| What a great way to qualify as a PADI Rescue Diver | | | | the boat as an exercise in leadership. Actually we |
| - in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean on the | | | | were not all back, the Trainer, Steve, as was his |
| south coast of Antigua. | | | | style, had decided that this was a great time to be a |
| We dived as a class of 6 with an ex-army instructor, | | | | lost diver. Someone spotted him wave then |
| Steve Bingley, who really put us through our paces | | | | disappear below the waves again. 'Lost diver' |
| with' panicking diver at the surface', 'unconscious | | | | someone shouted. We all knew what this meant, |
| diver at depth' and so on. | | | | someone had to get back in and find him. Two or |
| We learned a valuable lesson one day, when we had | | | | three divers entered the water to snorkel on the |
| to throw out a lifeline to a tired diver a few meters | | | | surface to keep an eye on him as he drifted to the |
| from the RIB. | | | | bottom about 18 - 20 metres. I kitted up and went |
| We knew where the line and accompanying float | | | | down to help him back to the surface. I realized that |
| was, but had failed to check it was ready for use. | | | | I should have delegated, since I was feeing really |
| The trainer had carefully knotted it so that it was | | | | sick, but went anyway. I found him at the bottom, |
| useless for the task, demonstrating that an alert | | | | put the regulator back in his mouth and slowly helped |
| rescue diver should check these things as he boards | | | | him to the surface trying to rise slowly. We made it |
| the dive boat, note where the oxygen is, make sure | | | | and help was on hand to get him into the boat, which |
| the lines are accessible and ready to use. We never | | | | he did not make easy. |
| forgot again. | | | | The debrief certainly showed us areas for |
| The next day, I was feeling sea sick, since there was | | | | improvement, It actually felt quite real, particularly |
| a swell following a Hurricane a few miles away, and | | | | with the current, the swell and fatigue as well. A |
| following a strenuous dive against the current. All | | | | very exhausting week of dives, but a course I would |
| back in the boat ready for a speedboat ride back to | | | | recommend as essential to all divers. |
| St James Club Resort. I had been put in charge of | | | | |