Heavy weather surfmen are boat drivers that operate in adverse conditions. It's kind of the pinnacle of the boat driving profession within the Coast Guard. It's the highest degree of certification you can attain. You have to go into a surf zone and find and locate and then recover persons in the water. There's a difference between what you can do with this boat and what you should do with this boat and what makes you a surfman is understanding the difference.
The most important piece of equipment that you have on the boat is the crew that's riding with you and in adverse conditions you are to drive the boat in such a manner that you don't beat them up. One of the most important things in regards to surfman is the way that its passed down and the only way that you can get things signed off as far as certification for surfman is by another surfman and there's not that many of them around and its been around for close to 200 years. The only way that I got to where I'm at is not particularly by any talent or great skill that I have its just by the people that took the time to train me. Its extremely humbling and its extremely rewarding
I hate staying away from it; I like being in the mix I love doing what we do, and I like being around it
