This course has two focuses - to help students detect and prevent possible diving incidents and to help students deal with incidents that have already occurred. Students are taught common signs of divers in distress and how to deal with incidents ranging from over exertion to decompression illness. Self rescue is also an important component of the course, students are encouraged to become self reliant and recognize problems for they create a hazardous situation. The course includes three evenings of classroom instruction and two days of open water training.