Course overview

The PADI Rescue Diver course in Papua New Guinea teaches you to prevent and manage dive emergencies while diving the reefs and channels of Kimbe Bay. Across a mix of scenarios in sheltered island shallows and on the bay's seamount reefs, you learn to spot trouble early, assist stressed or panicked divers and run a coordinated response. It is widely regarded as the course that makes divers more confident and aware.

What you’ll learn

• Recognise and prevent diver stress and dive problems
• Manage self-rescue and tired or panicked divers
• Search for and bring up an unresponsive diver
• Deliver in-water rescue breaths and surface tows
• Coordinate a dive-emergency plan and assist a missing-diver search
• Provide first aid and oxygen for diving injuries

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 12 (Junior Rescue Diver) or 15 for full Rescue Diver
• PADI Adventure Diver / Advanced Open Water (or qualifying certification)
• Emergency First Response primary and secondary care within the last 24 months
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Theory & first aid

   Rescue knowledge-development sessions and a review of CPR and first-aid skills.
2. Day2
   Rescue skills

   Practise self-rescue, tired-diver tows and panicked-diver handling in calm bay shallows.
3. Day3
   Scenarios & certification

   Complete two full rescue scenarios on a Kimbe Bay reef, including a missing-diver search and unresponsive-diver recovery, then certify.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Papua New Guinea.

Frequently asked questions