Since 2009, divers seeking to serve their communities have been able to take the PADI Public Safety Diver (PSD) course. The PADI PSD course provides divers with some of the most comprehensive training and experience in the industry. To continue the PADI organization’s long-standing support of the first responder community, the public safety diving program has been refreshed and expanded.
With this update, the PADI Public Safety Diver course moves out of the “specialty” diver course lists and stands as a distinct program, dedicated to this specialized diving field. The program now includes three courses – Public Safety Diver, Surface Support Specialist and the new Advanced Public Safety Diver. Plus the independent study materials have gone digital, joining the list of PADI eLearning® programs.
PADI Public Safety Diver eLearning (Product no. 60494-1) is based on the former course manual, but has been updated and refreshed. The Public Safety Diver course builds a foundation of comprehensive knowledge and skills that a competent PSD needs to operate safely and proficiently in a wide variety of environments. The eLearning content explains what it takes to become a public safety diver and teaches the learner about the specialized procedures, equipment, scene handling techniques, communications, search and rescue techniques, and documentation procedures for public safety diving. Divers also learn key safety concepts and procedures to apply during the course’s four open water dives that include various training stations and participation in realistic scenarios.
The PADI Public Safety Diver course provides some of the most adaptable and realistic training that takes place in real-world environments. This, paired with the student divers required diving experience prior to starting the course, results in some of the most confident and competent public safety divers in the industry.
Surface Support Specialist was previously treated as an additional specialty, but is now available as a nondiving sub course of the PADI Public Safety Diver course. Surface Support Specialist students study using Public Safety Diver eLearning to prepare for the practical application portion of the course. Students learn to assist with diver preparation, act as line lenders during searches, respond to emergency signals and provide general scene management and land-based support for the mission. Surface Support Specialists are important members of a PSD team and contribute to the team’s effectiveness and success.
PADI Advanced Public Safety Diver eLearning (Product no. 60496-1)is the independent-study portion of a completely new course that advances a public safety diver’s skill to more complex missions and environments. The course builds on a PADI Public Safety Diver’s capabilities by focusing on away-from-shore rescue and introductory recovery skills and knowledge. It also introduces boat-based and submerged-vehicle operations, provides more training on redundant systems, and includes a primer on evidence and law enforcement recovery diving.
Becoming a PADI Public Safety Diver Instructor
Newly formatted digital instructor guides are available to support Public Safety Diver Instructors (Product no. 79174-5) and Advanced Public Safety Diver Instructors (Product no. 79201-5). The instructor materials pack also includes all the public safety diver forms, checklists and reporting documents that apply to missions and eLearning Quick Reviews for the appropriate diver level.
If you are interested in becoming a PADI Public Safety Diver Instructor or Advanced Public Safety Diver Instructor, please contact a PADI Public Safety Diver Instructor Trainer to learn more. The applications for Public Safety Diver Instructor and Advanced Public Safety Diver Instructor are available for download on the PADI Pros’ Site or can be obtained by contacting your Regional Training Consultant.
For more information on the PADI Public Safety Diver programs, please contact your Regional Training Consultant. You can also view the webinar 2022 Public Safety Diver and Advanced Public Safety Diver – What’s New?
