RESCUING THE UNRESPONSIVE DIVER AT THE SURFACE (1)

When you reach the surface with an unresponsive diver, call for help as you establish buoyancy and turn the victim face up. If you find an unresponsive diver floating, call to the diver to ; check responsiveness as you approach. As soon as you dete­rmine that the diver needs rescue, call for help if available.

If he's wearing a wet suit or dry suit, dropping the victim's weights assures buoyancy (if you didn't already do so as you approached the surface);in warm water, the diver may not have weights, so you'll need to inflate the BCD. Avoid inflating the BCD more than necessary, because this may hamper y, rescue efforts. It can also push in on the victim's chest and hinder rescue breathing.

As you approach a victim on the surface, look for bubbles t indicate breathing. If you've brought the victim to the surface you'll already know whether the victim is breathing by bubbles coming from his regulator.

Turn the victim face up if he's face down . one way to do this is from above the victim’s head. Cross your arms with your stronger arm on top, grasp his wrists and then uncross your arms. This will spin the diver over. However, any technique that works for you is fine.

Remove the victim's mask and regulator. and open the victim's airway with the jaw thrust or head tilt. With air in the BCD, the head drops back making an open airway a natural position for the victim. Look, listen and feel for breathing for 10 seconds. You may need to remove your mask. too. depending on the mask and the method you use for rescue breathing. If you must remove your mask. put your arm through the strap in case you need it later.