Course overview

The PADI Rescue Diver course at Sipadan teaches you to prevent and manage dive emergencies, a confidence-building step before the deeper walls and currents of the region. You practise self-rescue, problem recognition and casualty handling on the calm reefs off Mabul, building the composure that makes diving busy sites like Sipadan and Kapalai safer for you and your buddies. Many divers describe it as the most rewarding course they take.

What you’ll learn

• Recognise and prevent dive problems before they escalate
• Perform self-rescue and manage diver stress
• Assist and rescue tired, panicked and unresponsive divers
• Surface and tow a diver and provide in-water rescue breaths
• Run a missing-diver search and manage an emergency on the surface
• Coordinate emergency response and oxygen administration

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 12 (Junior Rescue Diver) or 15 for Rescue Diver
• PADI Adventure Diver or Advanced Open Water (with Underwater Navigation)
• Emergency First Response training within the previous 24 months (can be done with the course)
• 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 and EFR

   Rescue knowledge development plus Emergency First Response primary and secondary care if required.
2. Day2
   Rescue skills

   Practise the ten rescue exercises in the calm shallows of the Mabul house reef, from tired-diver tows to surfacing an unresponsive diver.
3. Day3
   Scenarios and certification

   Complete the two emergency scenarios at a local reef site and finish the exam for certification.

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 Sipadan.

Frequently asked questions