PADI experiences: Zoe's PADI Rescue Diver

When did you become a diver?
I first became a scuba diver when I went to university and joined the scuba diving society. Although I wanted to learn before then. I remember snorkeling in the Great Barrier reef in Australia when I was about 11 and my older brothers went diving. I was too young to go along but I remember watching them and wanting to learn how to breath underwater.
What was your diving experience before taking the PADI Rescue Diver course?
I actually had done about 30ish dives before doing my PADI rescue diver course. I did about 8 in England at my university and then went and qualified in Mexico. There I then did my advanced after my open water and dived for a conservation group called Operation Wallacea and took coral reef biodiversity surveys.
What made you decide to take the PADI Rescue Diver Course?
I have wanted to do the PADI Rescue Diver course ever since I finished my PADI Advanced Open Water Diver! It took a while for me to get the funds together and to find a time and place to do it. I have been travelling around a lot making films in the last few years‚ but this year I finally decided that I wanted to get it done. Now I can’t wait to do my PADI Master Scuba Diver!
How was the e-learning Touch method of learning the theoretical parts of the PADI Rescue Diver course?
The PADI Rescue Diver e-learning was great! It was quick and simple to follow.
Did the PADI Rescue Diver course offer what you expected to get from it?
Doing the PADI Rescue Diver course with Evasioni Blu Diving was amazing! I knew that the PADI Rescue Diver was going to be harder than the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver‚ but the depth and time they allowed me to get my head around the emergency stuff was so good.
Did you have fun while taking the PADI Rescue Diver course?
It was very fun! I hadn’t been diving in a while and so it was amazing to be back in the water learning more.
What part of the PADI Rescue Diver course did you like best?
I can’t say! It was fun practicing the scenarios and doing them with the team was amazing as they made it fun!
What part of the PADI Rescue Diver course was the hardest to learn?
Getting the order of the steps in the final practical test was a bit overwhelming at first‚ but it wasn’t too hard after a few practice go’s!
What is the most important lesson you learned from this course?
I definitely think learning how to make sure you are safe whilst also trying to save someone is one of the most important things. People tend to forget they need to make sure they are safe beforehand as people want to rush in and help as soon as they can. Learning to pause and take a step back to assess the situation is definitely important!
What emergency scuba diving situations could you handle now?
I now know how to rescue a diver in distress‚ whether they be responsive‚ unresponsive‚ actively or passively panicked divers as well as how to search for lost divers!
Do you feel confident about your PADI Rescue Diver skills?
I do‚ I had an excellent PADI instructor who let me practice as many times as I felt I needed‚ and I passed first time on the test day!
How do you think the PADI Rescue Diver course changed you as a diver?
I feel more confident as a diver now. And it made me want to do more diving and get qualified to PADI Master Scuba Diver even more!
Anything you would like to add..?
I absolutely loved learning my rescue diver‚ and would encourage anyone to‚ especially with Evasioni Blu Diving! Thanks! x