Whew!!! I just finished my Rescue class and boy am I tired. Saving people requires a lot more energy than I thought. I consider myself to be in pretty good physical condition but after today I know I need to workout even more.
Rescue Diver is such a great class to take; I think all divers should take this class. I plan on keeping my skills fresh by volunteering to play the “victim” in upcoming Rescue classes so I can gain even more experience in rescue techniques.
While taking the Rescue Diver class, I was surprised to relearn some important lessons that we all know, but sometimes forget…like the possible problems of using new or unfamiliar equipment, and always having a good way to signal your dive buddies. For instance, I had just bought a new mask the day before but forgot to clean it with toothpaste. As a result, the mask was so fogged up that my Instructor had to let me use his mask. It’s kinda important to be able to see (especially if you’re searching for someone)! Also, as we were doing our search pattern and looking for the hurt/drowning victim, I realized that if I did see him, I would have no way to signal my dive buddies and that would just waste more time. Signaling devices are just as important underwater as they are on the surface.
I’m so glad I did the Rescue course and would recommend that every diver do so. You never know when you might need to help a fellow diver or when you might need to be rescued yourself.
Aloha, Jon
