Rescue Diver: Holiday Qualification

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Rescue Diver: Holiday Qualification

Whether you want to learn something new whilst on your Maldives diving holiday, fancy upgrading your skills on a long-weekend in the Mediterranean or are simply looking for your next big challenge, the Rescue Diver course is one of PADI’s most exciting and rewarding qualifications, and will help you to become a safer diver, a better buddy and a more valuable member of any dive team.

What is it? Rescue Diver is the third level in the PADI qualification system, and forms a natural progression from Advanced Open Water. The training builds on your ability to manage yourself and others, both under and above water, introducing new skills that will help you to pre-empt potential risks and deal with emergency situations. It’s a challenging course that requires you to make on-the-spot decisions and participate in extended role-plays.

What are the prerequisites? To enrol on the course, you will need to…

– Be at least 12 years old
– Hold a PADI Advanced Open Water certification (or similar)
– Hold current certifications for first aid and CPR, or have completed an Emergency First Response course

If you are not yet 12 years old, you can enrol on the PADI Junior Rescue Diver certification.

Who should take the course? Anyone who wants to enhance their underwater awareness, increase their confidence and heighten their scuba skills should consider the course. For those interested in progressing further in the PADI system, Rescue Diver is an important pre-requisite to subsequent qualifications.

What does it involve? As with the Open Water and Advanced PADI qualifications, this course includes both theoretical and practical elements. Using books, teaching and online materials, you’ll begin by learning new dive theory, such as the psychology of rescue and how to identify stress in a diver. New techniques, such as conducting searches, administering oxygen, and performing in-water artificial ventilation, will then be learnt in shallow water, before practicing in open water, in a series of potential scenarios.

The course takes around 10-12 hours to complete and will typically involve three days of classroom theory, pool training, and underwater practice, as well as shore and boat exercises. PADI Rescue Diver is made up of a series of topics, which include:

Self-rescue
Recognising and managing stress in other divers
Emergency management and equipment
Rescuing panicked divers
Rescuing unresponsive divers

How is it assessed? After reading and understanding the theory behind each topic, your knowledge will be assessed in end of unit exams. On successful completion of theory, you’ll begin practical training, which will be assessed in two Rescue Diver Scenarios, involving role-play by your dive instructor, dive team, yourself and your buddy. Each scenario will be different and will require you to use a repertoire of the skills learnt during training, such as assisting and managing a panicking diver, surfacing an unconscious diver and caring for the sufferer until professional help is administered on shore.

When and where can I take the qualification? Most certified PADI Training Centres offer the Rescue Diver qualification, so you could complete your training just as easily on a long-weekend in Devon, as on a Red Sea Liveaboard or Maldives Live Aboard – just ask at individual dive centres when the course is being offered.

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