Any recent rescue divers here?

[PaulChristenson]

You are NOT required or responsible for a rescue or an assist unless you are serving in a professional capacity and that is a job expectation. And like the others said, "Do not become a second victim", is the most important rule
chris

Correct...

To describe duty to act...at least in EMS terms...see below

http://www.jems.com/print.asp?act=print&vid=13265

Paul in VT

 

[dougaldiver]

I did the PADI Rescue Diver course back in 95 (after being involved in a Rescue without training I decided to get trained). The course was hard work but very rewarding. To get the best out of it you need to find an instructor that will push you and make the exercises and scenarios tough.
As far as your girlfriends ability to deal with this is concerned the Rescue course is also very good at showing your limits and helping you to make the right choices in crisis. My wife took the course and on one scenario was physically unable to lift the victim out of the water on to a raised platform within the time allowed between stopping rescue breaths and starting again. She was however able to manage on a slipway that was a further 20-30 metres swim away. The lesson she learned is that, if there's no help available, it might be better for her to swim a bit further to where she can get someone out rather than a shorter distance to somewhere wher she couldn't.
The course also starts you thinking a bit more defensively and planning for what could go wrong. This actually makes the diving more enjoyable because you feel prepared to deal with problems should they come up.

 

[gangrel441]

a) you get the added benefit of the CPR course which I think is beneficial for all. I took it once in high school but never mastered it. About a year ago I witnessed a huge car wreck and was unable to perform CPR; fortunately about 90 seconds later someone came to perform it. I felt kind of bad.

One point of order...CPR is not included in the PADI Rescue class. I am not sure about the SSI Stress and Rescue, NAUI Rescue, or YMCA SLAM. For the PADI course, at least, a prerequisite for the class is either PADI Emergency First Responder or equivelant first aid and CPR certification. I fulfilled the requirement with American Red Cross First Aid and American Heart Association CPR/AED.

Also keep in mind, even after completing your rescue class, that while Rescue Diver is a lifetime certification, First Aid generally has a 3 year expiration, and CPR/AED usually has either a 1 or 2 year expiration. I would highly recommend staying current on these certifications, as the standards do change periodically. In fact, the ARC/AHA CPR guidelines just changed drastically this year, with training materials and course changes to appear accordingly for next year.

As for Rescue, it was the toughest and most rewarding course I have taken to date. To the best of my knowledge, there is no liability that comes with being rescue certified, and the point is emphasized in the class not to put yourself at undue risk or exceed your limitations in order to rescue another diver. Becoming the second victim only divides the resources of the remaining rescuers.

IMHO, Rescue is the minimum certification level that all divers should strive to attain.

 

[outback]

I've just completed giving a couple of Rescue classes, and the points made above are definitely valid - PADI Rescue requires Emergency First Responder or equivalent prior to the first open water session.

Typically people move on to do a rescue course when their focus as a diver moves from dealing with themselves and what they are doing right/wrong to focussing on what's going on around them, and with other divers. ie internal vs external focus.

Reasons to do a Rescue course (regardless of agency) - you'll be a more confident, in control, diver; you'll be much more self-aware in the water; you'll learn how to self-rescue, which in turn will provide confidence in the water.

You'll learn to deal with problems that other divers face; how to manage a situation (which will stand you in good stead in any emergency, not just a diving incident), and how to deal with the details (eg documentation, liability issues).

The physical part of the course helps with skills and putting the various skills together to deal with a rescue situation.

The basic course structure (PADI version) is classroom work, exam, one day confined or open water skill session, one day open water session running through scenarios (where the students don't know what is coming next). They tend to be long days and you will be tired at the end of them.

As for the GF - despite the apparent phsyical disadvantages of being small, rescue classes do take that into account and demonstrate alternative techniques to get the job done. One emphasis in the course is that there is no 'one right way' to perform a rescue. The idea is to learn how to adapt and 'perform the rescue' in whatever way is most effective given the resources/limitations that you have to hand.

Liability - you are under no obligation to perform a rescue, particularly if it puts you in danger. Good Samaritan laws cover a non-professional offering assistance, and it is unlikely that you would be sued, or a suit won against you. DMs and Instructors, if they are acting as such, could be sued and carry professional liability insurance.

Most people I've talked with on the subject tell me that the rescue course is far and away the most fun course to do.

Reasons not to do a Rescue course: .....errrrrr, nope, not seeing any.

 

[DandyDon]

Looks like the others have covered this pretth well already.

The Cpr is required, not a part of, the Padi course - so you'd have to pay for and do both. I just finished Cpr, was going for rescure this weekend, until the weather forecast remembered that it's still winter.

Becoming a Rescue diver does not increase liability. And it will make you a better diver as I understand it.

But you have so few dives - I'd suggest getting more experience first.

And don't try to talk your GF into it. This your first GF? You'll learn.

 

[Damselfish]

I would never tell anyone to encourage someone to dive that doesn't want to. But for someone already diving, it's worth gently encouraging them to take Rescue. (Otherwise you'll know how to rescue her, and she won't know how to rescue you, though I wouldn't suggest the guilt trip approach. ) You learn a lot of good information before you ever get in the water. It's true some of the in-water tasks or getting someone out of the water can be physically challenging, but a lot is also technique. The idea is for people to learn about all the things they can do (or shouldn't do), not flunk people because they're not big and burly. (I do know someone who flunked Rescue, they were quite heavy and out of shape and practically became a real victim themselves, but that was a fairly extreme case.)

Maybe it would be good for her to talk to a potential instructor about any concerns. Perhaps she could even take the course without the intention of getting the certification, but simply do as much as she feels comfortable with. At least she'd get much of the information, and maybe she'll decide to go for it. Or maybe you're right, you should just take it now yourself and it's something she will want to try later after a little more diving experience. There's no problem taking it on your own, even if you have a buddy you will probably be switching among other people in the class anyway.

 

[BrianV]

Awesome advice guys.

My LDS offers the two classes separate, but would it be $97 for the EFR class, can I do it at the red cross for cheaper, or should I stick with their program?

 

[tjmills]

I'm about to be AOW and have about 20 logged dives. I am really interested in doing the rescue diver course for a few reasons:

a) you get the added benefit of the CPR course which I think is beneficial for all. I took it once in high school but never mastered it. About a year ago I witnessed a huge car wreck and was unable to perform CPR; fortunately about 90 seconds later someone came to perform it. I felt kind of bad.

b) I think it will teach me tools that will make me a safer diver and a calmer diver when little issues come up under water.

c) I'm only 24 and although I'm not in awesome shape I'm in decent shape. What exactly is involved in the entire process. Do you who have it feel it was a beneficial course?

d) I really want my g/f to do it with me, but she doesn't really want to, she feels AOW is enough.

e) Finally, one of my co-workers who's a very experienced diver told me to be careful because if some dive operators see you're PADI rescue diver and something happens you could be somewhat liable for not helping. Those weren't his exact words, but it something about limited liability in emergencies.

F) In addition, I don't want to sound selfish here, but there's only so much I'd personally risk for saving another. If someone falls down to 200', sorry nothing I can do since I'm not trained in deco. If someone is fighting with me too rough down there and I can't get it under control, at a certain point I'd have to protect myself and get away from the situation. Maybe I can be taught tactics to deal with these, but every situation is different. Please chime in with your thoughts on.

Thanks

First of all I took the liberty of breaking your email down into A-E in order to answer this from my perspective. I took the class last fall and I will be one of the many to say that is was very rewarding and I couldn't recommend it high enough if you are interested. This will teach you a lot of things that you are specifically asking about as well as give you that little extra confidence in diving and diving with others.

Here is my thoughts:

A) CPR - I think this should be taught to everyone. There have been many changes over the last 10 years here and more to come from what I have heard. You need this before taking your Rescue class and can usually get it as part of the course from your LDS but it is extra. I know when I did mine, I got a package deal with First Aid, CPR, AED, Rescue with Nitrox all as one course and a much cheaper price than taking individually.

B) No question about it. Your confidence and skills will benefit from this course. I will say that there might be a minimum number of dives that you have to have completed before you can take the course but I am not sure. I think it is 50 with SSI and PADI but don't take my word for it and check with you LDS.

C) You don't have to be Joe Swimmer who is ready for the Olympics. You should be in decent shape which you say you are. I will tell you that there was not a session that I didn't leave mentally and physically exhausted. Its as much if not more about thinking as it is physical.

D) You have to quit smokin' that crack. You should already know better than to talk your GF into anything. My GF was the same way and I was more than ok with that and respected what she wanted to get out of diving. She loved to dive but she didn't have the desire like I did. Maybe someday but that is up to her. I know she was really glad that I did though.

E) You coworker who is a "very experienced" diver is not correct. Look up "good samaritan laws" and you will find out exactly what this is all about but at this level you are not a professional you are simply trained to aid in assistance of others and you learn how to a degree to deal with situations and provide basic first aid if the need arises. See also below.

F) You will learn this in class. One of the first rules is not to become a victim and every situation is different. Again, this does not qualify you for anything more or less than basic rescue and first aid.

IMHO.....go do it.

 

[BrianV]

tjmills,
Thanks for the thorough response. I thought I once read you needed 20 logged dives for rescue, but according to padi.com all you need is AOW and the first responder course or a similar accredited CPR program.

Thanks again I think I'm going to do it. I'm taking the AOW two weeks before our trips to the bahamas, and noticed there's a class the weekend after (one week before the trip). I think I may bite the bullet and do that class, that way I'll feel even more confident in the bahamas.

 

[neil]

You are NOT required or responsible for a rescue or an assist unless you are serving in a professional capacity and that is a job expectation.
chris

That's important to note. Even scuba instructors are not considered professional rescuers, and Good Samaritan laws protect, or try to protect laymen who try to help.