With an open schedule and in need of some routine I took it upon myself to enroll in a Rescue Diver Certification Course.\u00a0 With still being in Thailand and continuing to dive while learning every mistake not to make it only made sense to become more proficient if not for myself, then for the fellow divers around me.<\/p>\n
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Returning to Koh Tao Thailand seemed the perfect place to take this course.\u00a0 With so many dive shops on the island and being unsure who to use for this next level class I did what I always do.\u00a0 I went to a bar and chatted other divers up.\u00a0 One shop that seemed to always be spoken highly of was Scuba Shack.\u00a0 It was not only a great decision to choose them for their professionalism, but it was right next door to where I was staying on Sairee Beach.<\/p>\n
There are several requirements prior to beginning the rescue diver course. One is having an advanced scuba certification which allows you to dive to a depth of 30 meters and further educates you on proper buoyancy while underwater.\u00a0 Having just taken this a month prior helped me as the fundamentals were still fresh in my head.\u00a0 The second was to obtain an updated First Responder course.\u00a0 This part of the class was half a day and entailed covering CPR, proper bandage application, and procedures on how to help others in numerous types of emergency situations from car accidents to everyday incidents you may come across anywhere on land.\u00a0 Once that was completed and I passed the online course, the real challenge began.\u00a0 Scuba rescue operations while at sea include incidents well below the water’s surface.<\/p>\n
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The water rescue portion was what I was really itching to learn.\u00a0 It was a challenging experience both mentally and physically.\u00a0 Many of the scenarios involved how to identify and treat divers who are exhausted, panicked, or unconscious.\u00a0 Another major prop I will give Scuba Shack is the actors in these scenarios did a fabulous job (I think I may still have a lump on my head from rescuing the panicked diver).\u00a0 The most work was in having to rescue an unconscious diver underwater.\u00a0 This included how to bring them safely to the surface, how to bring them to the boat while they are yelling for help, and providing rescue breaths every 5 seconds (including doing wo while taking both your gear and their gear off).\u00a0 It was humbling how much work and focus it took to perform these tasks with precision. My partner, Naz and I managed to successfully perform these tasks both solo and as a team.<\/p>\n
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Upon completing our final skills test (which was an underwater navigation search and rescue), we both relaxed on the boat celebrating with some coffee and fresh fruit when we heard several people screaming for help in the water.\u00a0 It was the final exam. Naz and I had to rescue three divers needing help.\u00a0 We had to prioritize each one and work as a team to safely rescue them all in order of priority.\u00a0 We performed this successfully.<\/p>\n
We both passed our course, and our confidence and diving abilities greatly increased from attending this class. Naz is currently in the Dive Master Program with Scuba Shack on Koh Tao.\u00a0 She will be an excellent dive master.\u00a0 My travels are continuing; I’m currently examining a map and selecting the next country I’ll visit.<\/p>\n
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I want to thank all the wonderful people at Scuba Shack and our instructor Sita on the great experiences during this class and on our fun dives we performed several times each week.<\/p>\n
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