Rescue or ???

[ScubaWithTurk]

Rescue seems to be the consensus!

Is there another course (other agency?) which adds diver skills? I'm thinking about the self reliant diver, which is what my uk based agency (bsac) teaches.

Shame that buddy diving can be so poor.

There are lots of courses that add skills but it is based on what type of diving you will be doing. A wreck course can be great for learning to lay line, touch buddy procedures and learning how to identify possible hazards.

Search and Recovery is a course I did not think I would ever use but then I had a test on a dive boat drop their computer overboard. Down I went with a buddy after making a plan, ran a search pattern taught in the course and surfaced with the diver's computer.

Navigation is always good to learn for when you are doing dives where you need to get back to a certain point.

The list can go on but you have to look at what diving you want to do. I would suggest sitting down with an instructor you trust and talk through these things. Any good instructor can put together a list of courses tailored for what you want. Some will also put together a workshop where you do not get a card but get to learn the skills you believe you will need in the future.

 

[happy-diver]

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...hUKEwjwwqDKs5PlAhW06XMBHYZfDrMQ9aACCFM&adurl=

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...hUKEwjwwqDKs5PlAhW06XMBHYZfDrMQ9aACCFM&adurl=

By looking at the picture, that is a much older Rescue book. I would go with the most recent as things change when it comes to how to handle emergencies.

 

[happy-diver]

You're taking the mickey hey aren't you

13 bucks, get it read it learn something

I would go with the most recent as things change when it comes to how to handle emergencies.

 

[drjtprice]

Reading a book won't make you a better diver, only applying the skills in the water will be. If you are worried about being sued, don't get certified but do the pool and OW work. Self reliant is another choice for gaining skills, whether you then did (or were even allowed to) dive solo is irrelevant - you are more confident of your skills in the water. The coursework and diving in most OW and AOW is much less than it used to be (to 'encourage' you to take more certs and spend more money!). Navigation, deep and night were all part of my NASDS AOW, with PADI they are add ons. The reason to take rescue diver is to make you better able to rescue (and keep from being rescued) yourself. I trained many lifeguards in another life and one of the first things they need to learn is how not to become a victim.

 

[NAM001]

I completely disagree. I'm a diver with disabilities. I'm half way through my rescue course (theory, confined, two open water dives done) with RAID, and have found it to be okay, not physically challenging even for me. Note that it's with RAID, which is supposed to be more rigorous than PADI.

I put off this course for years because people gave me advice like yours. They told me it was impossible for me to even attempt the course. Well, I'm doing alright over here. It's a course like any course. Good instructors can come up with different ways to teach different students, adapting to their needs and strengths.

Also, having good instructors for actual in person class is important. Practicing the skills with their inputs is important. There are many things you won't be able to easily learn from a book. I've been trained in EFR plenty, and still found the course helpful to go through scuba related scenarios

And I obviously disagree also. It make no difference who or what you are... A 100 yard tow of someone to get to shore is not a walk in the park all the while trying to give CPR and other aid as needed. Instructors can adapt a class to anyone to allow a pass, It does not mean you are functional in the event of a real emergency. This is not a stab at you and neither was my prior comment a personal stab at you. It was a general comment. If I had to rank all the courses I have taken,, the hardest most physical demanding one was rescue. I learned that I never ever want to be in a situation where an adrenaline charged diver in panic gets a hold of me by surprise. Theory is one thing reality is another. Another very real difference is that rescue and recovery is not the same thing. Recovery is a piece of cake. From what I have seen many times in classes where I have colunteered to be the victim hte open water skills are very limited when it comes to a fighting victim and most drills are recovery based and not actual rescue based. Even OOA's in class are extreemly tame compared to what happens in the real thing. You mentioned that youare a disabled diver. That means nothing to me, Its too general statement. I will say that if you dont have full function of all limbs it is very difficult to expect to do any kind of rescue. Its hard enough to do CPR with one hand or arm on shore let alone doing it while towing someone. With one leg it has to be really tough to propel your self while towing some one and getting the to shore in time to save them. Again my comment had nothing to do with the disabled. Anyone that has don CPR in the old days when it was 5 heart and 1 lung knows how hard that is even in a class room using a recessa anne training aid. I stand by my opinion that rescue is a highly physically demanding class. Also for those that have concerns of legal liability, get teh books and self learn. its the skills that are important not the card.

 

[Storker]

Why not get the course book and self train.

One of the most rewarding parts of my Rescue class was the scenarios we had on the 2nd ocean diving day. While I don't know how realistic they were, they were an excellent way to experience adrenaline up to the eyeballs and to find out how I reacted in such conditions. I don't think that is learned by just reading the book, and I think it's very difficult to learn from self-training

 

[drjtprice]

Back to your original post....

Most of us think a rescue class is a good idea, you don't need to get the card, or you could get the card and don't tell anyone (which won't help if there is an accident but means you could get Master Scuba Diver later if you chose to). You don't have enough dives to take self-reliant (100).

But have you considered just hiring an instructor (if you can find one willing to do this) and developing your own curriculum to deal with the skills you want to know to be much more confident in the water - basically to be self reliant in a group. Really practice OOA if you think you might need it, or weight drops, ditch and don, getting entangled, buddy breathing off either primary or secondary (regardless of what you are taught) in a controlled environment with a GOOD person watching out for you. Getting trained so that if a typical emergency occurs, your actions are automatic. Learn to deal with surge, currents (not just drift diving), poor vis, navigation.

Do you have all of your own gear? If so, then learn it so well you could deal with any problem in the dark. Take an equipment repair course. I think there are some benefits to rental gear as you might not have your gear with you and it is good to be experienced with other types of gear (e.g., jacket BCD, wing, etc), other types of weight dropping mechanisms.

To me, the biggest problem with the current training regimes is not enough time in the pool and open water to become really confident (just take more courses I can hear the cert agencies say).

I am recently AOW certified and contemplating Rescue for a few reasons:

1. I want to continue training and build up my skills and confidence with an Instructor.

2. I’ve had a string of boat dives recently that left me a bit uncomfortable (group dives that didn’t pair up buddies, DM leading unqualified divers through wrecks, less than stellar insta buddies with no respect for the buddy system at all). So I want to develop my skills in the event that if something goes wrong and help isn’t around, I can save my own behind.

3. I find myself naturally looking out for everyone anyway. Almost to a point where I’m more concerned about making sure my buddy/my group is safe rather than actually enjoying the dive. I’m not neurotic, but there are too many sad stories out there, and I don’t want to become a statistic or witness one, wishing I had the skills or training to help or prevent it.

One of my good friends (and dive buddy) is an attorney and has tried to discourage me from getting the Rescue C card. She warns... too much liability and obligation, and with all the litigation these days, I’d be exposing myself to unnecessary liability if something went wrong.

I know there is mixed controversy on the subject on this forum, and I’m not looking for advice on whether I should or shouldn’t do it. At the end of the day, only I can decide if an accident happened, would I feel better knowing I tried to help and failed? Or did nothing, but didn’t get sued? I think that’s a personal decision that I need to wrestle with myself.

But I am wondering if not Rescue, then what? I’m looking for recommendations on which specialty courses I could/should take that would provide the same/similar skills development as Rescue. Underwater Nav + ??? Again, I want to advance my skills with an instructor, beyond just “gain more experience diving with (questionable) buddies” and “continue practicing OW basics.”

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

[NAM001]

One of the most rewarding parts of my Rescue class was the scenarios we had on the 2nd ocean diving day. While I don't know how realistic they were, they were an excellent way to experience adrenaline up to the eyeballs and to find out how I reacted in such conditions. I don't think that is learned by just reading the book, and I think it's very difficult to learn from self-training

You are 100% correct. My comment was that training excersizes do not use realistic situations. IE convulsing diver grab then from behind take them up. CONTROLLED OOA calmly donate our reg and go up. all very simple and not demanding at all. As you mentioned ocean divnig in your comment. many situations of just getting a diver back on a boat in a somewhat mild sea state is exhausting at times let alone while doing a rescue. When you watch the videos of rescue training events where the victim is coming at you and you have to evade to gain position to safely take charge of the victim and return to the surface, you cant help but think how difficult it would be in a current or if not in good physical condition or as one posted a disabled diver. When I did my rescue towing the diver took a lot of energy to get them to shore in a reasonable time. A fatigued diver is one thing ,,,a hurt or unconscious or a panic stricken diver is another matter. Classes seem to avoid those situations. Stripping gear of the victim while towing is another very exhausting phase of rescue. Rescue classes I have been involved with are in ideal water conditons. good water complaint victiim.

The biggest part of rescue for me was learning to recognize problems bilding and preventing the situation from becoming critical in order to avoid the need for rescue. Recognition and prevention through intervention can be learned form reading. Early intervention deters uncontrollable stiuations form developing.

 

[Storker]

To me, the biggest problem with the current training regimes is not enough time in the pool and open water to become really confident

If the OP had hailed from the right side of the pond, I'd recommend joining a club. A good club provides affordable diving and great possibilities for mentorship from more experienced members. No matter whether it's a CMAS affiliated club or a BSAC affiliated club.

Unfortunately, I have the impression that the situation is rather different on the left side of the pond.