NAUI Advanced Rescue Diver

This is a certification course for certified scuba divers who desire to assume greater rescue capabilities during diving activities. 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.

For a period of three years after the course, graduates are considered competent to perform assists and rescues in aquatic situations so long as the situation approximates one for which they have been trained. After renewal of certification, the individual will again be considered competent.

For renewal of certification, an individual with current First Aid and CPR certifications must correctly demonstrate to an active-status NAUI Instructor the open water skills contained within these standards.

• Age. Minimum age is 17 years.
• Diver Certification. Minimum is NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver or equivalent.
• CPR & First Aid Certification. Current certification in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and First Aid by a NAUI recognized agency. Training shall include: one rescuer adult CPR, infant/child CPR, two rescuer CPR, and rescue mask - barrier device use. (Certification as a water safety instructor and in lifeguarding is strongly recommended.)
• Oxygen Training. Proof of oxygen administration training within the past two years is required unless oxygen administration is offered as part of the course. Oxygen administration training must include the assembly, use, and basic maintenance of constant flow and demand valve oxygen delivery systems.
• Diving Skills. 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:
  • Swimming skills (no equipment)
    –Swim 225 yard (207 m) nonstop, any stroke, in six minutes or less.
    –Survival swim for 15 minutes.
    –Recover 10 pounds (4.5 kg) from about 10 feet (3 m) of water.
    –Transport another person of equal size 25 yards (22.9 m).
  • Skin diving skills as required for the NAUI Scuba Diver Course.
  • Scuba skills (scuba equipment)
    –Assemble equipment, make adjustments, don equipment, and perform pre-dive equipment inspections.
    –In turn, at the surface remove and replace mask, snorkel, fins, weight belt and scuba unit.
    –In turn, underwater remove, replace and clear mask and regulator, comfortably breathe from a regulator without wearing a mask for two minutes, buddy breathe, and share air using and alternate air source.
    –Demonstrate surface use of the BC and the ability to hover underwater.
    –Perform a Scuba Lifesaving Transport (see “Details of Selected Skills”) of another scuba diver 100 yards (91 m) within four minutes.