To maintain our proficiency we get underway in every opportunity that we get to operate in the surf,
and we also take that opportunity to train the younger people that are going to one day move into our shoes and assume the role of surfman.
Safety precautions we take prior to getting underway is we're going to conduct about a half an hour brief covering all the aspects of what we are going to see in the surf
what the weather's currently doing, what the surf conditions are in the area in which we are going to train.
We also go over proper protective equipment that we wear such as all of our survival equipment - our belt, the helmets, and all of that.
What we do then is we get underway, we conduct a risk assessment. We take a look at what the risk is going to be.
We ensure that everybody is outfitted correctly. We ensure that the boat is secure, water tight and ready to go into the surf.
And then we will go underway. We'll check our engines before we get into the surf. We'll check our steering before we get into the surf.
We'll reevaluate our risk and then at that time we will go ahead and enter the surf.
Throughout the Coast Guard there are 20 units, which are designated as surf units.
And those are units that actually operate in the surf and are by direction to operate in the surf.
So, those units are primarily have the surfmen on board that train to a little bit higher level than some of the other units.
And, that's what their primary mission is to train every time we get surf to operate up in that surf.
So, the boats can go out in seas up to 30 foot, breaking surf up to 20 foot, with the qualified crew on board.
