Surfacing the Unconscious

Surfacing the Unconscious, Nonbreathing Diver

• Upon discovering the victim, make a number of mental notes about the situation.
• If the regulator is in the victim's mouth, it should be left in place and held in place during the ascent.
• The victim should be held near the head and maintained in an upright, normal anatomical position throughout the ascent.
• The rescuer maintains buoyancy control through his or her own equipment. Begin the ascent to the surface maintaining proper buoyancy.
• Visualize the sequence of events that needs to take place upon surfacing and upon approching the surface, plane the victim out preparing for transport to the exit area.
• The most important thing to do is get the victim to the surface. Although all the steps are important, do not be overly concerned if it is not possible to follow some of them. As a last resort option, you can make the victim positively bouyant by discarding his weightbelt.

The next step is to deal with the Unconscious victim at the Surface