This course trains divers to manage risks and effectively prevent or handle in-water problems and diving emergencies. Included are: assists, transports, surface rescues and rescues from depth involving both boat and shore based skin and scuba divers. The training emphasizes accident supervision and management with practical applications in open water. This course is designed specifically to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to:

• 
  Help prevent diving accidents.
• Recognize life-threatening diving situations.
• Correctly initiate and/or supervise rescue/assist procedures.
• Effectively perform in-water rescue/assist techniques and procedures.
• Correctly manage rescue assistants during and after rescues.
• Provide immediate, effective post-rescue aid. Correctly manage a diving emergency with adjustments for local variants.
• Graduates are considered competent to perform assists and rescues in open water provided the diving site and diving situations approximate those of the course.

Graduates may use this certification as a prerequisite for the Training Assistant Specialty Course, Leadership Courses and Instructor Courses.

Cost

$295.

Prerequisites

• Be at least 15 years old (17 for Advanced Rescue).
• Possess a minimum of Advanced Diver (or equivalent).
• If accredited First Aid and CPR certification are not offered as part of the course. current certification in both is required for certification.
• Proof of oxygen administration training within the past two years is required unless oxygen administration is offered as part of the course.

Participants must comfortably perform the following skills prior to beginning training. Time involved for performing the skills is in addition to the estimated course hours. The instructor is to use these skills as screening evaluation criteria:

• Swim 225 yard (207 meters) nonstop, any stroke, in six minutes or less. Survival swim for 15 minutes.
• Recover ten pounds (4.5 kg) from about 10 feet (three meters) of water.
• Transport another person of equal size 25 yards (22.9 meters), Skin diving skills as required for the Scuba Diver Course.