U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Sierra Division 11

Author: Jack Leth-Sierra Divsion Operations Officer

After several prior qualification swims (one of which was the subject of a video) we still had close to 8 members who needed to be qualified.

So, we scheduled a swim for Saturday, 12-Dec-09. Unfortunately, Mother Nature also planned a snow storm for the same day.

As a result, only two of our members (sisters Pat and Dee Walter) actually made it in to the water. As it turned out, the Officer in Charge of Station Tahoe also needed to do his annual qualification swim.

I should point out that, in this case, we in the Auxiliary have to meet the same annual standard as the active duty Coast Guard.

Here are some pictures of the event.

The sisters make their way to the water's edge as Senior Chief Bennett watches.

Just start walking toward deeper water!

Air and water temps during the swim.

The requirement is that you swim for 100 yards in the suit; the backstroke is the best way to get this done. The white "blobs" are snowflakes caught by the camera's flash.

Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Graham Potter was the safety officer for this swim. He is also Station Tahoe's Auxiliary Liaison Officer. I think he wishes he weren't out here at the end of the CG pier!

How can you look like you're having so much fun in conditions like these? Because the suits are designed to keep you warm in these conditions and because it really is fun (and beats laying around on the couch!). It's just another of the exciting things we do in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. If you'd like to be a part of our organization, just get in touch with one of us and we'll take it from there.