Question on SDI Rescue Diver prerequisites

[Vislor]

I've heard conflicting things on the prerequisites for the SDI Rescue Diver program and wondering if anyone knows the answer (I've looked at the SDI/TDI site but it doesn't seem to have a listing of prerequisites for any of the courses).

Does Rescue require the student to have the Advanced Diver certification AND 40 logged dives or is it the Advanced Diver certification OR 40 logged dives?

I earned my Advanced Scuba Diver certification this past weekend and was wondering if I need to wait until I log 40 dives before I can sign up for Rescue (my shop teaches it w/ CPROX or whatever is needed for that requirement).

 

[World HQ SDI/TDI/ERDI]

Vislor,
Sorry to hear you are getting conflicting information. As per SDI Standards and Procedures, the prerequisite for the SDI Rescue Diver Course is Advanced Adventure Diver OR 40 logged dives. Because of the way SDI structures it’s standards, this is a minimum requirement. That means, that the facility or instructor is allowed to require more than that for entrance to their course if they choose to. This may be why you are hearing conflicting ideas, one may require both, while the other requires one or the other.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm an SDI Instructor but I teach Rescue through an agency that only requires ten dives after open water. And that's how it should be. Requiring any other cert before Rescue other than an OW cert is dumb and dangerous. I want my students to have rescue before I take them into an Advanced course.
That said according to the standards that I have open in front of me you need to have

1. SDI Advanced Diver cert OR equivalent Ie any Advanced Open Water cert.
OR
2. Open Water and 40 logged open water dives. You DO NOT NEED Advanced if you have OW and 40 logged dives.

I'm kinda ok with this but still feel 40 dives is too long to wait. It's also why I do rescue skills workshops under my other agency for those who may not want or for some reason can't do a full rescue course. There are skills they still need to have and should not be denied them.