Certification »

PADI Rescue Diver

The PADI Rescue Diver is the first step in transitioning from an experienced sport diver into the professional ranks of scuba diving.

What Can They Do?

As a PADI Rescue Diver, you will be trained in the following:

  • focus on and consider the safety and well-being of other divers,

  • recognize problems, prevent them, and recover from them,

  • self-rescue and diver stress,

  • AED and emergency oxygen delivery systems,

  • diving first aid and procedures for pressure related accidents,

  • swimming and non-swimming rescue techniques,

  • emergency management and equipment,

  • panicked diver response,

  • underwater problems,

  • missing diver procedures,

  • surfacing an unconscious diver,

  • in-water rescue breathing protocols, and

  • exits.

Additionally, obtaining your PADI Rescue Diver certification is a prerequisite for becoming a PADI Dive Master. Some dive shops will operate Rescue Diver and Dive Master as a continuous session.

Requirements

  • Minimum age: 12

  • Minimum logged dives: there is no official minimum, but some dive shops impose an advisory minimum of 36-39 dives. This is because many dive shops operate the Rescue Diver certification in conjunction with the Dive Master program. The Rescue Diver practical portions are usually done as 1-4 dives. If you are under the shop's limit when you start, you will not be over the minimum to start Dive Master at the completion of your Rescue Diver certification. Pool dives do not count towards the Dive Master minimum.

  • PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification or Junior Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or other internationally recognized training agency)

  • CPR and First Aid training (like Emergency First Response or DAN Basic Life Support: CPR & First Aid) within the past 24 months

The Process

During the PADI Rescue Diver program, you will learn about procedures and responsibilities through classroom, independent study, and practical simulations of problem scenarios in the water. Certifying operators typically require at least 1 classroom session followed by ~4 days of diving where you practice the techniques you've learned.