N WA R R I O R

THE OCE A E
F E T Y C O U R S
S A
Rescue CPR & First Aid

Remember to refer to the videos for correct technique and demonstrations.

The ocean is like a dream come true, but it can also become a nightmare, it can be both the beauty and
the beast. The beast is the hazards, the unforeseen dangers that lie beneath the surface of the water.
All though it is beautiful, it’s so important to recognise the power of the waves and give the ocean the
respect it deserves.

Unconscious Rescue.

If you saw someone in the water face down, this is what you should do: first off, swim up to them, grab
them, assume the worst, expect the unexpected. They could have a spinal. Some of the best ways of
finding out whether they’re conscious is just blowing in their face, because you have sensory glands
right below your eyes and this can trigger a response. Another way is a sternum rub, if you rub the
sternum with your knuckle and they say ouch, you know they’re alive.

The best technique of grabbing someone if the where below the surface is probably the cross chest
carry. Sometimes it would just be grabbing the person by his or her wrist or suit, and really just getting
them to the surface. The main thing is getting them to the surface as quick as possible. Grabbing an
unconscious person with your surf board can be tricky; the best thing to do is, get them on your board,
try keep their head out of the water and then get them to shore as quick as you can. Once you get to the
beach, If you’re on your own, walk them up the beach supporting and immobilising the neck and head
(Head Cram position). You want to turn a red zone into a green zone, meaning; turn danger into safety.
Bring them high enough, away from the high surf, away from any hazards and in a place where it’s nice
and flat where you can treat for whatever situation may have come up. You also want to seek assistance
from the nearest lifeguard and Emergency Medical Services.
 The first thing to do if you know the person is unconscious and not breathing, is active CPR and go
straight into compressions. The rule of thumb in finding where the heart is, is walking up the rib cage
with your fingers, finding that bone in the middle of the ribs which is the xiphoid and then just put two
fingers there and then put your palm right above your two fingers, and that’s the best way of finding
the heart.

They already have oxygenated blood, and

getting the oxygen pumped to their brain as
quick as possible is our main goal. Around the
world everybody has different theories and
tactics, but a majority of countries now just
go straight into compressions. Understanding
that the heart is a pump, and to get that pump
gyrating and pushing oxygenated blood up
into the brain takes time, so the quicker you
can do that, the better because you’re trying to
save the brain. That’s what it’s really all about.
So go straight into compressions by yourself,
and just don’t stop. The rate of CPR is 100-110
compressions per minute.

Conscious Rescue.

You have to remember that being a rescuer you also can be a victim yourself. So, you don’t want to get
into a double drowning situation. You always want to use barriers if possible, whether it’s a body board,
a surf board, or some kind of rescue tube, or any flotation barrier between you and them to avoid them
climbing onto of you and pushing you under. As soon as you give them the flotation device, try to calm
them down. Talk really confident, talk really slow, try not to talk loud and agitated because it will just
create more energy and panic. You want to try and slow the energy down, because chaos is all around
them, and you want to create calmness in their chaos.

Once you pull them to the beach, basically if they’re conscious we would put them in a position of
comfort. Usually it’s left side down and just try to clear out whatever is possibly obstructing the airway,
be it water, or whatever may be coming out.
Two Person Rescue.

If you had two people available, you would want to do a two person head cram, where one person is
supporting the spine and their neck, and the other person is being basically the seat, and cramming his
body into the rescuer. Get him to the land as quick as you can, Then carefully lay the person down while
supporting the neck and establish whether they need CPR or not.

In two-man CPR, when someone understands high performance CPR in most countries the technique
used is one breath every ten compressions, and the breath is between the compressions; the person
who is compressing doesn’t stop.

Lacerations.

If someone has a traumatic laceration, these are some of the steps that you would take: apply direct
pressure to the laceration, Then elevate the limb or body part that has been wounded. Finding the
artery and trying to push down on it, and the last, but not least is the tourniquet. So, using a tourniquet
if you have one that is handy great, if you don’t, you can also use your rash guard, or you can use a leash,
but something thicker than a leash is always ideal. With any traumatic lacerations, you want to apply
the tourniquet about two to three fingers up from that laceration to the point where the bleeding will
stop. Once again, call for medical assistance.

For more information on CPR or advanced rescue courses, check out bwrag.org or contact your local
professional lifeguard service. Practise these drills repeatedly until you feel confident and comfortable.

Remember to refer to the videos for correct technique and demonstrations.

Awareness and Signs

Remember to refer to the videos for correct technique and demonstrations.

Water Safety.

When it comes to water safety, there are a few key points you need to know.:

Never dive alone.

Always make sure you are diving with someone who knows what they are doing.

Using the Dump Breath.

The best breath to take when you come up from a wave, is to use the dump breath. It’s critical that you
use the dump breath to get rid of all the carbon dioxide when you surface, to allow a full fresh breath of
oxygen in.

When you start doing breath holds, you will begin to notice signs and signals that are happening in your
body during the hold. For example, you might experience a blood shift or a contraction.
Blood Shifts.

A Blood Shift is when you body stops moving oxygenated blood to your legs and your arms, and
instead concentrates all that blood flow around your head and your core.

A contraction either happens in your throat or in your diaphragm and that’s when your body’s
giving you an initial response telling you it wants to bring in oxygen so you get a spasm or an urge
to breath in your throat creating tension in your diaphragm as it spasms and tries to pull in air.

Some key signs to look for that give you a sense when someone’s either pushing too hard or
getting close to a blackout include,

• Blue Lips
• A bubble trail coming from their mouth
• Sinking down in an awkward motion
• Swimming off course
• Slurred speech
• Difficulty putting words together

• Loss of motor control or head dipping

When someone surfaces from a breath hold, it really pays to watch them for a good 15 to 20
seconds just to make sure that they’re okay. Sometimes it takes between 15 and 20 seconds
before a blackout actually occurs. If you’re close to the edge and you’re almost about to blackout,
you might also notice blurry vision but normally if you’ve pushed to that point then you’re
probably going to blackout in the process of surfacing and breathing. If you feel like you’re close
to that limit, you can do what known as a hook breath.

Hook Breathing.

Hook breathing involves taking a deep breath, and then before exhaling, bearing down or
‘squeezing’ the air inside your lungs. This will increase blood pressure to your brain, to keep you
conscious.

Remember to refer to the videos for correct technique and demonstrations.

We hope this program has
increased your confidence
and you feel safer in the water!
Have fun and stay safe!

www.theoceanwarrior.com

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