Tampa, Fla. (December 12, 2017) – In collaboration with Team Lifeguard Systems, NAUI Worldwide invites dive leaders from across the industry to participate in the first of its Leadership Rescue Workshop series taking place at Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center March 16 – 18, 2018.

The Leadership Rescue Workshops are open to any certified dive leader, including divemasters, assistant instructors and instructors from other agencies.

The workshop is designed to teach the most effective, state-of-the-art diving rescue techniques in a rigorous three-day program conducted by Course Directors Walt ‘Butch’ Hendrick (NAUI 1724) and Andrea Zafares (NAUI 10533) of Team LGS, the most globally recognized authority in diving rescue and public safety diver training and education.

The course challenges participants with dynamic, live-action, hands-on scenarios developed from real-world incidents and accidents. Dive leaders learn valuable procedures to manage operations for a host of scenarios – from an out-of-air diver bolting to the surface to major watercraft collision incidents with serious in-water trauma.

The dive safety and rescue training partnership between NAUI and Team LGS began back in July when several dive leaders, staff and Board members gained first-hand experience in the training, seeing the value of discussing and practicing diver safety and training. The workshop, which included pre- and post-training interviews, was well-documented and is presented in a Leadership Rescue Workshop video that can be viewed at https://youtu.be/eBVx-KdF-28.

‘Butch and Andrea have thought through every step and every reaction you could have, and they’ve put together the most comprehensive procedures that keep the rescuer and the victim safe throughout the entire process. They haven’t come with any assumptions. It’s all tested, and it’s tried and true,’ said NAUI Board of Directors member Jeffrey Hansler (NAUI 5834).

Most dive leaders never receive any rescue training beyond the basic skills taught in their standard rescue diver course. In fact, for many leaders in scuba training and education, it may have been decades since their last real training in rescue techniques and procedures. The skills needed to affect the rescue of a student or diver must be constantly practiced and refined to become and stay reflexive. Dive leaders and professional rescue personnel need leadership-level rescue skills, not simply basic rescue techniques taught in their early diving career.

‘This was by far the best training I have received in over 20 years! I went into this training knowing that I would learn a few things and improve my personal rescue skills. Well, I did that but gained so much more knowledge than I thought I would,’ said NAUI Board of Directors member Cheryl Thacker (NAUI 23525).

The Leadership Rescue Workshops are open to any certified dive leader, including divemasters, assistant instructors and instructors from other agencies. The cost is $895 per person, based on double occupancy. This fee includes four nights at the Bimini Big Game Club, unlimited shore diving and tank rentals, three full days of leadership rescue training, certificate of completion and certification card. For full workshop details and registration information, visit https://www.naui.org/events/leadership-rescue-workshop-bimini/.

See what the workshop is all about by viewing https://youtu.be/eBVx-KdF-28. Space is limited so be sure to register right away!

For those unable to attend the March workshop in Bimini, stay tuned to the NAUI events page for updates on upcoming workshops. Inquiries about the new Leadership Rescue Workshop can be directed to the Training Department at training@naui.org or +1 813-628-6284.

For more information about Team Lifeguard Systems, visit teamlgs.com and read their feature articles ‘Making a Case for the Left‘ and ‘Lifelong Lifeguard‘ from the fourth quarter issue of Sources: The Journal of Underwater Education.

Founded in 1960, NAUI Worldwide is the scuba industry’s largest not-for-profit agency whose purpose is to enable people to enjoy underwater activities as safely as possible by providing the highest quality practical education, and to actively promote the preservation and protection of the world’s underwater environments. As a pioneer in diving education, NAUI has developed many of the programs and concepts accepted throughout the diving industry. NAUI: The Definition of Diving!

Team Lifeguard Systems (LGS) is the most recognized authority worldwide in diving rescue and public safety diver training and education.