What is Emergency First Response?
Emergencies don’t wait for a good time. EFR is PADI’s CPR and first aid program, teaching you to manage a medical crisis in the minutes before professional help arrives. One day, no diving required, open to anyone. It’s a prerequisite for Rescue Diver, and the kind of training that’s useful everywhere, not just underwater.
How the Course Works: One full day on-site, no prior certification needed. Optional review materials are available online but there’s no required eLearning. Scenario-based throughout: you practice the skills, not just watch them. Primary care, secondary care, and AED use covered in sequence. Done by the end of the day.
CPR and Rescue Breathing: Compressions and rescue breathing to PADI standard. Practice hands-on in Primary Care until you can do it without thinking.
AED Use: Operate an AED confidently. Covered in Primary Care alongside CPR before you move on to Secondary Care.
Bleeding and Shock: Control serious bleeding and manage shock. Hands-on wound management techniques from the Secondary Care module.
Injury Assessment: Assess and stabilize a patient. Splinting, bandaging, spinal management, and choking response all in Secondary Care.
What Skills Will You Learn?
Emergency First Response FAQ
Do I need to be a scuba diver to take EFR?
No. EFR is open to anyone, diver or not. No prerequisites, no minimum age
Does EFR add extra days to the Rescue Diver course?
Not here. We run EFR concurrently alongside Rescue Diver so you finish both without adding days to your trip.
How long is the EFR certification valid for?
Two years. A one-day refresher renews it when it lapses.
What will I earn at the end of the course?
You will be certified for two years as an Emergency First Responder, an international basic emergency care qualification. After two years, you will need to refresh your Emergency First Response course in order to stay current.
What's EFR Training Like in Roatan?
EFR runs over a single day at the shop in West End, Roatan. Primary Care in the morning, Secondary Care in the afternoon. It’s practical and hands-on throughout. Most people are surprised at how straightforward the skills are once you’ve practiced them. These work long after you leave the island.
Why Dive With Coconut Tree Divers?
Coconut Tree Divers is based in Half Moon Bay, a white-sand, palm-fringed paradise right in the heart of West End, with some of the Roatan’s best dive sites right on our doorstep.
Completed, official PADI course certification records, May 2026.
9,034 PADI Certifications
Our PADI 5-Star IDC Center is one of Roatan’s oldest & top-rated dive shops.
24+ Years Open in West End
Four daily fun dives and Turs & Thurs night dives make five.
4+ Daily Certified Dive Tours
TDI courses and guided deep diving from Advanced Nitrox to Trimix to Helitrox.
Roatan's Only TEC Center
What Comes Next?
EFR is the prerequisite for Rescue Diver and for the Divemaster Internship. If you’re here doing Rescue Diver, we’re already running them together. If you’re building toward becoming a Divemaster, your EFR certification needs to be kept current as it expires after two years.
The course divers talk about most. Changes how you think and act underwater.
Six weeks at the busiest dive shop in West End for real-life professional training.
Four dives a day from our dock. All certified levels welcome.
Ready to Help Divers?
Send us a message and we’ll get you ready to start your PADI course and dive with us in Roatan.