I completed my Rescue certification late last summer, and think it was probably the most useful course that Ive taken. I would would highly recommend it to all divers who dive on a regular basis. As we all know, diving can be a very dangerous sport, and accidents can and do happen. The difference between life and death of a good friend, spouse, son, daughter, etc., could be your ability to save them. I feel like I owe it to those I dive with on a regular basis, to be trained to save thier life in the event of a diving emergency. That was one of the main reasons I took the course.
The ability to save other fellow divers is also a huge asset. Many times when your on vacation, your diving with complete strangers. Many times those divers are novices and unsure about diving in the ocean. One of the vital things taught in Rescue class is that your no longer out there diving just for yourself. As a rescue diver, you should always keep your eyes open for problems with other divers. You learn to look for signs of stress in other divers (and yourself), which left unchecked can lead to dive emergencies. You learn how to calm nervous divers down and ease thier stress. You learn to sort of keep an eye on the other divers and quietly make sure thier equipment is connected correctly. You look for signs of hypothermia or heat exhaustion and advise divers what they should and shouldnt do. You learn skills that you will literally use on every dive trip, most of which help to PREVENT diver emergencies.
In the event you do have a diver emergency, being trained to deal with it is always...ALWAYS...better than not being trained. The training teaches you to work as a team with other divers who may be around you. Even as a certified rescue diver, you may be delegated to crowd control, assuming there are other rescue divers, instructors, divemasters, etc. on site.
As for liability, yes the big "L" word will always be with us. Soley as a rescue diver however, you are no more responsible than someone who performs CPR on a person in cardiac arrest. Entering the professional levels (divemaster, instructor) is when one truely becomes more susceptible to being sued. Depending on the state you live in, most states have the "Good Samaritan" act, which basically states an unconscious or unbreathing victim implies consent to be rescued. In other words, you dont need thier permission to help them or provide life safety functions. If they arent breathing....YOU CANT MAKE THEM WORSE by giving CPR. You may crack a few ribs, but at least thier alive. Most people will appreciate that.
Part of the Rescue class deals with properly recording everything that takes place during a dive emergency. All aspects of the accident (that are known) are recorded. Equipment is checked and quarintined for law enforcement. All life safety and first aid functions performed are recorded, as well as patient conditions (breathing-non breathing, pulse, skin conditions, nausea, dizziness, etc.) A report is always filed afterwards with law enforcement and medical personnel, as well as with DAN, and a certifying agency such as PADI. In the event a victim does decide to sue, there will be a wealth of supporting evidence they will have to overcome in order to prove that the standard of care was not met.
Hopefully a rescue certification is something one will never have to use. Chances are that if it is every used, it will more likely be used to assist a panicked diver on the surface....not an unconscious diver on the bottom. In that case, Rescue class teaches you several alternative ways to deal it. The victim will likely offer to buy you dinner afterwards...not sue you. If you attempt to rescue an unconsious diver on the bottom, a suit against you would be very unlikely. Without action on your part, they would most certainly die. If you saved them....they wont likely sue.
Lastly, if you think you may ever want to be a divemaster or instructor, Rescue is a pre-requisite, at least in the PADI system. I dont think you can go wrong taking the course. It will be the most challenging course you've taken yet, but it will also be the most rewarding.
