SSI Diver Stress & Rescue Speciality Course in Andaman - Dive With Real Confidence
The Stress & Rescue diver specialty is an advanced diving course that carries real weight, and an adrenaline rush too. This is the reason I like teaching it seriously so that you spot the early warning signs of stress — in yourself and in other divers — well before things turn into a real emergency. You will respond calmly and correctly when it does — it could be self-rescue or helping a panicked buddy underwater after completing this course.
Across 10 dives and dedicated skill sessions, you sharpen your sense of understanding the surroundings. It's not just theory — real, repetitive practice builds your instinct strong enough to make the right call under pressure. It's a bigger commitment than just completing a specialty course — you're taking responsibility for others' safety underwater, and your own. One day, these skills will make you feel like you've truly helped save someone.
What You'll Learn
This course covers self-rescue techniques first — what to do when you're the one in trouble, before you can help anyone else. From there, you'll learn to manage equipment problems underwater without panicking: a free-flowing regulator, a stuck BC, running low on air with no buddy in sight. You'll also learn to recognise the early signs of a panicked diver — the wide open eyes, the grabbing at anything nearby, the fast, shallow breathing — before it turns into a real emergency.
Buddy-rescue procedures make up a large part of the course. If a diver goes unresponsive underwater, you'll learn the controlled ascent to bring him safely to the surface and alert the boat immediately. If a diver panics at the surface, you'll learn how to calm them down before the situation escalates, and how to tow a tired diver back to the boat when they can't make it on their own. Navigation matters here too — in a real rescue, you need to find your way back to the boat quickly, sometimes while managing another diver. I'll test your navigation skills through the course and sharpen them wherever needed.
In my experience, the hardest skill isn't the physical technique to practice — it's staying calm enough to think clearly while executing it in an emergency. I've seen students freeze for a few seconds even in a live drill, because the instinct to panic is strong. That's exactly what these 10 dives and 3 to 4 days of focused training prepare you for — becoming a diver who can handle stress and rescue situations with real confidence.
Eligibility & Prerequisites
To join this course, you need to be at least 12 years old, hold an SSI Open Water certification (or equivalent from another agency), and be physically and mentally fit to dive. Please check the medical questionnaire form carefully before you book.
There's one more requirement that's easy to miss but genuinely non-negotiable: recent CPR and first-aid training, completed within the last 24 months. This can be SSI's own React Right course, or an equivalent like EFR. It's not a formality — rescue skills only work if you already know how to respond to a medical emergency, so we need that foundation in place before you start. If your CPR/first-aid training has lapsed or you've never done it, I'd recommend completing React Right first — it's a short, accessible course, and it directly prepares you for what comes next here.
Price, Dive Sites & Inclusions
The cost of SSI Diver Stress & Rescue Speciality is Rs. 32,000, excluding an additional 18% tax. Dives take place across Nemo Reef, Wall, Tribe Gate, Juvis, and Red Pillar, with depths ranging from 18 to 30 metres, at a personal instructor-to-student ratio of 1:2.
- 10 open water dives in 5 to 6 different reefs around Havelock
- Personal instructor-led rescue skills training (ratio 1:2)
- All equipment rental
- Online e-learning study material
- Surface interval refreshments
- Complimentary photos and videos
- Hotel pickup and drop
- SSI Diver Stress & Rescue certification
- Accommodation and meals
- Transport
- Personal items
- Miscellaneous expenses
For booking your course, see our Rates & Packages page.
How the Course Runs
Theory & Confined Water Skills
Day 1 kicks off with the theory side — understanding stress, rescue procedures, and how to respond when things go wrong. Since students complete the self-paced study material ahead of time, this session focuses on discussing and reinforcing what you've already learned. The day is spent in confined water building foundational rescue skills, followed by two open water dives to check buoyancy control and navigation.
Skills Recap, Buoyancy & Compass, Two Open Water Dives
A quick recap of Day 1's confined water skills, followed by two new ones: buoyancy control and compass navigation. The day includes your first open water dive at Nemo Reef, plus a second dive focused on stress checking.
Rescue Scenarios at the Surface, Three Dives
Confined water work steps up to surface rescue scenarios: towing a tired diver, responding to a panicked diver at the surface, and handling an unconscious diver at the surface. The day closes with two open water dives plus a night dive.
Underwater Rescue Scenarios, Final Dives
The most demanding confined water session: managing a panicked diver underwater, responding to an unconscious diver underwater, and the controlled ascent bringing them safely to the surface. The day closes with two open water day dives and a final night dive, giving you one last chance to drill everything under different conditions.
Ready to Go Further?
This course already prepares you to handle stress — both yours and other divers' — underwater and on the surface. If you're planning a career in diving, Divemaster comes next as the natural next step forward. Explore all of our SSI Specialty Courses in the Andaman to see what else is next.
FAQs
Yes — recent CPR and first-aid training, completed within the last 24 months, is a genuine prerequisite for this course. SSI's React Right course satisfies this requirement, or an equivalent like EFR.
This is by far the biggest specialty on our list — 10 dives over 3 to 4 days, versus the quick 2-dive format most of our other specialties follow. The focus here is genuine emergency response, not just polishing a single skill.
Diver Stress & Rescue is not a formal prerequisite for Divemaster Pro, but it's a course most divers take before starting that path, since the rescue skills it teaches are foundational to professional-level diving.
You need to be at least 12 years old, hold an SSI Open Water certification (or equivalent), and be physically and mentally fit to dive, in addition to the CPR/first-aid requirement.
Ready to Dive With Real Confidence?
Ready to dive with real confidence and the skills to handle whatever comes your way? Get SSI Diver Stress & Rescue certified on Havelock.