Have you wished you had the training to help out in a dive emergency? Several local divers decided to take on the chilly North Carolina quarry water right before Christmas to develop their rescue diving skills. The NAUI Rescue Diver class is designed to train divers to better manage risks and give them the skills to handle limited in-water problems and dive emergencies. While diving is a relatively safe outdoor activity, injuries and emergencies unfortunately can occur. By training for such emergencies the well prepared diver is ready to provide effective assistance.

The divers got lucky on the training weekend because the winter weather was much milder than usual for North Carolina with temperatures in the 50s. Unfortunately the water temps were not as forgiving as they were also in the low 50s. Our students had to complete the rescue class while wearing 6-7mm wetsuits to stay warm. This resulted in them at times getting very warm as they dragged our hapless demonstration victim around the quarry. Our victim was not easy to recover since he was wearing a full drysuit and is over 6 feet tall.

At Black Jack Tech Diving we try and make the rescue class as realistic as possible while ensuring both the students and the victims are safe. As a result, the students had to deal with a variety of stressful situations that were both physically and mentally taxing. The students enthusiastically met the challenge for the class although we think they never want to dive with the demonstration victim again! By the end of the day both students and victim were worn out and glad the day was only a training exercise.

If you are interested in taking a realistic and challenging Rescue Diver class then give us a call. Our class is not easy but it is certainly fun and excellent training!

When you think of veterinary medicine, scuba diving doesn’t normally come to mind but aquatic medicine is one of the fastest growing veterinary specialties. Students at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine took advantage of the warmer than normal late season temperatures to complete their NAUI Scuba Diver training at Fantasy Lake in Rolesville, North Carolina. Despite their rigorous schedules; these veterinary students choose to use some of their very limited spare time to get certified for diving. Their certification class took slightly longer than usual because they had to fit the class into their crazy school schedules.

Each of the students diligently worked through their academic training and confined water skills before heading to the quarry to complete their certification. Even though water temperatures have already started to drop, none of the students complained and they quickly completed their scuba diver skills and checkout dives.

Some of the students are so hooked on diving they are moving forward and immediately taking the NAUI Advanced Diver class and Nitrox Diver class. It’s always nice when taking a break from class not only is relaxing but also relates to your future career! We look forward to diving and training with the NCSU Vet students throughout the coming years.