Why Every Ship Should Train for Surface Rescue Swimming

When a crew member falls overboard, every second counts. The instinctive reaction of many fellow sailors—especially on smaller vessels with tight-knit crews—is to jump into the water to help. It’s a natural human response. But without proper training, this often creates an even bigger problem: now there are two people in the water needing rescue.

The solution is not to fight that instinct—but to prepare for it. At Seafarers Worldwide Career Training (SFWW), our Surface Rescue Swimmer Course equips ship personnel with the skills, equipment knowledge, and confidence to make a difference without adding risk.

Two Deployment Scenarios

Surface rescue swimmers can be deployed in two ways, depending on the situation and the ship’s capabilities:

     1. From the ship itself – using equipment such as a “J” Bar, Jason’s Cradle, or Jason’s Litter for man overboard recovery.

     2. From a rescue boat – where the swimmer is deployed from a small craft after a scene assessment and risk analysis.

Both methods have advantages, and the decision rests with the ship’s officers. The key is that crew members must be trained and equipped to support either method effectively.

Not the Coast Guard—But Exactly What Ships Need

It’s important to stress: this is not a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer program. Those are elite-level operations. Our training is focused on shipboard crew members who may find themselves in the position of being the first responder in a man overboard emergency.

The emphasis is on:

·         Using the correct personal protective equipment (PPE)

·         Entering the water safely while tethered

·         Approaching and stabilizing a person in the water

·         Assisting them into a rescue device for recovery

What Students Learn  

Over two days, participants gain both classroom knowledge and hands-on, in-water experience:

·         Risk assessment and hazard identification

·         Proper deployment and recovery procedures

·         Cold shock, hypothermia, and drowning response

·         In-water techniques including cross-chest carries and multiple-victim rescues

·         Hands-on use of Jason’s Cradle, rescue buoys, throw bags, and tethers

·         Practice with survival signals, pyrotechnics, and rescue boat procedures

By the end of the course, students understand not only their strengths and limitations, but also how to respond effectively without becoming part of the problem.

Why This Training Matters

Surface rescue swimming is not about adding another box to a safety checklist. It’s about acknowledging human behavior: when a shipmate goes overboard, someone will want to go in after them. Training and equipping crew to do this properly turns an instinctive reaction into a life-saving capability.

For NOAA and other fleets we work with, this training has proven invaluable—helping ships build a safer, more confident response to one of the most dangerous emergencies at sea.

 Is your crew prepared for a man overboard incident?

Contact Seafarers Worldwide Career Training to schedule a Surface Rescue Swimmer course and give your team the tools to save lives—safely and effectively.