Course overview

Become a PADI Rescue Diver in Djibouti and learn to prevent and manage diving emergencies on the Gulf of Tadjoura, where the Red Sea opens to the Indian Ocean. Many divers rate it the most rewarding PADI course: it sharpens your self-rescue skills and teaches you to help others through realistic scenarios at quiet reef sites. It is a key step toward Divemaster and a more confident diver.

What you’ll learn

• Recognise and manage diver stress before it becomes an emergency
• Perform self-rescue and assist a panicked diver at the surface
• Search for and surface an unresponsive diver
• Provide in-water rescue breathing and tows to the boat or shore
• Coordinate a missing-diver search and emergency-management plan

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 12 (Junior Rescue Diver)
• PADI Adventure Diver or higher, including the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive
• Emergency First Response primary and secondary care within the last 24 months
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Not included? Sort the rest of your trip

Flights and accommodation aren’t part of the course price, here’s how to book them around your dates.

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Knowledge and skills

   Complete the knowledge-development review and begin the rescue-skill exercises in shallow water.
2. Day2
   Rescue exercises

   Work through tired-diver tows, panicked-diver responses and surfacing an unresponsive diver at a sheltered reef.
3. Day3
   Scenarios and assessment

   Run full open-water rescue scenarios on the Gulf of Tadjoura and complete your final assessment.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Djibouti.

Frequently asked questions