Are Rescue Skills really needed by the average diver.... ?

[lowviz]

I have no doubt Jim is a fine instructor.

Neither do I.

I Passed his SEI Diver Rescue and Accident Management course. One of the very best courses I've taken. I sure as hell won't splash with the idea that my life is in his hands, though...

---------- Post added September 21st, 2013 at 11:28 PM ----------

Never mind. I'll take my ball and go home.

No.

This is "Basic Scuba Discussions" and you raise an extremely important point for new divers. Yes, first you follow your instructor like a puppy dog. However, as fast as you can, you realize exactly were you are and how to get back home on your own. Stuff happens, take it seriously...

 

[DayBob]

I'm sure he is a fine instructor.

 

[lowviz]

OK, I won't beat this to death but there is a message underneath all this.

If you think that your continued existence can be handed off to a dive professional, then you are misinformed. Most likely, by any one of many dive equipment manufacturers.

 

[CamG]

My opinion is that Rescue skills are important when I took the class I had no idea when the skills would be needed.
In the short period after Rescue I found use of my skills on several boats once with my wife and numerous times with students.
Recognizing diver stress is a critical skill that every diver needs to know especially in themselves.
The Rescue training I received has been very helpful and I would recommend it to every diver.

CamG

 

[TSandM]

I think Rescue is a great class for several reasons.

One is that educators know that one of the best ways to cement a piece of knowledge or a skill is to practice it, and then practice it again after a hiatus when you have been attending to something else. Going through skills like mask skills or air-sharing in Rescue is a better way to pound them in than to practice them more times in the original class where you learned them. In addition to the timing, you have context in which to place them.

Secondly, the class teaches a mindset (or should) of looking at a particular dive or dive site and thinking about the hazards involved, and how to mitigate them BEFORE you get involved in a rescue situation.

Third, the diver who has practiced controlling a panicked diver, doing tows, and getting someone onto shore is likely to be calmer and more confident in a situation where he has to do those things, than someone entirely naive to the ideas.

CPR? Yeah, I think everybody should know how to do it . . . but in reality, cardiac arrests are bad news, whether the people around you know what to do or not. In both of the diving-related cardiac arrest cases I've been involved in, there were trained professionals on site -- just the patient's good luck -- and despite effective and timely intervention, the outcome was bad in both. Nonetheless, it's better to have some idea of what to do than to have NO idea.

Do I think the "average" diver should go through Rescue? Absolutely.

 

[endurodog]

I want to state one thing and have my position on this clear. I have heard this from many, many students and divers. The rescue course is the best course they have ever taken. it is a great course and I would encourage everyone to take it. IT develops confidence and gets you thinking in a different mind set. I would encourage divers to get to this level.

 

[Harmonyhallresorts]

We had a old saying in ski patrol. "Buy good gear (ice axe, signal beacon, shovel, probe ) then give it to the person your skiing with because that's the gear that's going to be used to save your ass!" In other words if you and the people around you are properly trained and prepared for whatever comes at you, especially in the areas of known risk sports, such as scuba-diving, the better your chances are that an ongoing positive outcome will be the result. Challenge yourself and your fellow divers with simple games like mask clearing and buoyancy control. First aid drills are good and full rescue practices are even better. You can't have "too much" when it comes to rescue skills.

 

[supergaijin]

About 10 minutes into the dive John turned to look at Jennifer, who had been swimming slightly behind him, and realized that she was not there. Turning to look for her, he saw someone in the dimness ahead and swam in that direction. As he approached, he saw that it was Jennifer. John realized she was unconscious, but doesn’t recall whether or not she had her regulator in her mouth. Grabbing her by her BCD, he attempted swimming to the surface. John was kicking hard, but not making any progress toward the surface. He didn’t think to release her weights or inflate her BCD, and in a very short time the exertion was taking a toll.

When reading stories like those out of Diver Down, it's good to read between the lines and explore the multiple failings that got those divers in to trouble. Most of those failings are initially from the victim such as in this case. Jennifer didn't establish anything close to neutral buoyancy at depth, resulting in John being unable to swim her up. John was also probably negative during this scenario and/or showing very poor finning technique.

We don't know the reasons for Jennifer losing consciousness however one could surmise that being negative and kicking to maintain a certain depth increased her breathing to a shallow spiral of CO2 rich inhalations. She didn't 'Stop, hold on to something (where feasible), catch her breath, and then move on at a slower pace' which again is taught during the 'typical' OW course.

Nor do we know the time frame between learning to dive and the final accident. Was Jennifer trained last week? Last year? Was she a regular diver or, like many people, an irregular diver who hadn't dived for 6 months, and decided not to take a refresher course, which is designed especially for this common scenario.

Releasing weightbelts is also covered in typical OW courses. SSI actually conducts weightbelt removal underwater. PADI has decided not to make it a practical exercise- perhaps deeming it too risky for OW students. There are multiple references to removing weights in 'typical' OW courses no matter what the agency.

IMO there comes a time for divers to make the realisation that diving is an inherently dangerous hobby. Some instructors do not stress this point enough, however PADI does talk about the risks of diving, asks for a fairly comprehensive medical statement, asks for various liability releases etc. before even getting your toes wet. Individuals need to understand that learning to dive is one thing, however 'being a diver' is something that requires dedication of time, money and effort- and nobody can do it for them.

 

[DarinJ]

Rescue course or no rescue course, I'm realizing that I need to continue my diving education. I certified in 1988 at 18 years old and dove only a dozen times over the next 25 years. Since my 12-year old son discovered diving this year, I've learned more in 4 months than I ever did in 25 years and now have 31 dives and realize that I know almost nothing

As an 'average' recreational diver, I put far too much trust in dive masters while on holiday dives. I was definitely the 'muppet' on the dive boat that an earlier post mentioned. Looking back on those dives, I can count up several incidents where it was damn good luck that got me and my buddy out of the water safely--certainly it wasn't skill! In the past few months, working through basic OW with my son while he certified and then doing our drysuit specialty, I've woken up a few times thinking of events that scare the crap out of me now but didn't even cause me to blink back when they happened.

My new knowledge, coupled with more frequent diving, is slowly improving my awareness of the dangers and the fun of diving. It may not be the optimal order, but we will both be taking our AOW (Jr for him) while on vacation in Hawaii this Christmas and then looking into the rescue course next summer. I'd like to think I'd feel this way no matter what, but diving with my own child certainly hammers home the need for advanced training, safely & steadily increasing experience, and thoroughly debriefing each dive to discuss what went well, what went just okay and what really needs improving.

I certainly see the benefit of the rescue course as soon as possible, but I think I will get much more out of it now that I've had a little (very little) extra training and more experience under water.

 

[TMHeimer]

We had a old saying in ski patrol. "Buy good gear (ice axe, signal beacon, shovel, probe ) then give it to the person your skiing with because that's the gear that's going to be used to save your ass!" In other words if you and the people around you are properly trained and prepared for whatever comes at you, especially in the areas of known risk sports, such as scuba-diving, the better your chances are that an ongoing positive outcome will be the result. Challenge yourself and your fellow divers with simple games like mask clearing and buoyancy control. First aid drills are good and full rescue practices are even better. You can't have "too much" when it comes to rescue skills.

Right. One fellow Rescue Course student asked the instructor "Wouldn't it be better for me if my buddy was a Rescue Diver if only one of us were?" "Yes". Of course if you are one as well you can rescue him and probably yourself, with your new self-rescue knowledge. This is the reason I advise OW students to try to find a rescue diver or at least a more advanced one to buddy with at first.