To start this specialty you´ll need to
• be at least 14 years old
• hold thePADI Advanced Open Water Diver qualification, or have a qualifying certification from another training organization
• have EFR® Primary and Secondary Care training within 24 months (EFR course can be completed alongside the Rescue course)
• have dived within the last six months and feel confident in your assembly and use of SCUBA equipment, along with reasonable buoyancy control. If in any doubt then please contact us, but we can offer you the PADI Reactivate program to prepare you for the training dives
• have a medical statement completed and signed by your doctor (download here)
• agree to our course terms and conditions (download here)
from €265
Add confidence to your diving and become a better diving buddy by taking the PADI Rescue Diver course. The PADI Rescue Diver course shows you how to look for potential problems and how to deal with them before they become serious, and if you do find yourself in or on the water when a diver emergency happens then you´ll have the training to offer assistance.
The PADI Rescue Diver course is run over two days, and combined with the PADI Rescue Diver manual, provides you with a comprehensive set of skills that prepares you for a diving emergency.
The PADI Rescue Diver course includes everything you´ll need. We´ll supply you with –
• Full equipment for diving including wetsuit, BCD, regulator set, air/EANx dive computer, cylinders, hood, gloves, boots, fins, mask and weight system
• PADI Rescue Diver Crewpack including Accident Management Slate and EFR Pocket Mask with O2 Port in Hardshell Case
• Certification upon successful completion
And remember that on all of our courses there will never be more than four students per course!
You can book this course from €265 or alternatively enjoy a fully inclusive diving holiday from just €423 (2 people sharing)
The PADI Rescue Diver course comes with an informative and easy to understand manual. Within this manual you´ll get to look at-
• The psychology of Rescue
• Recognising diver stress
• Being prepared for an emergency
• Emergency oxygen delivery systems
• Automated external defibrillators
• Accident management
• Common equipment problems
• Thermal problems
• Responding to diver emergencies
• Non-swimming assists and rescues
• Assisting the responsive diver at the surface
• Exits with a responsive diver
• Missing diver procedures
• In-water rescue breathing techniques• Unresponsive diver underwater
• Equipment removal
Included within the manual are five Knowledge Development sections that you´ll need to complete, and are designed to help you better understand and retain the information. You’ll also need to compile an ‘Emergency Action Plan’; we’ll ask you to do this for a local diving area and provide you with guidance on how to do this.
This course also includes a final exam, which needs to be passed to obtain certification.
With the knowledge development completed it´s time to gear up and head into the water. We’ll first look at the rescue skills, and then you’ll carry out a rescue scenario!
Rescue Exercises – depth 5-9 mtrs
There are eleven ‘Rescue Exercises’ to complete. After a short briefing you’ll be provided with a demonstration of each exercise, and with the demonstration completed it’s your turn to show proficiency in each exercise.
• Self-Rescue Review
• Tired Diver
• Panicked Diver
• Response from shore, boat or dock (responsive diver)
• Distressed Diver Underwater
• Missing Diver
• Surfacing the Unresponsive Diver
• Unresponsive Diver at the Surface
• Exiting the Unresponsive Diver
• First Aid for Pressure-Related Injuries and Oxygen Administration
• Response from Shore/Boat to Unresponsive (non-breathing) Diver at the Surface
Rescue Scenario – depth 6-12 mtrs
Time to put those rescue skills into practice. There’s a missing diver and you need to act fast! Within this scenario you’ll need to –
• Search for and locate a missing diver during an accident simulation
o Interviewing the victim’s buddy and drawing logical conclusions from the information presented
o Organising a quick and effective search (using surface and underwater search patterns)
o Searching for and locating a missing diver
o Bringing a diver simulating unresponsiveness to the surface using controlled positive buoyancy
o Effectively responding to an unresponsive, non-breathing diver during an accident simulation.
o Evaluation, tow, in-water rescue breathing, removing equipment, exiting and providing CPR
What other courses can you link in, and improve your skills as a PADI Rescue Diver? Conducting an efficient underwater search for a missing diver can save time, and increase the possibility of providing a successful outcome. Proficiency in the use of an underwater compass and of the various underwater search patterns can greatly increase your skillset as a Rescue Diver. The PADI Underwater Navigator & Search and Recovery Diver specialty courses provide a solid foundation in these skills..