Description

The PADI Rescue Diver course prepares you to deal with minor and major dive emergencies using various techniques.

Knowledge development and rescue exercises teach you what to look for and how to respond. During rescue scenarios, you put into practice your knowledge and skills. Topics include:

• Self-rescue
• Recognizing and managing stress in other divers
• Air Sharing
• Emergency management and equipment
• Rescuing panicked divers
• Rescuing unresponsive divers
• Scenarios

The PADI Rescue Diver course teaches you techniques to avoid and manage problems and improve your confidence as a diver. During the course, you’ll become a better buddy by enhancing your ability to identify potential issues and practicing dive emergency protocol. The subject is serious, but the training is fun. Price includes eLearning and certification when you have passed all the skills.

Course Standards Certification Requirements

Student divers must meet course performance requirements:

Complete five knowledge development segments and exam.

• Demonstrate skills from the Self-Rescue Review either in confined or open water.

• Demonstrate skills from Rescue Exercises 1-10 in open water.

• Participate in Rescue Scenarios 1 and 2 in open water.

• Prepare an emergency assistance plan for a dive site.

Diver Prerequisites

Minimum 15 years old, Note: (UTS standard)

EFR® Primary and Secondary Care training within 24 months. Training may be completed along with rescue diver course.

Students must successfully complete eLearning  Knowledge Reviews and the Rescue Diver Exam.

Bring your own gear and food.

Exercises and scenarios:

Demonstrate the correct procedures for the following self-rescue situations:
• Cramp release • Establishing buoyancy at the surface • Airway control • Use of an alternate air source • Overcoming vertigo and reestablishing a sense of direction.

Exercise 1

Tired Diver Assist a tired (rational) responsive diver at the surface,
Demonstrating: • Approach • Evaluation • Making Contact • Reassuring the Diver • Assists and Transport • Equipment Removal.

Exercise 2

Panicked Diver Rescue a panicked (irrational) diver,
Demonstrating: • Approach and Evaluation • Making Contact • Releases • Approach with a quick reverse to stay out of a panicked diver’s grasp.

Exercise 3

Response from shore, boat or dock (responsive diver) Assist a responsive diver in distress
Demonstrating: • Nonswimming assists, including reaches/extensions and throws • Water entries without losing sight of the victim and paced to conserve energy • Swimming assists and rescues, with and without emergency flotation equipment • Tows with and without equipment removed, including underarm push, tank valve tow and modified tired-swimmer carry • Exits.

Exercise 4

Distressed Diver Underwater
1. Correctly identify and respond to a diver simulating overexertion underwater. 2. Correctly identify and respond to a panicked diver making an uncontrolled ascent. 3. Correctly identify and provide air to, via an alternate air source, a diver simulating an out of air emergency, and make a controlled air-sharing ascent.

Exercise 5

Missing Diver Quickly and efficiently search for and locate a missing diver using an underwater search pattern.

Exercise 6

Surfacing the Unresponsive Diver
1. Use controlled positive buoyancy as an aid to ascent. 2. Bring an unresponsive diver to the surface using buoyancy control of either the unresponsive diver or the rescuer.

Exercise 7

Unresponsive Diver at the Surface
1. Make contact with and check for breathing on an unresponsive diver at the surface, demonstrating: • Calling for help while establishing buoyancy and turning the diver face up. • Removing the diver’s mask and regulator, opening airway and checking for breathing.
2. Demonstrate inwater rescue breathing using the following methods: • Mouth-to-rescue breathing mask • Mouth-to-mouth • Mouth-to-nose (optional) • Mouth-to-snorkel (optional)
3. While continuing effective rescue breathing, demonstrate equipment removal (victim and rescuer) while towing the diver toward an exit.

Exercise 8

Exiting the Unresponsive Diver
1. Remove a breathing, unresponsive diver from the water, both with and without assistance.
2. Remove a nonbreathing diver from the water, both with and without assistance.

Exercise 9

First Aid for Pressure-Related Injuries and Oxygen Administration
1. Demonstrate steps and procedures for administering oxygen to a breathing, unresponsive diver with suspected decompression illness.
2. Administer oxygen to a nonbreathing diver while using a rescue breathing mask for rescue breathing.

Exercise 10

Response from Shore/Boat to Unresponsive (nonbreathing)
Diver at the Surface Respond to a diver emergency that requires attending to a nonbreathing, unresponsive diver on the surface, demonstrating inwater rescue breathing, exiting the water and then providing CPR. Section Four Rescue Scenarios General Scenario Considerations Conduct all Rescue Scenarios in open water.  as teams or as individuals.

Scenario 1

Unresponsive Diver Underwater Search for and locate a missing diver during an accident simulation.
Demonstrate:
1. Interviewing the victim’s buddy and drawing logical conclusions from the information presented.
2. Organizing a quick and effective search (using surface and underwater search patterns).
3. Searching for and locating a missing diver.
4. Bringing a diver simulating unresponsiveness to the surface using controlled positive buoyancy.

Scenario 2

Unresponsive Diver at the Surface Demonstrate:
1. Effectively responding to an unresponsive, nonbreathing diver during an accident simulation.
2. Evaluation, tow, inwater rescue breathing, removing equipment, exiting and providing CPR. Note: Either use a CPR mannequin or simulate compressions for CPR.