Rescue Ready Weekend · The flagship event
Two days. One certification. The training that changes how you dive.
Twelve months from now, you can be the diver your buddies are quietly grateful is on the boat. PADI Rescue Diver certification at festival scale, with real instructors, real scenarios, and real victims to practice on. Tigertail Lake · Fort Lauderdale, FL.
The basics
- Dates
- September 19-20, 2026
- Venue
- Tigertail Lake · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Capacity
- 150 divers
- Format
- 10 stations · rotating
- Cert
- PADI Rescue Diver
Who it is actually for
Anyone who dives is welcome here.
The mom who dives twice a year on family trips. The retired teacher who just wants to be useful. The friend who has been certified for twenty years and never re-took the class. The solo traveler. The future Divemaster. The 50-something who feels rusty.
If you can hold a regulator, this is for you. Bring your buddies.
What you actually get
It is a weekend. It happens to leave you certified.
Most rescue courses are a classroom and a pool. This one is closer to a festival than a class. You leave with the cert and the community and the confidence and a few stories worth telling.
Become the diver everyone wants on their boat.
The dive buddy your group is quietly glad showed up. Reputation built in one weekend, lasting every dive after.
Serious divers, one weekend, one place.
Florida dive shops, instructors, vacation divers, future Divemasters. Bring your buddies. Make new ones. Find your next trip crew.
PADI, DAN, Garmin. Try before you buy.
Hands-on gear demos from the brands that show up. A sponsor pavilion with regulators, computers, lights, and the things you have been meaning to upgrade.
Real scenarios. Real practice. Twice.
You will not read about rescue. You will do every move. Tired diver tow. Panicked diver. Missing buddy. Boat-deck calls. By the end you have done each one, under pressure.
You get all four. Plus the things that do not fit on a card.
Meals together. Sponsor swag. Photos of the weekend worth posting. These events are a good way to make great lasting friends. The kind of weekend that makes you the friend who texts everyone "you have to do this next year."
What you will actually do
Ten stations. Real scenarios. Repetition until calm.
Each station is a different rescue situation, run by a different instructor team. You rotate through all ten over two days. By the end, you have done the move. Not read about it. Done it. Which is the difference.
Tired or panicked diver at the surface
Tow technique, talking them down, reading body language.
Approach and exit
How to reach a struggling diver without becoming the second victim.
Unresponsive diver underwater
Bringing them up, controlled ascent, ditching weights.
Emergency action planning
Who calls 911. Who runs to the boat. Who counts heads.
Oxygen administration
Setup, delivery, monitoring. Real oxygen. Real masks.
Communication and signaling
Surface signals, light protocols, lost-buddy procedures.
Equipment problem-solving
Free-flowing reg, BCD failure, mask flood, alternate air.
Search patterns
U-pattern, expanding square, missing-diver protocols.
Boat-based rescue
Throw-bag, ladder recovery, in-water shore exit.
Post-rescue care and handoff
Stabilization, EMS handoff, documenting what happened.
Pick your path
Eight ways to be in the room.
Get certified, stay sharp, add a cert a la carte, or play the victim our divers train to rescue. There is a spot for you. Bring your buddies.
2 days
Rescue Diver
$599
PADI Rescue Diver certification over two days.
- Full PADI Rescue Diver cert
- PADI eLearning included
- All 10 scenario stations
- Instructor coaching and feedback
- Sponsor pavilion access
- Food and beverage included
Prereq: Advanced Open Water plus EFR
2 days
Rescue + EFR
$799
Rescue Diver plus Emergency First Response (CPR and first aid).
- Full PADI Rescue Diver cert
- EFR (CPR and first aid) cert
- PADI eLearning included
- All 10 scenario stations
- Sponsor pavilion access
- Food and beverage included
Prereq: Advanced Open Water
2 days
Rescue Ready Bundle
$999
Rescue Diver + Emergency First Response + Emergency Oxygen Provider. The full kit.
- Full PADI Rescue Diver cert
- EFR (CPR and first aid) cert
- Emergency Oxygen Provider cert
- All 10 scenario stations
- Sponsor pavilion access
- Food and beverage included
Prereq: Advanced Open Water
1 day
Rescue Refresher
$199
A one-day refresh for already-certified rescue divers.
- Skills review and update
- 1-day scenario rotation
- Updated rescue techniques
- Instructor coaching
- Sponsor pavilion access
Prereq: current Rescue Diver cert
1 day
Emergency First Response (EFR)
$199
CPR, AED, and primary plus secondary care. The Rescue prerequisite.
- CPR, AED, and first aid
- Primary and secondary care
- The Rescue Diver prerequisite
- Instructor-led, hands-on
- Sponsor pavilion access
No prerequisite
1 day
Emergency Oxygen Provider
$199
Recognize and deliver emergency oxygen for dive injuries.
- Recognize dive injuries
- Deliver emergency oxygen
- Real oxygen, real masks
- Instructor-led, hands-on
- Sponsor pavilion access
No prerequisite
1 day
Victim Experience (1 Day)
$99
Play the realistic victim our divers train to rescue. One day.
- Be the rescue scenario victim
- Underwater view of the stations
- Sponsor pavilion access
- Lunch included
- You learn more than you would think
Prereq: Open Water plus a dive in the last 12 months
2 days
Victim Experience (2 Day)
$149
The full two-day victim experience.
- Be the victim, both days
- Underwater view of all 10 stations
- Sponsor pavilion access
- Lunch included
- The full two-day experience
Prereq: Open Water plus a dive in the last 12 months
Bring your buddies.
Dive with the same crew and you learn each other's habits, which makes every dive safer. Sign up together and train side by side.
Not sure which one fits you?
Take the 60-second Rescue Ready Assessment™ and we will point you to the right course.
Find your scoreBringing a dive club or shop group?
Bulk pricing for 10 or more, plus coordination on prerequisites. Tell us how many divers and which courses, and we will build you a group lane.
Beyond the training · founding partners
A festival. Not a course.
Three brands the dive industry depends on chose to show up from day one. PADI as our Training Partner. DAN as our Safety Partner. Garmin as our Technology Safety Partner.
PADI · Training Partner
The certification engine behind every cert issued at the event. eLearning included with every Rescue ticket. Curriculum aligned. The standard the industry runs on.
DAN · Safety Partner
On-site safety oversight. Oxygen administration training. The organization the whole industry calls first when something goes wrong, here from the start.
Garmin · Technology Safety Partner
Hands-on with the Descent series. Real dive computers in your hand for the weekend. The felt difference between watching tutorials and using the gear.
Common questions
What you are probably wondering.
I have not dived in a year. Will I be in over my head?
No. The Refresher track is built exactly for divers in your spot. You will be in a small group with people at the same level. By the end of day one, you will feel sharp again.
I am a 55-year-old woman. Will I feel out of place?
You will not. Our community skews wider than the dive-shop stereotype. Every age, every gender, every body type. The point is being the person your friends count on, and that has nothing to do with what you look like in a wetsuit.
What is the actual schedule?
Both days, September 19-20, 2026, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first morning is dry skills plus an EFR review. The afternoons and second day are in-water rotations. We finish by 5 each day so you can have dinner and sleep.
What if I have to cancel?
Tickets are transferable. If you cannot make it, give your spot to a buddy. Refunds are available up to 60 days before the event.
What about lodging?
Fort Lauderdale, FL is a short drive from FLL airport. We have a partner hotel rate, sent with your confirmation. For drive-to divers in South Florida, it is an easy day trip both days.
Last thing