Ask almost any experienced diver and they'll tell you: Rescue Diver is the course that made the biggest difference. It's demanding — you'll work through scenarios covering everything from a panicked diver at the surface to a full missing-diver search — but it's also one of the most rewarding things you can do as a diver. You'll come out of it a calmer, more capable, more self-aware buddy.
You'll work through five knowledge sections on rescue psychology, stress recognition, and accident management, then practice ten specific rescue exercises in confined water before demonstrating them in open water, along with two full rescue scenarios. Most of the practical skills happen at or near the surface, so the course is built around realistic problem-solving rather than deep diving.
Recognizing diver stress before it becomes a problem, assisting panicked or unresponsive divers at the surface and underwater, in-water rescue breathing, managing equipment problems, organizing a missing-diver search, and running a full emergency response.
You'll need an Advanced Open Water (or Adventure Diver with the Underwater Navigation dive completed) certification, plus EFR Primary and Secondary Care training (or equivalent) within the past 24 months — I can help you knock that out alongside this course. Minimum age 12.
The Rescue Diver eLearning and manual, all confined and open water rescue exercises and scenarios, and your Rescue Diver certification.
Ready to become the diver everyone wants on their boat? Let's get started.