Navy Maritime Rescue Unit: "Build Swimming Endurance for Rescue Operations"

The Navy's Maritime Rescue Squadron and Maritime Rescue Education and Training Battalion conducted a long-distance swimming training without equipment for trainees of the basic maritime rescue course on the 19th at the Jinhae naval port.

The basic maritime rescue course is a training program that all officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers aspiring to become deep-sea divers (SSU) must complete. Through approximately 12 weeks of training, it cultivates fundamental physical fitness and rescue operation capabilities.

The 8th batch of trainees entered the basic maritime rescue course on June 5 and have undergone basic physical fitness and swimming training. The long-distance swimming training without equipment was conducted to help trainees adapt to the marine environment where they will carry out actual rescue operations and to improve their long-distance swimming ability and basic physical fitness.

The Naval Search and Rescue Squadron's Search and Rescue Training Battalion conducted long-distance swimming training without equipment for trainees in the basic search and rescue course.

During the training, the trainees swam 2.7NM (5 km) through waves and currents without any equipment. About three hours later, the trainees arrived at the training site set up on the coast, and the training was safely concluded.

Colonel Won Hyun-sik, commander of the Maritime Rescue Education and Training Battalion who led the training, said, “Through the long-distance swimming training without equipment, the trainees were able to adapt to the marine environment where they will be deployed during rescue operations and acquire the basic physical fitness necessary for performing rescue missions.” He added, “Under the training motto ‘Training tougher than real combat saves comrades and myself,’ we will cultivate SSU members who will save the lives of comrades and the public through rigorous training.”

The 8th batch of trainees in the basic maritime rescue course are currently in the third week of the 12-week training program and will graduate on August 29.