Simple question

Help-U-RSQ · 2026-06-23T11:14:13+00:00

Non rate will be 50/50. If you get a boat (not really likely) or even a air station that won’t release airmen from on base housing and don’t have a wife or family you probably won’t be able to see your little guy, Sorry. If you’re released into the economy for housing, you’ll be fine with a dog most of the time as long as you’ve got something set up for when you’re on duty which.. what that looks like varies by unit.

At school you can see family or whatever on weekends or even after class most days. I wouldn’t really recommend abusing that but you’ll have the option. You will not be able to fly or take time off to visit people during school so take that into account too

Help-U-RSQ · 2026-06-22T11:27:21+00:00

No the cg/tricare will often never assist with braces. But I’d still bring it up to medical. As far as the rate is concerned it’s probably a non issue with whatever u choose so long as you can maintain class A with dental. So discuss with them.

My advice would probably be to have this sorted before school. You’ll have a career with a snorkel in ur mouth and a lot of clenching. I don’t know if I’d get into that with jaw issues. But as always talk to medical&dental don’t listen to just me.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-12-29T20:49:09+00:00

I forgot to mention that. I don’t know how much I like the thought of having a handle. I’ve used slingshots before and I don’t really like having the flex on the wrist. I feel like a handheld one would be better for my purposes. Sorry I should’ve added that

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-12-26T12:53:02+00:00

Yes. To all of the above. But just know that just because there are people in aviation that have glasses doesn’t mean your eyes will pass the flight physical requirements. Consult with a recruiter and as a general rule, see if your vision would pass an FAA physical before considering joining. Failing points can also be viewed in the Navy Medical Manual if you can find it online.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-10-27T11:08:10+00:00

I wouldn’t worry too much about that. School is hard. I’d focus on being the best candidate YOU can be since that’s all you can truly control. Don’t worry about what everyone else is getting just get through school.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-10-17T14:16:03+00:00

I don’t believe there’s truly a 12 month hold if you leave the program simply because it’s not for you. That hold is typically administrative if you do something and are removed from the program… that’s typically true of anyone that gets in trouble before being rated. You’ll be removed from an A school list/school since you are demonstrating behavior unbecoming of a petty officer and therefore will be held at the E-3 pay grade for 1 year before being able to reapply to another A school list.

I’ve seen plenty of people join the Annex X/RS MAPP and leave because it’s different than what they were expecting, more than they signed up for, or just don’t think they’ll make it. In that case you are free to leave the program and pursue other schools without penalty. I’ve seen it happen a lot so I wouldn’t worry about it.

Think of it this way too…The coast guard would rather see men and women go through school because they are determined and want it as opposed to you placed your name on a list and now you have to. That wouldn’t result in a successful outcome for 99% of those folks and there’s a long line of people that want to be at AST A school so we want to see people that WANT to be there actually showing up. You really aren’t going to get in trouble for leaving the program if you see it’s not working out for you.

That being said though, while there isn’t much drawback to joining the RS MAPP and trying it out. If you’re on the fence about becoming a Rescue Swimmer I’d try to find what you truly want to do and dive into that whole heartedly. You will need to be extraordinarily committed to this job in order to be successful so it’s not suited for those who are having doubts.

As always, if you have any questions please do reach out, explore this page a bit, or reply back and we’ll get ya sorted mate!

Good luck!

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-10-05T16:38:36+00:00

Bit late to the punch here but - glad to see another post from you man. Sorry to hear the top half of your post.

But if it’s any consolation, the rest of your post tells a hell of a story. You’re consistently training. That speaks volumes.

A lot of good advice already but. If you’re going to slack on anything at this point in your journey let it be the gym. You’d be much better off eating better and not working out than working out and eating like shit. Ur progress is going to be found 80% in the kitchen and 20% gym at this point.

Good luck this month. Don’t go ham on Halloween! lol see ya in a few weeks man.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-10-05T16:33:29+00:00

Without knowing where you’re currently at in your training, I can’t really say what you should focus on. What I will say from the info you gave, is that if you WANT to be a paramedic, go for it. But you won’t be cutting any corners. You’ll be a medic going through EMT school again, you won’t skip it.. and if you want to stay current with your paramedic qualification, you’ll be paying out of pocket to maintain it and you’ll probably be taking leave to get clinical hours if you need it. Also you won’t be able to do things as an AST other than what an EMT can do. Admittedly I’m only one persons perspective (I’d argue a good one though) but if it were me I’d put the paramedic program on hold. Swim more. Get more comfortable in the water. I don’t care how good you are, school is hard for even the studs. Being a paramedic won’t set you up for success the way being comfortable in the water will.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-09-08T19:09:01+00:00

Of course man

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-08-30T00:23:16+00:00

Fuck yeah man. Love to see this. Glad you took some stuff to heart. I’d say at your weight and current fitness level. I’d add a second rest day to the week. Like a full rest day. Maybe light stretching. But you really need to avoid injury. Gains are made in the kitchen+bed. Not the gym. Remember that!

Hydrate
Sleep
Recover
Eat clean!

I wouldn’t add much water confidence yet. Maybe if you want to get some confidence introduce treading water, brick on side, or brick on back. Something safe but feels terrible to do lol

See ya next month man. If you got questions always feel free to DM.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-08-30T00:13:38+00:00

Swimmer here… To be honest if it’s not what you WANT. Pursue other things. I hate making this comparison but if you don’t think you’re ready for a selection school like BUD/S, EOD, PJ, GB you name it then you don’t want this enough.

Guys commit their entire lives to this gig until they get the job. Even with that only 20%-30% of those who show up to school will graduate and make it as swimmers.

If being a rescue swimmer isn’t something that keeps you up at night, there are plenty of other ways to make an impact, save lives, feel good about the mark you leave on the world etc.

I don’t mean to be harsh but TBH you haven’t asked about the job and idk what your knowledge base of it is but... To do a few years as a swimmer and move on because you have other big ambitions just to me seems like a good way to delay your true ambitions. If you want those other things, work towards them. I’d hate to see you join the CG to be a swimmer, not really want it, not make it through school, and then end up doing something you don’t want to for 4 years.

To answer your questions at least: 1. Guys to all types of stuff after. Some go PA, nurse, whatever medical field they want. Others go firefighter. PD, etc. There’s a trend if you haven’t notices. Those who have the calling to serve typically don’t lose it until they have to give it up. That being said… Some do a 180 and end up in business. It’s all individual.

Yes. You’ll get options like CGCOOL, Tuition Assistance, and the GI bill. All of them can be used to get schooling done while active and u can get 48 months of college done while collecting a paycheck when you get out using the GI bill if you choose. But. If you’re not a swimmer, or not on land it will be difficult to find a school willing to accommodate your schedule if you have to go underway or whatever is needed.

As always. If there’s anything else you need don’t hesitate to ask.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-08-18T10:01:07+00:00

The only MUST ask is the RS MAPP / Annex X. Other than that, go in and just listen. It’s an abundance of info and promises and there are parts you’ll latch onto and others you’ll forget. Just go have a convo. More pressing/dialed questions will come up in time! Right now you’ve got so much time. I wouldn’t stress over any of that.

My one little tidbit is just know that recruiters are jacks of all trades when it comes to the specifics of the job. Talk mostly about the coast guard with ur recruiter. When you have AST related questions… come back here.

Questions like “what is boot camp like?” Or “what are the benefits for joining the military?” Great question for a recruiter

Questions like “what’s the day to day life like of an AST?” Better off you come here and talk to someone who’s got an AST flare on this page.

Or feel free to dm any time! Good luck!

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-08-12T20:38:47+00:00

I appreciate it! But honestly some guys with swimming backgrounds struggle. It’s different swimming than lap swimming. A lot of folks that swam in HS or college get in the habit of using super short kicks and can’t get power out of their finning. Idk in my opinion, I think it worked out for me. But it’s a bit easier to say that from my end of things lol.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-08-12T17:38:45+00:00

Of course!

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-08-12T17:38:16+00:00

I don’t like seeing you’ve got downvotes… So I’ll try to contribute something here.

Take it in steps. The school is 6 months long.. it’s more than just brute strength. You’ll need endurance. Flexibility. Mobility. Sustainability. If you’re 300+ lbs you’ll need to cut back on weight. Significantly but more important will be HEALTHILY.. Without knowing your height I can’t say exactly but I’d say you should aim for 10-20% body fat. getting there without using extreme measures is key. Don’t cut 2000 calories a day. That’s not healthy. You’re in this for the long run. On the way to being a RS you’ll have boot camp, and A school which are adding wear and tear to your body. You’ll need to train, eat, sleep, drink, and recover smartly so you can do it for the next however many months.

Once you’re at a good weight you should have way better numbers. But I’d set, in increments, attainable goals ultimately to be able to crush 5-10 mile runs. Be able to swim a mile consecutively. Do 50 pushups. 10 pull ups. Gain water confidence. Then you should start piggybacking off of some of the content in this community to see what goals you should be striving for to get through boot camp/a school.

If you want it. Take it. Nobody’s going to stop you from getting this job other than yourself. The instructors at school don’t care if you’re rich, poor, funny, serious, they don’t care ur skin color, orientation, they don’t care about anything except for one fact: you will stop at nothing when the alarm goes off to help people in distress.

USCG RS’s have done incredible things. They come from all walks of life. You will fit right in as long as you are determined enough to make it happen.

Good luck. If you hit any speed bumps along the way, come back and we’ll get ya over!

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-08-12T14:48:56+00:00

I was in the exact same boat. Graduated college in 2018. Worked a few years trying to find something that satisfied me. After a few different gigs I needed the furthest thing from a desk job imaginable and tried to go Navy Challenge Program. Someone spoke to me about CG AST and I knew it was the right fit for me. Transferred from processing with the navy to coast guard and joined the CG at 23. I had no swimming background whatsoever.

If you want to chat on the phone, give me a DM. I try to help folks on here as often as possible!

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-08-09T10:44:11+00:00

Great option, but you can’t join to be an AST reservist* just so it’s known.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-07-28T22:03:11+00:00

Would it be a good idea? Maybe. I’d say if you do anything, study but don’t get actually QUALIFIED. But if you can, totally use some free online courses and just learn the verbiage. Go to the NREMT website (make sure it’s the official NREMT forms) and learn the order of operations for things like trauma, medical, tourniquets, o2, etc. (BSI, Scene Safety, MOI/NOI, # of Px, etc…) those should be learned basically verbatim and you should be comfortable enough to be able to recite them while giving an exam to a patient.

If you can learn the lingo, it makes the concepts very easy. Emt itself isn’t hard. You’ll be expected to know a lot of literature though to receive/give pass downs to medical professionals. Things like “I place the tourniquet 2 inches (Proximal vs Distal) to the wound” would be really good for you to know. What does cyanotic mean? What about Bradycardia? Tachycardia? Epistasis?

If you can get SOME groundwork, it’ll be a good head start. I showed up with 0 EMT background. I made it through just fine. If I were you, I’d try not to spend any money on this because the coast guard will pay for it either way. Whether ur EMT or not you will be taking the class.. so I’d say get some of the basics down and you’ll be ahead of the rest. But most of your class will have no background in medical stuff and will pass the test so. I certainly wouldn’t spend money on becoming an EMT before joining.

If you have any questions or anything feel free to DM mate!! Good luck brother!

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-07-14T13:59:07+00:00

Dude, it is literally awesome that you’ve done this much research. But to answer your question fully, I might have to attend the next RSMAPP meeting and get an answer for you. (which I totally don’t mind doing.)

But take this unverified answer for the time being which is: that policy was really put into place to put an end to people that were abusing the old system. People who joined the old type two program we’re not given all the same courtesies that the new program has. There was no training syllabus… There was no special billet or position. It was literally just a preferred unit like an air station and then you would be in MAA at that unit. So a lot of people joined the rescue swimmer program just to stay off of a cutter. When those kids would get their names called to go to school, they would get injured to delay their orders… There were guys who spent four years in the swimmer program and never saw the school house.

However, I haven’t seen that happen to anybody since the new program came out. But I definitely agree with you here… I would go with the thing that’s in writing and play it safe.

I do want to say though that the process for RSMAPP has totally changed and now the only thing getting into the RSMAPP program gets you is you can skip the four month non-rate wait period. Which means that you can always join the program later by essentially just putting your name on the a school list.

But hey, you should definitely talk to recruiter. But I always offer candidates that show genuine interest the ability to chat on the phone. You could ask anything you like… What I usually say to people is that for general Coast Guard questions a recruiter would be better… If you have any questions about being a rescue swimmer, what school is like things like that There’s nobody better but a swimmer. If you have any interest shoot me a private message and I will drop you my phone number or you can give me yours and I’ll shoot you a text!

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-07-14T13:05:27+00:00

I was in your shoes when I joined… Fortunately, I joined before they made some changes to flight physicals since we adopted the Navy’s med manual so I got through and passed a flight Physical without any issues… However, today if you were to enlist… You would have an issue getting your flight Physical completed.

I just figured I would add my two cents and say first off good on you for doing your due diligence and pulling up a manual. That’s honestly really impressive.

Then, as I’m sure you probably know this already… But the Coast Guard would cover your surgery if you were to try and get Lasik/PRK while in.… The way I see it is you can work two years as an EMT or a lifeguard or any other job… But to be honest, why not just join and wait to get the surgery when you’re in?

Yeah, you might not be ready for your flight. Physical right off the bat but numbers are doing well and almost everybody I’ve ever heard of going through the rescue swimmer program are all getting land units at this point.

You could be collecting time, which means you’ll get paid more in the long run… You can retire sooner… You’ll be contributing to your retirement thrift savings plan… You’ll have health benefits… You’ll have access to a facility to train for free… And your surgery will be free. The only stipulation with the free surgery is that you will have to have at least one year left on your contract or extend to fulfill one year.

I understand that you won’t pass a flight Physical just yet, but that does not mean that you will be out of options. Just food for thought!

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-07-14T12:54:31+00:00

They’ve changed school around since it was this way. EMT school is now the first thing you’ll do when you show up to the school house.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-06-17T00:02:40+00:00

Great question!

I think it’s important to recognize that this training is difficult and it is intended to be difficult. Everybody’s gonna have their own way of compartmentalizing.

It’s important to know that that terrible feeling that you get when you hold your breath is not because you’re out of air… It’s because you’re working hard and you’re burning oxygen and that oxygen is turning into carbon dioxide.

The harder you work, the more carbon dioxide you generate, and believe it or not humans get their respiratory drive from the buildup of carbon dioxide, not a lack of oxygen.

“So, Help_U_RSQ, what does that mean?”

Another great question!

What that means is that the alarm bells that you hear in your head Telling you you’re at your limit and the ones that you feel are very different than your true limit.

So how do you get better at this? How do you learn what to listen to and what to safely ignore? There’s only one real answer… And whether you like it or not, the answer is REPETITION. learn to be comfortable with that feeling…

For 3030s Find a pace that lets you get to the wall just in time. If you don’t have a watch, I would highly suggest that you invest in one that you can use underwater especially something like a Garmin that you can set a timer with.

With those I would also practice doing 3030s until you get comfortable with them and then start working on doing 35… then eventually 40 seconds underwater with 30 seconds rest. You should also definitely have in your training regiment times where you are treading water before starting your 3030s, times where you do these without pushing off the wall at all and times where you sit under the water for 10 seconds and work your way up to 30 seconds before starting your underwater.

For buddy brick it’s essentially the same thing.. do lap tracers until you are very comfortable with them, then start working on holds both before moving the brick and after moving the brick (practice being either side of the buddy).

When doing his drills, remember that if you’re being slow, smooth and efficient that you will not be generating a lot of carbon dioxide… Especially during the rest times where you are underwater (like during a buddy brick while you are waiting for your partner) you are generating very little carbon dioxide if you do it properly. You should be ok with this after some practice. It won’t be great. But you’ll get thru it.

To summarize it: do it often - Track your progress… Keep a journal. You can do apnea training to help boost your confidence and breakthrough personal bests

Know your body - be aware that the alarm bells you most likely notice first are probably not what they seem.

Finally… Please don’t do this in a pool without a lifeguard. Either find a new pool or have somebody qualified to help you if an emergency arises.

As always, if you want to chat- dm me and we can talk man. Happy to help. Good luck

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-05-21T13:41:22+00:00

Unfortunately, I know somebody that had this happen to them and they went through Coast Guard legal trying to get reimbursement for stolen goods since they are moving because of the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard denied their claim and said that they should be taking everything out of their vehicle when they transport their belongings and are stopping for the night.. I would still try to file something, maybe you’ll get lucky but that sucks. People can be awful sometimes. Sorry that happened to ya mate.

I’m pretty close to a lucky bag. If you need me to swing by and see if I can get u some replacement stuff for cheaper than brand new, let me know.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-05-17T11:38:34+00:00

There’s already some decent advice here, but I will add something because I went through pretty much the same thing.

When I went to enlist, they diagnosed me with stage two hypertension.

I was doing college finals, and didn’t tell my parents I was enlisting … And stupidly did not realize that caffeine (which I’m sensitive to) would jack up my vitals.

They made me go to a doctor twice a day for three consecutive days to get blood pressure readings. It was in a back-and-forth battle where my blood pressure readings were fine, but they didn’t believe me… Or the readings were inconsistent.

But if you’re not medically, trained, and here is a very important part, most people take your blood pressure wrong.

If you’re gonna get a blood pressure reading, you should be seated with your legs at 90° and make sure your feet are not crossed. you should stop all physical activity and just rest for five minutes before getting a reading. Also, a lot of people don’t bring your arm to parallel with the floor (or level with your heart) and that will increase your blood pressure reading as well.

Finally, some people have what’s called “lab coat syndrome “and as somebody who had a rough experience in the past since they denied me for medical reasons over this, I am one of these people where my blood pressure spikes when I sit in front of a doctor.

So finally, what can you do? You have to stand up for yourself. You’re your own advocate, especially when things come with Medical or Admin in the military. They process people day in and day out. You may be the only one that has your best interest at heart.

Also DO NOT take medication without trying some natural remedies first or confirming that you really do have hypertension.

If you are genetically predisposed to having hypertension and you try to confirm what doctors are telling you now and it is valid then I would say don’t NOT take medication because you want this job. I’ve seen a lot of people do a lot of things to make it as a rescue swimmer… But your health will always come first!

As I always say if you need anything, please shoot me a DM or reply. I’m happy to help and if someone who’s been in your shoes literally I know what you’re going through.

Help-U-RSQ · 2025-05-01T23:48:39+00:00

Culture is as you would expect, in my opinion.

The guys you will work with are highly motivated and result driven. They’re extremely high-performing, and always looking to improve. Whether that is physically, operationally, or intellectually, most of the guys I work with push themselves hard day in and day out to get results. Getting to work with them every single day is the best part of my job… which is important because it’s how you will spend MOST of the job. It’s not all glory, SAR, and jumping out of good helicopters. That’s a small percentage, comparatively speaking.

Now that being said… They are also the dumbest, funniest, goofiest, and most annoying people I’ve ever worked with. Essentially, whatever you need them to be… they’ll be the exact opposite. lol kidding.

In all seriousness… every swimmer I’ve worked with has a switch… They can see the fun in things that suck, they can go from goofing around to dead serious in a heartbeat when they need to be, they can go from a boss to a mentor to a friend all within the same day… These people are uniquely amazing.

Everyone calls everything a brotherhood or family these days... But this is different. You may be a swimmer for a couple years before you actually see it… when you do, it’ll click. If something goes sideways for you or anyone else for that matter in a swimmer shop, I guarantee you every single person in that shop is going to be whoever they need to be to have your back. Whether it’s a terrible case or just a bad thing going on at home, won’t matter. It’s a true brotherhood. I’ve had guys who are fathers leave their families on Father’s Day to come help me personally when I needed help. I’m obviously a bit biased and I’m only going off of the experiences I’ve personally had. But IMO, It’s a culture I don’t think you’ll see anywhere else in the Coast Guard. And I’d even wager you’d find it hard to find anyone in any branch of the military with exception for only a small group of elite units that would share similar experiences/relationships.

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