Feb 17, 2021

Rescue Diver - Are you Ready?

Background

We often hear from divers that they do not feel ready to become a rescue diver, if one of our professionals is suggesting you take that next step then YES YOU ARE.

But to answer the question Are you ready to become a Rescue Diver?, you are once you are comfortable as a diver, able to dive down into the different types of dive sites with ease and if are starting to look around at other divers and questioning why things are being done or not done then you are more than ready

During the Rescue Course, you will expand upon the knowledge you have already gained .

In the Open Water Diver course, you learned the basics of how to scuba dive alongside a buddy. Your Advanced Open Water Course taught you to develop those basics and explore different skills and continue to improve your diving ability

The Rescue course is about changing your mind set and start to get you to begin to look outside yourself and your own skills and learn to tune in with others underwater.

Reasons to become a Rescue Diver

See the Bigger picture
Improve your dive skills and confidence underwater which all leads to making you a better buddy and a better diver
Improve your navigation skills
Become prepared for any dive emergency
Last course before Divemaster
Its loads of fun

See the Bigger Picture
Here at Dive Rutland we believe that if as a diver you are starting to notice the little things that might not be quite right or another diver suffering with a little apprehension they this is the sign you are ready to become a Rescue Diver.

During the rescue diver training you learn to become more aware of your surroundings including how to recognise the various signs and symptoms of various types of stress - Tired divers, panicked divers and so much more.

As a Rescue Diver, you'll be able to spot potential problems and fix them before they ever happen, as your eyes open up to the "bigger" picture around you.

Improve your dive skills and confidence underwater
The more time you spend in the water the more your dive skills and confidence grow, this is a fact. All of these things lead to you being a better diver and a much better and aware buddy.

Improve your navigation skills
Part of the Rescue course is learning how to search for lost items using different underwater search patterns.

Increasing your navigation skills underwater is always a good thing as it will increase your comfort in the water and could come in handy the next time you drop something valuable or we get asked to go put in mooring lines at Rutland Water or find that lost engine on the local duck pond or even a lost keel all things we have used our navigation skills for over the years

Lost Engine
Keel Recovery
Mooring Lines

Become better prepared for any diving emergency
There are all kinds of side benefits to becoming a Rescue Diver course but the number one benefit and reason most people take this course is that you will leave with the skills you would need to save someone's life in a diving emergency.

This is worth its weight in gold.

Should you find yourself in a situation where your dive buddy or someone else diving in your group has an underwater emergency you will feel confident enough to offer aid, and could possibly be the one to save their life. Is there really any other reason you would need besides that?

Last Course before becoming a Divemaster

Some people know they want to become a dive professional and the rescue course is the last course needed as a pre-requisite (there are other requirements) prior to the first professional certification - Divemaster.

What can I expect?

You can expect your course to be challenging, if checking out different providers ask what the course includes and who your instructor will be; find out if you can meet them to discuss what their teaching style is like. Also ask how long you can expect the course to take (this will vary depending on where you are), and how many other students will be on the course alongside you.

If you’re completing the course with other students you may have the opportunity to play victim as well as rescuer. Any Divemaster who has assisted a rescue course can tell you you’ll learn just as much from acting victim.

Sometimes you may find you’re the only student, so your instructor may be assisted by a Divemaster or other instructor. This usually makes for a really fun environment; when there’s a rescue course going on most of the dive professionals will want to get involved, and you’ll probably find lots of other teachers fighting for a chance to act out an emergency and show off their amateur dramatics!

It is Fun
Yes the course is fun but forget a rescue course being “fun” or as a stepping stone to something else. Learn the skills because they can be the difference between life and death.

Becoming a Rescue Diver is probably the most important certification we think all divers should receive after they become an Open Water Diver. So what are you waiting for?