Pool time might be of benefit but the OW excersizes must be conducted in an OW environment typical of local diving conditions. In some areas that makes quarries "typical". While you usually don't have surf or currents in a quarry there are some advantages. For one, you can often have access to exits that allow for the practice of multiple egress techniques.

I found that for an average sized class getting all the OW work done in 2 days made for a tight schedule if you allowed students enough time and repetitions to get really comfortable with the skills.

If I were to ever teach it again, I would add an OW or CW session prior to doinf the required rescue skills because the biggest things I dound students to have trouble with is doing good ascents and searches along the bottom. The problem, of course, is a lack of basic skills. If you have trouble doing a controled ascent it'll just be that much harder when you're trying to surface another diver. If you don't have your BC and trim down, doing effective searches can be a real mess.

 

[vkalia]

I can't imagin conducting a rescue class without classroo m time. True, all that could be done out at the dive site but it eats up time that could be spent in the water. We used to do the class sessions over 2 or 3 evening before going to OW.

I agree with you, actually. I typically do a 1 2-3 hour classroom session after the student has done all the self-study. What I find more useful is to do scenarios over 2 days - 1 day of doing the cut-and-dry scenarios as per standards, and another day of having fun and throwing all sorts of unexpected things at the diver (everyone else on the boat gets to participate and have fun as well). Call it the diving equivalent of the martial arts "gauntlet"

However, I think it is better to give the poor instructor of this course the benefit of the doubt, instead of everyone condemning him/her with inadequate information about his/her philosophy, approach, etc.

We at Scubaboard are too quick to assume deficiencies and faults, imo. Even the OP, who is purportedly asking a question, seems to have made up his mind.

Vandit

 

[TheRedHead]

Mine is going to be 5 weeks rescue and 2 weeks first response/cpr/aed....

Hey Don, are you taking The Dive Shop's June class:

Stress & Rescue: June 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, & 29 6:00pm -10:00pm

 

[mcclete22]

Just a thanks to all. Really good info and input, thank you all very much! Once again you guys came through with great info!