AIM:

The aim is to examine lifesaving proficiency under open water conditions specifically applicable to snorkel divers.

Eligibility

Current member of the BSAC. Minimum qualification of Advanced Snorkel Diver or Sport Diver

Award

Qualification Record Book Certificate and Cloth Badge.

Cost

Current price list obtainable from BSAC HQ.

Instructors

Open Water Snorkel Instructor qualification required but preferably holding the Advanced Snorkel Lifesaver Award.

Examiners

Only Examiners appointed by the BSAC Rescue Skills Chief Examiner to examine the Advanced Snorkel Lifesaver

Award or the Advanced Lifesaver Award may conduct examinations for this Award. No Examiner may examine a class which he or she has been involved in teaching. Examinations conducted by unauthorised examiners will be invalid.

Facilities

The examination will require an inflatable boat, access to open water with a depth greater than 2m, with a clear surface distance of 100m terminating in a gently shelving shore. Throwing lines and buoyant aids suitable for throwing a distance of 10m will be required.

Administration
When a group is ready to be examined for this Award the group instructor should contact their BSAC Regional Coach who will allocate an Examiner. Advanced Snorkel Lifesaver Examination Report Forms should be obtained from BSAC HQ and prepared so that they list the personal details of all the candidates ready for the Examiner's use. On completion of the examination, the group instructor should submit the completed report forms, together with the appropriate fees, to the Technical Support Manager at BSAC HQ, who will issue the appropriate certificates and badges.

Syllabus

The examination comprises a short question and answer theory test and a wet practical test.

In summary the candidates will be required to:
• Answer questions on relevant first aid, exhaustion and hypothermia
• Carry out a rope throw rescue
• Carry out a buoyant aid rescue and tow
• Carry out a 100m rescue and tow (including AV) of a snorkel diver

The general principles of lifesaving will apply throughout the examination, i.e.:
• Once contact with the subject has been made by the rescuer, it must be maintained without a break until the rescue is completed.
• Whenever AV is being applied, the rescuer should make the appropriate seal
over the subject's nose or mouth (although the rescuer should not blow into the subject's lungs). While rates of AV are quoted for guidance, the emphasis will be on effective AV rather than the maintenance of a precise rate.
• During the rescue the rescuer must demonstrate the appropriate sense of urgency compatible with the effective execution of the rescue.

The Theory Test

Answer correctly eight out of ten questions on first aid, exhaustion and hypothermia relevant to snorkel diving activities. The questions will be based on the current edition of the BSAC 'Snorkelling for All' Manual.

The Practical Test

Both the subject and rescuer should be of similar size and build and are to be dressed and equipped in accordance with the instructions below.

The term 'normal protective clothing' is to be interpreted as that appropriate to snorkelling in local open water conditions. In the UK this may mean a wetsuit or drysuit, whereas for examinations held in warmer climates it may mean only a 'shortie' wetsuit or even a T-shirt.

All buoyancy devices worn for this test must have an independent means of emergency inflation. A wetsuit or drysuit alone is not acceptable.

The following sections must be carried out in the order specified.

2 (a) Throwing
Rescues

This part of the test presupposes that a diver without his basic equipment has
fallen from the boat which is unable to approach him. The time limit on the rope throwing instils some urgency and the limit on the number of rescue aids that may be thrown encourages accuracy and care, as a 'hit' discounts the throw.
A rope enables the subject to be pulled to the boat or jetty; a buoyant aid does not, so the subject must be fetched. Note that the rescuer is without basic equipment and does not have time to fit any.
Dress and personal equipment- Minimum of buoyancy aid worn over normal protective clothing. Subjects must be neutrally buoyant throughout.

1) Starting with a tidy but uncoiled rope in the bottom of the boat at the rescuer's feet, the rescuer must throw the rope 10m so that it falls between the outstretched arms of the subject who is treading water. The rescuer must retain hold of one end of the rope The subject must be told what to do with the rope, and is then pulled to safety beside the boat. The rescuer then assists the subject into the boat.
A maximum of three throws is permitted. Tidy but uncoiled' means in a heap as it might be stacked without coiling when pulled from the water, no knots or tangles.

2) The rescuer must throw a suitable buoyant aid at least 10m to land within 2.5m of a swimmer treading water. The rescuer instructs the subject in its use as a flotation aid, then swims out and tows the subject back to the boat. The tow ends in deep water and the rescuer, still in the water, helps the subject to climb into the boat.

It is recommended that the subject be instructed to hold the buoyant aid close to his or her chest while lying on the back- During the tow the rescuer should avoid direct contact with the subject and, for instance, take hold of the buoyant aid, suit, strap etc. as most suitable.

Soft plastic objects are preferred, e.g. anchor buoys, SMBs polythene bottles etc., as may reasonably be found in a boat or at the diving site. The chosen object may contain a little water to give it some weight. No line is to be attached to the buoyant aid. Hitting the subject or being outside the 2.5m range will disqualify the throw. Once thrown, the object may not be recovered. A maximum of 3 objects may be thrown.

2 (b) Snorkelling
Rescue
This section requires a fully equipped snorkel diver to rescue another similarly equipped snorkel diver who is unconscious and not breathing.
Dress and personal equipment - Normal protective clothing, buoyancy device, mask, fins, snorkel and, if required, quick-release weightbelt. Both subject and rescuer should be neutrally buoyant.

The rescue commences in deep water with the rescuer 10m away from the subject who is floating face-down in the water. The rescuer closes with the subject, rolls the subject face up and inflates the buoyancy device.

(Note: depending upon the method of emergency inflation of the buoyancy device being worn by the subject -e.g. CO2 cartridge - operation of the inflation mechanism may need to be simulated. The subject should then inflate his own buoyancy device orally before replacing mask/snorkel and resuming an inert condition.)

The rescuer then removes the subject's mask and snorkel, his own snorkel and if necessary, his own mask before commencing mouth-to-nose AV. To adequately simulate this, the seal over the subject’s nose should be held for approximately 2 seconds. The rescuer should then signal for assistance before towing the subject a distance of 100m to water shallow enough for the rescuer to stand up in. During the tow, AV should be administered at a rate of 2 breaths approximately every 15 seconds. During the tow the rescuer should look round from time to time to check his direction of progress.

At the end of the tow, the rescuer should walk backwards towards the shore, now giving AV at a rate of approximately 10 breaths per minute. The rescuer, with the assistance of one other Snorkel Diver, then removes the casualty from the water onto the beach. The rescuer remains in control of the rescue throughout and must give clear instructions to the assisting Snorkel Diver of what is required of him.
AV is continued throughout the landing until the Examiner declares that the subject has recommenced breathing, when the casualty is placed in the recovery position.

Candidates will not gain the Advanced Snorkel Lifesaver Award if:
• They fail to make a time limit
• They fail to meet throwing accuracy criteria
• They fail to get sufficient theory questions right
• They do not, in the Examiner's opinion, achieve a sufficiently high standard in any of the practical assessments

At the discretion of the Examiner, candidates may be permitted to retake no more than one sub-section (e.g. 2(b)) immediately after the examination. No intervening instruction may be given.