Anywhere there are bodies of water where people work or play, search and rescue divers inevitably find themselves called to action. Depending upon where you live and what your career goals are, you may be attracted to working part time as a volunteer search and rescue diver, or you may want to make search and rescue diving your life’s work. Either way, this demanding and rewarding calling requires training and skill, plus a high level of physical fitness, and more. Let’s take a look.
Search and Rescue Divers: The Mission
Lost divers and swimmers, hurricane and storm victims, shipwreck survivors, and many others find themselves in need of rescue. As any professional search and rescue diver can tell you, the circumstances in which people find themselves are often unpredictable and frightening; often, by the time dive teams arrive at the scene of an emergency, victims are unresponsive or have already perished.
Accidents take place in a variety of environments; in mountain lakes and rivers, in quarries and ponds, and at popular open water dive sites, on reefs and at wrecks. Equipment malfunctions, ice breaks beneath people walking across it, currents become unmanageable, tunnels inside caves collapse; what can go wrong does. The number one rule rescuers must remember is to always expect the unexpected.
In order to maintain rescue team safety and increase the odds of saving lives, rescuers must be well equipped and well trained; if you work for a public agency, ongoing training is something that will be provided to you on a regular basis, and equipment will very likely be issued. If you volunteer to be part of a team, you may have to invest in your own training and you may need to provide at least part of your own equipment. Equipment requirements vary depending upon the environment and conditions that are typically present as well as conditions that could arise. Full face masks and communications equipment, plus a diver propulsion vehicle are some of the items you might need to utilize during the course of training and operations.
Where to Find Employment as a Search and Rescue Diver
Often, search and rescue dive teams are funded by and maintained by federal, state, or local agencies. Some search and rescue teams are subsidized by fire departments, while others are maintained by sheriffs’ departments and police departments. Military organizations, such as Coast Guards and Navies worldwide, often train and maintain dedicated search and rescue dive teams. If you live in an area where no employment opportunities are available, you may need to relocate in order to find the employment you desire.
To make yourself a better candidate for employment as a Search and Rescue Diver, take the time to dive as much as possible and gradually increase your competence level. Don’t rush your training, instead, become very good at as many tasks as possible, taking the time to learn to perform each and every function required as well as you can. Talk to your local search and rescue agency to find out whether it is possible to volunteer and train with them, and once you have acquired some skills, you’ll be ready to seek paid employment if you feel drawn to full time work in the field.