Search and Recovery SDC

[Karim]

I am looking into doing the search and recovery SDC, and was interested in anyones comments/opinions about the course. Good or bad. Has anyone made good use of the search and recovery techniques you can learn?

[Nick Kay]

Personal:
1. Used "Search" techniques - Yes
- Used a circular search to locate the "anchor base" for a water-ski jump
2. Used "Recovery" techniques - No
- Other than for general use of lift-bags

S&R SDC:
1. IMHO its a fun course. On the last S&R SDC, one group lifted a Robin Reliant (and put it back) and another group lifted and recovered a large boat trailer that vandals had "dropped" into 8 Acre Lakes!
2. As with all courses, you get out of it what you put in
3. Doing search(s) in reduced viz helps your confidence

General:
Any increased knowledge/adding to your skill set/meeting other divers and shamelessly nicking ideas from them can only be a good thing...

[Steve Pearson]

I'll second what Nick has said. I think that the S&R course is one of the most fun courses to do.

Go do it and enjoy

Steve

[Karim]

Yeah thanks for your comments, hope to do it in April :) it does look like a fun course as well as a course which would add to my skill set.

Cheers

[Tristan Green]

I am looking into doing the search and recovery SDC, and was interested in anyones comments/opinions about the course. Good or bad. Has anyone made good use of the search and recovery techniques you can learn?
Hi Karim,

I agree with the others - this is one of the biggest bits of fun you can have during your training. I was lucky to lift one of the anchors from the Volnay on my course (I'm pretty sure it's still on show in the carpark on Porthkerris Beach :o ).

More recent endeavours can be read about here: AJ finds his anchor in Hong Hong (http://home.pacific.net.hk/~tag2000/ajfindsanchor.html)
As you can see it doen't often go completely to plan ... :rolleyes:

Get yourself on the course - it's a great learning experience.

Cheers,
Tristan

[Eugene Farrell]

Hi

Totally agree, it's good fun and provides very useful skills beyond just diving. This helps in planning skills, diving skills, equipment, team working, diving for a task, oh and of course search techniques.

These skills can be utilised throughout your diving career. Also useful if you find the anchor has dragged of the wreck, do a quick circular search, or arc search.

Such skills are vital to divers looking towards AD, FC, AI and NI.:D

Lat time we did this on an AIC I put my dive watch down as the item to be found! yes they did find it. Mind you, we were in blue water so it wasn't that risky! You should have seen the face of the guy who found it, I had to wrestle it back off him;)

[Dave Sydenham]

Lat time we did this on an AIC I put my dive watch down as the item to be found!

You're keen Eugene! Putting your watch down! You obviously have a lot of faith in your students! :D I'll stick to odd shaped rocks or old bits of lead, etc.

Last time I ran a SAR course the viz was about as far as the glass in my mask! Not helped by the huge swell we had that weekend and I believe there is still a weight belt sitting just out of Cove Bay waiting for the next SAR course for us to go and find it again. :D

...besides if I left my watch on the seabed for an Aberdonian diver to find I'd never get it back off him!!!!!!!!!! ;)


Cheers!

Dave