R E S C U E D I V E R M a n u a l The Way the World Learns to Dive® PADI’s Rescue Diver program will build As you master rescue techniques, your confidence as a diver, give you valuable adapting your new-found skills to suit a experience in emergency management and variety of different situations both in and out prevention and heighten your awareness of of the water, your confidence level will soar. the surrounding environment. In addition, the “tool box” of techniques, skills and knowledge you have accumulated RESCUE DIVER Your home-study materials cover principles throughout the Rescue Diver program will give Manual and information necessary for preventing and you the expertise and confidence to handle handling dive emergencies. Sections on self- almost any emergency situation. rescue, diver stress, diving first aid, emergency management, equipment problems and other topics prepare you to handle almost any emergency whether on the shoreline or in the water. Product No. 79102 (Rev. 02/13) Version 3.07 © PADI 2011 307PDE13 Printed in Canada PADI Rescue Diver Manual ________________________________________________________________________________________ Student Diver _________________________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________________ City, State/Province _________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________ Instructor Date PADI Members are licensed to use various PADI Trademarks and to conduct PADI training. Individual, dive center and resort Members are not agents, employees or franchisees of PADI. Member business activities are independent, and are neither owned nor operated by PADI. While PADI establishes the standards for PADI diver training programs, it is not responsible for, nor does it have the right to control, the operation of the Members’ business activities and the day-to-day conduct of PADI programs and supervision of divers by the Members or their associated staff. PADI Rescue Diver Manual © PADI 2011 No part of this product may be reproduced, sold or distributed in any form without the written permission of the publisher. ® indicates a trademark is registered in the U.S. and certain other countries. Published by PADI 30151 Tomas Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-2125 USA ISBN 978-1-878663-09-2 Printed in Canada Product No. 79102 (Rev. 02/13) Version 3.07 2 Acknowledgments Editor in Chief Drew Richardson, Ed.D. Instructional Design, Development, Consultation and Review Drew Richardson,Ed.D., Lesley Alexander, Ph.D., Al Hornsby, Julie Taylor Sanders, Karl Shreeves, Robert Wohlers, Eric Albinsson International Review and Consultation Henrick Nimb, PADI Asia Pacific; Pascal Dietrich, PADI Europe; Takayuki Miyashita and Yasushi Inoue, PADI Japan; Trond Skaare and Hans Olsson, PADI Nordic; Suzanne Pleydell and Mark Caney, PADI International Ltd.; Associate Professor Simon J. Mitchel, MB ChB, PhD, DipDHM, DipOccMed, CertDHM (ANZCA), FANZCA Design and Production Joy Zuehls, Dail Schroeder, Kristen Core Illustrations Greg Beatty, Joe De La Torre Photography Al Hornsby, Karl Shreeves, Robert Wohlers Reference Sources 1. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured. Fourth Edition, 1987, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. 2. The Physiology and Medicine of Diving. Fourth Edition, 1993, Editors Peter Bennett and David H. Elliott, W.B. Saunders Company, Ltd. 3. Divers Alert Network, 1991 Underwater Diving Accident Manual. Duke University. 4. Oxygen First Aid for Divers. 1992, John Lippmann, J.L. Publications. 5. Patient Care Standards – The PADI Rescue Diver Course follows emer- gency considerations and protocols from the consensus view of the Basic Life Support (BLS) Working Group of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). ILCOR is an international standards group rep- resenting many of the world’s major resuscitation organizations. A source authority for the development on content material in the PADI Rescue Diver Course program is Guidelines 2005 for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, International Consensus on Science, Circulation, 2005; 112:IV-1-IV-5; ©2005 American Heart Association,® Inc. 6. Emergency First Response Participant Manual,© Emergency First Response® , Corp. 2007. 3 4 PADI Rescue Diver Manual Contents Introduction 7 Chapter Three 113 Course Overview 10 The Psychology of Rescue III 115 Course Philosophy 11 Being Prepared for a Diver Emergency III 119 How to Use This Manual 13 Accident Management III 122 Thermal Problems 126 Chapter One 15 Responding to Diver Emergencies III 129 The Psychology of Rescue I 16 Missing Diver Procedures 135 Recognizing Diver Stress 19 Being Prepared for a Diver Emergency I 25 Chapter Four 145 Emergency Oxygen Delivery Systems 29 The Psychology of Rescue IV 146 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) 33 Being Prepared for a Diver 148 Emergency IV Accident Management I 35 Accident Management IV 154 Responding to Diver Emergencies I 46 Near Drowning 156 Nonswimming Assists and Rescues 52 Responding to Diver Emergencies IV 158 Assisting the Responsive Diver at 55 the Surface Inwater Rescue Breathing Techniques 161 Unresponsive Diver Underwater 166 Chapter Two 65 Equipment Removal 169 The Psychology of Rescue II 66 Being Prepared for a Diver Emergency II 70 Chapter Five 177 Common Equipment Problems 83 The Psychology of Rescue V 178 Release Function and Problems 87 Being Prepared for a Diver Emergency V 181 Accident Management II 91 Accident Management V 187 Responding to Diver Emergencies II 96 Responding to Diver Emergencies V 189 Exits with a Responsive Diver 102 Post Attendance 106 Appendix / Index 201 5 6 PADI Rescue Diver Manual Introduction It’s been a great, long, shallow dive on a reef so beautiful, you ran out of film half an hour before. You and a group of eight divers ascend a short swim from the charter boat; no sooner do you break the surface, when someone in the group shouts, “Ow! My leg.” You turn to see a diver about 3 metres/10 feet away grimacing, grab- bing his calf, confirm- ing your instinctive suspicion: leg cramp. For a second, you pause, sizing up the situation: no immediate danger, but the diver has no regulator or snorkel in his mouth, and his BCD is empty. He’s kicking with one leg to stay at the surface while he massages his calf. You hand your camera to your buddy, and with three strong kicks, reach the diver. “Let me help you. Are you okay?” you ask. “Leg cramp,” the diver puffs, breathing hard as he fights to keep his head out of the water. Introduction 7 “Relax. Is this better?” you ask, inflating his BCD. “Yeah, thanks.” “Put your foot on my chest,” you suggest. The diver does, and you mas- sage his calf, helping him stretch the muscle. “How’s that?” “Much better, thanks,” he says, lying back to relax. “Good.” With that, you grasp him gently under his arm and begin to push him toward the dive boat. “I think I can swim back now,” the diver says when you’re about half way to the boat. “Okay,” you say, “but if you start to cramp again, just say so. It’s no big deal to give you a ride.” “Thanks.” The diver makes it back under his own power. Later, he pauses to thank you for your help. “Well, I didn’t really do much, but you’re welcome. I’ve had leg cramps myself, and I knew it’s easier to relieve them if someone holds your foot,” you reply, “And, by the way, that was smart to ask for a hand. Sometimes people won’t ask for help until they’re in serious trouble.” 8 PADI Rescue Diver Manual The previous situation typifies the most common assist divers encounter. At first glance, it might not look like it takes any more knowledge and training than when you learned how to assist a tired diver as a PADI Open Water Diver. However, the skills of a rescue diver may be subtle, and it’s worth looking closer: First, you (the rescuer) were mentally and physically prepared to handle the matter. Then, you accurately assessed the situation, noting that because the diver wasn’t buoyant and wasn’t breathing from his regulator or snorkel, if you didn’t intervene, the problem could potentially become more serious. Next, you acted decisively and correctly, first preventing the situation from becoming worse, and then to relieve the diver’s immedi- ate difficulty (the cramp). Finally, once aboard, you delicately managed the diver’s feelings by reinforcing the deci- sion to ask for help and by not acting like a hero at his expense. These are all principles and techniques that you’ll learn and master as you become certi- fied as a PADI Rescue Diver. When you first learned to dive in the PADI Open Water Diver course, you focused primarily on yourself and mastered knowledge and skills for tak- ing care of yourself underwater. In the Adventures in Diving program, your focus broadened to include the envi- ronment in a variety of situations. In the Most certified PADI Rescue PADI Rescue Diver course, you’re about to enter the next stage, in Divers look back on their rescue training as one of the most chal- which your focus broadens further to include other divers. lenging The PADI Rescue Diver program prepares you to help pre- – sometimes demanding – and therefore most rewarding pro- vent, and if necessary, manage dive emergencies, minor and grams they’ve taken. major, with a variety of techniques. What you’re about to learn will The subject is serious, but the training is fun. improve your skill and confidence as a diver, and prepare you to move on to the PADI Master Scuba Diver and PADI Divemaster levels. Most certified PADI Rescue Divers look back on their res- cue training as one of the most challenging – sometimes demand- ing – and therefore most rewarding programs they’ve taken. The subject is serious, but the training is fun. Introduction 9