While every diver hopes for the best on each and every dive, there are times when rescues are necessary. The best way to prepare yourself to help others in an emergency is to take rescue diver courses and ensure you are properly trained, but in a pinch, some basic knowledge could help you to save another person’s life or prevent injuries from becoming worse.
Assessing the Victim
Before you make contact with the victim, take a moment to assess his or her condition. Failing to do so can cause you to be pulled into a bad situation, particularly if the victim is panicking. Other states the victim may exhibit include the following:
- The victim is rational and can follow instructions
- The victim is passive, not doing anything to better his or her situation
- The victim is unconscious
Victims can exhibit more than one state at a time, and a victim’s state of being can change. Keep your awareness up as you approach.
Rescue Priorities
The first thing you must establish is buoyancy, and if the victim is unconscious, you will need to establish whether he or she is breathing once afloat. Do all you can to keep the victim’s face out of the water, and keep working to calm him or her, even if he or she is already calm. If a victim is unconscious, ensure you do all you can to provide flotation, keeping the head up out of the water. If you can, roll the victim on his back.
If the victim is conscious, establishing trust should be a priority. If the victim is holding anything, get them to hand it to you if possible, and ensure it is secured; don’t ask someone to drop something like a camera or a spear gun, and don’t take something from someone and then drop it yourself, unless a life threatening situation exists.
Never jeopardize your own safety, whatever you do. If a victim is panicking, he or she could endanger you. You can often get a panicking victim to calm down by taking complete control of the situation, and by talking him or her into relaxing so you can approach. If you are not completely confident, the victim may assume that you are incompetent, and that can cause even more stress.
Remember to evaluate the environment as well as the victim, since anything that threatens his or her safety is also going to threaten your safety; dragging yourself into a bad situation is not going to improve conditions for the victim.
Once buoyancy is achieved, you may need to tow the victim to safety. Do this as carefully and cautiously as possible, and make your movements slow and methodical. Keep assessing your own situation, and avoid becoming overexerted; exhausted and unable to swim, you will not be helping the victim or yourself.
Get additional help as soon as possible, using signaling techniques, whistling, or using flares to get attention if needed. If you must tow a victim to shore, get to a phone as quickly as possible and call for help, or enlist a passerby to do so. Survival after an emergency hinges on prompt medical attention in most cases. Remember, there is no substitute for training; and, practicing techniques you have learned can help you to be an effective rescuer.