Build confidence, awareness, and calm response skills as a diver.

The PADI Rescue Diver course is one of the most valuable continuing education courses for recreational divers. It teaches you how to recognise potential problems, respond to common diving emergencies, assist another diver, and become a more aware and capable dive buddy.

This course is challenging in a practical way, but it is also highly rewarding. It helps divers think beyond their own skills and start looking at the bigger picture: awareness, prevention, communication, and calm action.

PADI lists the Rescue Diver prerequisites as being at least 12 years old, being an Adventure Diver who has completed the Underwater Navigation Dive, and having EFR Primary and Secondary Care training within the previous 24 months.

Course Includes

• PADI Rescue Diver training
• Rescue theory / knowledge development
• Self-rescue review
• Diver stress recognition
• Assisting tired and panicked divers
• Surface and underwater problem-solving
• Missing diver procedures
• Rescue scenarios
• Instructor-led practical training
• Course paperwork and certification process
• Guidance from the Pro Dive team from booking to completion

Course Requirements

To join the PADI Rescue Diver course, students should:

• Be at least 12 years old
• Hold a qualifying certification, usually Adventure Diver with Underwater Navigation, Advanced Open Water, or equivalent
• Have current EFR Primary and Secondary Care / CPR and First Aid training within the past 24 months
• Be medically fit to dive
• Complete the required medical questionnaire
• Provide a PADI / certification number or proof of certification

PADI also notes that the EFR CPR & AED course alone does not meet the Rescue Diver prerequisite; Rescue requires Primary and Secondary Care / CPR and First Aid, not only CPR & AED.

What You’ll Learn

You’ll practise skills such as:

• Recognising diver stress
• Preventing problems before they become emergencies
• Self-rescue techniques
• Assisting tired divers
• Responding to panicked divers
• Helping an unresponsive diver at the surface
• Missing diver search patterns
• Emergency action planning
• Working calmly with your buddy and instructor
• Managing realistic rescue scenarios

Why Take Rescue Diver?

The Rescue Diver course is often described by divers as one of the most important and confidence-building courses they complete.

It helps you become:

• More aware underwater
• More prepared on the surface
• A better buddy
• More confident in local diving conditions
• Better equipped to respond calmly if something goes wrong

EFR / First Aid Note

If the student does not already have current CPR and First Aid training, they can complete EFR before or alongside the Rescue Diver course, depending on scheduling.