Sooner or later with enough dives something will happen, it probably will be something minor but are you prepared? Consider getting some training as a Rescue Diver.

Rescue training is sometimes referred to as the “ultimate dive buddy training” because you learn to become a self-reliant, and competent diver. The main focus of training is to learn how to deal another diver in the event something goes wrong.  Remember back to your basic scuba class you were taught to “stop, think and then act”.  Did really understand the “act” part?  Rescue training will teach you the “act”: locating a missing diver, surfacing an unconscious diver and providing in-water resuscitation, getting the victim back to the boat or shore and accident management.  You also learn to be prepared for other problems, how to plan for and how to prevent problems from occurring.

Many additional skills are gained that make you a better overall diver.  For example you will become more observant of other and your “global awareness” will improve.  Recognizing pre-dive stress in others and how to best handle those situations is a key skill on the prevention side of the equation.  As your awareness increases you will understand common causes of diving incidents and more importantly, how to properly deal with them correctly.

Every diver will benefit from this training for the simple fact of understanding physical demands of rescuing another diver, especially in the ocean.  Think of your regular dive buddy, could you tow them a couple hundred yards while simultaneously providing in-water resuscitation?  Now add a little current, get the picture?

Diving is a safe and fun activity.  Serious accidents are rare, but an underwater adventure can turn to tragedy in a flash. Rescue training helps you develop an awareness to anticipate potential problems before they strike. The ability to recognize and prevent problems is a very valuable skill, one that could save a life.

So as you think back to the beginning, put yourself in the picture and ask yourself ‘If something were to go wrong am I prepared, am I confident in my rescue abilities?  If your answer is anything but an enthusiastic “yes” contact your local dive shop and get into the next rescue course.

The old saying goes:

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

To learn more about rescue training visit www.NAUI.org and learn more about the author visit www.scubajax.com

I am often asked (again just today) “How old does my child need to be to dive?”.   NAUI has a minimum age requirement for open water scuba diver, it is 15 years.

NAUI does have a Junior certification for ages 12 – 14 years.  Some courses (open water) allow a conditional Junior Certification. This Junior certification can be issued to persons age 12 – 14 years.  Junior Certification carries several restrictions.

* The parent or guardian and Junior diver agree that the Junior diver will dive with a certified adult (18 years of age) diver of the parent’s or guardian selection.

* The parent or guardian and Junior diver agree that the Junior diver will limit diving depth to 60 feet or less.

* By signing the Junior certification card, the parent or guardian agrees to be responsible for the selection of the certified adult buddy and the limitation of the diving depth.

* To remove the Junior cards conditional requirements, a new card must be requested by an active-status NAUI Instructor, parent or legal guardian one the Junior attains the age required for full certification. “Junior” divers may directly request from NAUI a full certification in the event that they have reached the age of majority.¹

Teaching children is not for everyone. Just as scuba diving is not for everyone. All parties involved have to be in agreement. For me, the joy is seeing that young person safely and enjoyably scuba dive. Nothing can replace the wonder seen in a young persons eyes, when they are exploring the beauty of the undersea world.

I teach at Scuba Steve’s Aquatic Adventures (http://scubastevesadventures.com/) in Tyler, Texas.

Dean Pennington II
NAUI Instructor Trainer
16 November 2009

¹NAUI Standards and Policies Manual (Tampa, Florida: NAUI, 1996), page 2.9.

So why is it important to be able to swim underwater while holding your breath? I think we all can think of several reasons. Some of them would include comfort underwater without scuba, more comfort when skin diving and while snorkeling. There is also the added benefit of preparing the diver in the event of an out of air emergency while on scuba. Granted, the diver will not hold their breath while doing an emergency swimming ascent, but the diver does become accustomed to not breathing while underwater.

The first time swimming the length of the pool underwater can be a daunting task. It is uncomfortable and you think you are going to die or drown. Here I will insert a WORD OF CAUTION.

Any breath hold training must be done with supervision. The supervisor must be aware of the inherent dangers of breath hold diving. All breath hold diving Should Not be done with hyperventilation due to the risk of shallow water blackout. Strict attention must be payed to the diver while swimming underwater.

Underwater swimming while holding your breath is easy, say for ten seconds. Almost anyone healthy can hold their breath for thirty seconds. It is when you hold your breath and begin exertion that the problem arises. It is exactly that, a rise in the level of  CO₂(carbon dioxide) in your blood stream that triggers the desire to breath. Your bodies sensors are very sensitive to change in the levels of CO₂. These sensors are called carotid bodies.

The good news is that like many things associated with your body, you can train it. Training your body to gradually accept greater levels of CO₂ takes practice.  Ideally this will be done in the water with supervision. In addition to training your body you must train your mind. As a reader here on Scuba Jedi, certainly you will understand the need to train your mind! I will not delve to deeply here but instead will say that you must calm your mind and your body. Excitement stimulates your heart to beat faster.

If your heart beats faster, then your body uses more oxygen. If your body uses more oxygen it in turn produces more carbon dioxide. When CO₂ reaches that critical value, you have a incredible urge to breath.

So four steps to help enable you to successfully swim 25 yards underwater in one breath include:

1.  Supervised practice
2.  Gradual increase in time underwater
3.  Calm mind and calm body
4.  No Hyperventilation!

Let us not forget neutral buoyancy. If you float or are wearing thermal protection you will need to offset this with a minimal amount of weight. Another consideration when swimming underwater is streamlining and remaining hydrodynamic. Stretch out and remain level while swimming and do not forget to glide!

Swimming underwater while holding your breath is exciting, especially if you can see that you are making progress in your distance. If you follow the simple steps outlined you will be touching the wall at 25 yards in no time!

Dean Pennington II

NAUI Instructor Trainer

8 November 2009

¹NAUI Standards and Policies Manual (Tampa, Florida: NAUI, 1996), page 2.27.
²NAUI Standards and Policies Manual (Tampa, Florida: NAUI, 1996), page 2.73.

NAUI courses are very thorough and routinely exceed minimum industry standards. The basic course is Scuba Diver, which takes the non-diver to open water certification. This is followed by Advanced Scuba Diver which improves your overall knowledge and skill in the water. It is designed for newly certified divers and introduces them to many different types of activities available to certified divers. The Master Scuba Diver course helps you acquire leadership-level academic knowledge and enables you to participate in advanced diving activities .²

Other NAUI courses include Rescue Diving and Nitrox Diver. Leadership level courses with NAUI include Divemaster and Scuba Diving Instructor.

The NAUI ideal is “Dive Safety Through Education”. The NAUI slogan is “The Quality Difference”. The corporate mission statement is “to enable people to enjoy underwater activities as safely as possible by providing the highest quality practical education, and to actively promote the preservation and protection of the world’s underwater environments”. The NAUI credo states that businesses and individuals are entitled to do business with whomever they choose and we (NAUI) do not demand that they be exclusive to NAUI. They do however expect NAUI members to represent and support the NAUI organization to at least the same extent they support any other organization.³

To become a NAUI leader, it takes more than desire. The step up to leadership levels of Divemaster and Instructor is a challenging process. It entails performing and committing to the limits of your ability.

The primary goal of NAUI leadership training is to help the candidate become as successful a diving leader as they can be. The training has four aspects:

1. Acquiring diving knowledge and developing the ability to perform and demonstrate specific essential water skills.

2. Learning leadership skills and developing an effective personal leadership style through study and the observation of other leaders.

3. Benefiting from evaluation and coaching on all aspects of leadership responsibilities.

4. Gaining experience through exercising leadership skills under the supervision and guidance of a NAUI Instructor. ⁴

As a NAUI leader you will develop an attitude that places the highest concern for student and diver safety. Published minimum standards of achievement are treated as goals to be acquired and exceeded. The instructor candidate will embrace the tenets of over-learning, maximizing individual potential, public speaking, developing personal best aquatic skills, minimum and no impact environmental activism, and learning by doing.⁵

NAUI Leadership and Instructor training is founded on the “Loved One” concept. That is, it is only those we would trust to train our loved ones to dive that we graduate at any level and especially so for leadership and instructor certification.

Ultimately, when you become a NAUI Instructor, you will have academic freedom. That is the freedom to meet the students academic needs. You are not required to follow a specific order of training , you are allowed to explore and innovate ways to teach and help individual students and divers meet certification requirements. ⁶

Becoming a NAUI instructor is about embracing a set of values that transcend the mundane pursuit of a vocation. It is about becoming filled with a passion to achieve one’s personal best and helping others to achieve the same .

¹ Barocas, I. (2003). NAUI Leadership and Instruction. p. 4. United States of America: NAUI.
² Carroll, S. (2000,2004). NAUI Scuba Diver. p. 7. United States 0f America: NAUI.
³ Barocas, I. (2003). NAUI Leadership and Instruction. p. 8. United States of America: NAUI.
⁴ Barocas, I. (2003). NAUI Leadership and Instruction. p. 5. United States of America: NAUI.
⁵Barocas, I. (2003). NAUI Leadership and Instruction. p. 6. United States of America: NAUI.
⁶Barocas, I. (2003). NAUI Leadership and Instruction. p. 7. United States of America: NAUI.

Scuba diving is an soft-adventure sport, and has inherent risks. The only way to minimize risk is to maximize education, “Dive safetly through education”. Many scuba certification programs exist today, but only one can be called a scuba education program, NAUI.

To become a NAUI instructor, candidates undergo an intensive leadership- training program that requires extensive diving knowledge and superior water skills.

The combination of exceptional leadership, sound educational materials, and true concern for the individual, has resulted in the best safety record in the recreational diving community. When students enroll in a NAUI diving program, they can be assured they’re receiving the finest diving education available. NAUI instructors won’t accept anything less… and neither should they.

NAUI’s purpose is to enable people to enjoy underwater activities as safely as possible by providing the highest quality practical education, and to actively promote the preservation and protection of the world’s underwater environments. To accomplish this, NAUI trains, qualifies, and certifies leaders and instructors, establishes the required standards for various levels of diver training, and provides various programs, products, and support materials to assist NAUI leaders and instructors with their diving supervising and teaching.

NAUI’s primary purpose is also reflected in the association’s motto, “Dive Safety Through Education.” The NAUI organization also provides publicity and support for dive stores, dive resorts and accredited institutions that offer diving education. This professional assistance is in keeping with the primary purpose of NAUI training the general public to dive.

The quality of training provided by NAUI Instructors is of great importance to the Association, so NAUI employs various methods of evaluation to ensure that NAUI standards are met when NAUI instruction is conducted. As a pioneer in diving education, NAUI has developed many of the programs and concepts accepted throughout the diving industry. NAUI constantly strives to increase the safety of diving by upgrading the Associations’ standards and programs.

NAUI Instructors are qualified professional educators who are granted academic freedom to teach diving in any reasonable manner as long as NAUI standards and policies are met. NAUI does not have a rigid approach to teaching diving. NAUI training support materials are designed for flexibility in teaching. NAUI Instructors may exceed NAUI standards in ways that do not jeopardize student safety.

Examples include exceeding the number of required open water dives or increasing the academic content. One of the things NAUI Credo states is that it is more important to train a few students than to certify many marginally trained divers.

The belief is that educational quality must never be sacrificed for economic reasons. Diver’s should not be totally dependent upon their equipment for their safety and members emphasize the skills of diving, and anyone certified as a diver should be able to perform the basics of a rescue of a buddy diver.

Student Education and Diving Safety

I am a PA (physician assistant). I work in neurosurgery and have extensive experience in orthopedic surgery as well. Prior to becoming a PA I spent 9 1/2 years (85-94) in the U.S. Army flying AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters. I have extensive training in hyperbaric and dive medicine.

I have completed Hyperbaric Medicine Team Training with Dr. Paul Sheffield in San Antonio, Advanced Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Training Program with Dick Rutkowski in Key Largo, the NOAA Diving Medical Officer Program that is done with the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society in Seattle and lastly the Medical Assessment of Fitness for Diving training for Diving Medical Examiner also put on by UHMS in New Orleans.

My 14 years of dive training includes, Scuba instructor and Instructor Trainer with NAUI. I am an Advanced Nitrox, Decompression Procedures and Extended Range Instructor with TDI and similar
Instructor ratings with PSAI. I am checked out Deep Air (200′) with PSAI, and through Advanced Trimix with TDI. I am full cave certified with NACD, my instructor was Dan Patterson (Central Florida Divers). Mike Bourne and Mike Ange did my initial technical training at the 40 Fathom Grotto in Ocala, Florida.

I have dove in a variety of environments, from fresh water lakes, rivers, sinkholes, cenotes and caves, ocean reefs and wrecks in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

I dive and teach actively. Most of my time is spent training master, dive master and instructor students for NAUI.