Coast Guard and Navy Rescue Swimmer: Requirements, Training and Pipeline (2026)
Two services train helicopter rescue swimmers: the Coast Guard, whose Aviation Survival Technicians (ASTs) are its rescue swimmers, and the Navy, whose Aircrew Rescue Swimmers (AIRR) fly with helicopter squadrons. Both jobs demand elite swimming and fitness, but the paths, ages and timelines are different. Here is how each pipeline works in 2026, the exact fitness standards from official sources, and how to prepare.
Coast Guard vs Navy rescue swimmer at a glance
| Coast Guard (AST) | Navy (AIRR) | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Aviation Survival Technician (AST), a Coast Guard rating | Aircrew Rescue Swimmer (AIRR), a program on top of a Navy aircrew rating (AWS or AWR) |
| Boot camp | 8 weeks, Cape May, New Jersey | 9 weeks, Great Lakes, Illinois |
| Rescue swimmer training | 22-week AST rating course, including EMT | 2-week prep course, 4-week aircrew school, 6-week rescue swimmer school, then A School and a fleet squadron |
| Time before you are operational | Plus about six months qualifying at an air station | About two years of training before your first squadron |
| Age limit to enlist | 17 to 41 | 30 or younger |
| Published bonus | Generic bonuses up to $75,000; no AST-specific amount published | $25,000, plus $20,000 for elevated screening test scores |
Coast Guard rescue swimmer (AST)
The Coast Guard describes ASTs as "specialized rescue swimmers who save lives, provide emergency medical support, and maintain survival equipment." They are usually assigned to Coast Guard air stations, and their work runs from emergencies at sea to floods on land and cliffside rescues.
The path
- Boot camp: 8 weeks at Training Center Cape May, New Jersey.
- Getting to A School: most members first serve at a unit as a seaman or fireman and then put their name on the list for specialty training. Recruits whose ASVAB scores qualify for a high-demand specialty may be able to have a school guaranteed. In 2021 the Coast Guard also advertised a direct civilian-to-AST path; ask a recruiter whether it is open.
- AST A School: a 22-week rating course with a 7-week EMT course for National Registry certification, a 10-week rescue swimmer course and a 5-week aviation life support technician course. Graduates become AST3s. The school moved from Elizabeth City, North Carolina to Training Center Petaluma, California in 2022 during renovations, so confirm the current location with a recruiter.
- After school: about six months at an air station qualifying on your aircraft, then the rescue swimmer syllabus to reach journeyman level.
Coast Guard fitness standards
The most recent official pre-A School screen we found is from a 2017 Coast Guard message, and it is the same for every age and gender: a 450-meter swim in under 12 minutes, four underwater laps, 40 push-ups and 50 sit-ups in two minutes each, 3 pull-ups, 3 chin-ups and a 1.5-mile run in under 12 minutes. A 2021 Coast Guard recruiting video for the civilian-to-AST path listed a slightly different set, including a 30-second side plank. Ask your recruiter for the current sheet.
Qualified rescue swimmers then test every quarter on the Physical Training Assessment from the 2018 Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Manual, built so a swimmer can "function for 30 minutes in heavy seas":
| Portion | Events and standards |
|---|---|
| Land | Complex: 5 deadlifts at 150 lb, a 100-meter sprint and 5 pull-ups, with the sprint in 27.0 seconds or less; 12 bodyweight rows; 30 push-ups; 65-second side plank; 5 dead-hang pull-ups; 300-meter shuttle in 79 seconds |
| Water (fins, mask, snorkel) | 400-yard gear swim in 6:30; 6 x 50-yard swims on 37 seconds; 4 x 50-yard buddy tows on 1:15; 4 x 50-yard underwater down and swim back on 1:15 |
Heads up: many sites still list the 2011 standards (50 push-ups, 60 sit-ups, 5 pull-ups, 5 chin-ups and a 500-yard swim). That manual was canceled in 2018.
Who can apply
Coast Guard enlistment requires an age of 17 to 41, U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, a high school diploma or equivalent and an AFQT score of at least 32. The Coast Guard's training page adds that AST candidates must pass an aircrew-candidate physical and qualify for a secret clearance. The Coast Guard calls AST school one of its most physically demanding courses, with 75 to 100 trainees a year, and it has not published a pass rate; its first class at Petaluma finished 75 percent of students, which it called historically high.
Navy rescue swimmer (AIRR)
Navy rescue swimmers are enlisted aircrew. You join the Aircrew Rescue Swimmer program and serve as a Naval Aircrewman Helicopter (AWS) or Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter (AWR) in helicopter squadrons, flying search and rescue, combat search and rescue, anti-submarine and other missions. Navy.com notes the job includes operating radar, infrared sensors, missiles and door guns, and that there is no part-time Reserve version.
The path
- Boot camp: 9 weeks at Great Lakes, Illinois.
- Pensacola, Florida: a 2-week rescue swimmer prep course, the 4-week Naval Aircrew Candidate School and the 6-week Rescue Swimmer School, then an 8 to 14 week aircrew A School. Navy policy lists the prep course after aircrew school; Navy.com lists it before.
- SERE school: 2 weeks.
- Fleet replacement squadron: 28 to 52 weeks, depending on your aircraft.
The Navy says it takes about two years of training before you report to your first squadron, and the program is a six-year obligation.
Navy fitness standards
You take the Physical Screening Test in this order: the swim, 10 minutes of rest, push-ups, 2 minutes, curl-ups, 2 minutes, pull-ups, 10 minutes, then the run. Pull-ups must be strict, with no kipping.
| Event | Minimum | Elevated (bonus) |
|---|---|---|
| 500-yard swim | 12:00 | 9:00 |
| Push-ups (2 minutes) | 42 | 65 |
| Curl-ups (2 minutes) | 50 | 65 |
| Pull-ups | 4 | 10 |
| 1.5-mile run | 12:00 | 10:15 |
To graduate Rescue Swimmer School you will need, among other events, an 800-meter swim in 20 minutes and a 2,000-meter swim in 50 minutes in rescue swimmer gear, a 400-meter buddy tow in 16 minutes, 8 pull-ups in a flight suit and boots, carrying two 50-pound dumbbells 100 yards over obstacles in 2 minutes, and a 1-mile walk with a litter in 16 minutes.
Who can apply
- 30 years old or younger at accession.
- Vision no worse than 20/100 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20, with normal depth and color perception.
- ASVAB line scores of VE+AR+MK+MC or VE+AR+MK+AS of 210 or more.
- A Class 1 flight physical, U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a secret clearance.
- Body weight between 103 and 245 pounds; hay fever, asthma, bee sting or food allergies and chronic motion sickness are disqualifying.
Navy.com lists a $25,000 enlistment bonus for the program, plus $20,000 if you hit the elevated PST scores at your shipping test. Bonuses change, so confirm with a recruiter. In 2023 the Navy said training attrition was historically about 35 percent and rose to 55 percent after the pandemic; its new prep course brought that down to about 50 percent.
How to prepare
- Swim every week, a lot. Both screens start with a timed swim of about 500 yards, and the training itself is built on long swims and buddy tows. Build to the elevated Navy time of 9:00 or better.
- Practice the exact test. The Navy test runs swim, push-ups, curl-ups, pull-ups and run with set rests. Our Navy PST calculator scores the same five events.
- Own your pull-ups. Strict, dead-hang pull-ups show up in every test from screening to fleet. Our free pull-up program and pull-up rep guide help.
- Get comfortable underwater. Underwater swims are part of the Coast Guard screen and its quarterly test. Our underwater test guide covers technique and safety.
Comparing Coast Guard fitness more broadly? Read how to max the Coast Guard fitness test, and for boot camp timelines see how long Navy boot camp is.
Sources: GoCoastGuard, Aviation Survival Technician; Coast Guard ALCGENL 079/17; Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Manual, COMDTINST M3710.4D (2018); Coast Guard, August 31, 2022; Navy.com, Aircrew Rescue Swimmer; MILPERSMAN 1220-010 (August 2025); MILPERSMAN 1220-410; NETC, June 28, 2023; Navy.com, Enlistment Bonus. Standards and bonuses change; confirm with a recruiter.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a Coast Guard rescue swimmer?
Enlist, finish 8 weeks of boot camp at Cape May, get on the list for the Aviation Survival Technician A School, pass the pre-school fitness screen, and complete the 22-week AST rating course, which includes EMT certification. You then spend about six months qualifying at an air station before finishing your rescue swimmer syllabus.
How do you become a Navy rescue swimmer?
Enlist for the Aircrew Rescue Swimmer program, pass the Physical Screening Test, finish 9 weeks of boot camp, then go through the rescue swimmer prep course, Naval Aircrew Candidate School and Rescue Swimmer School in Pensacola, an aircrew A School, SERE school and a fleet replacement squadron. The Navy says it takes about two years before your first squadron.
What are the Navy rescue swimmer fitness requirements?
The minimum Physical Screening Test is a 500-yard swim in 12:00, 42 push-ups and 50 curl-ups in two minutes each, 4 pull-ups and a 1.5-mile run in 12:00. Elevated scores of 9:00, 65, 65, 10 and 10:15 qualify for an extra $20,000 bonus.
What are the Coast Guard rescue swimmer fitness requirements?
The most recent official pre-school screen we found (2017) is a 450-meter swim in under 12 minutes, four underwater laps, 40 push-ups and 50 sit-ups in two minutes each, 3 pull-ups, 3 chin-ups and a 1.5-mile run in under 12 minutes, the same for everyone. Ask a recruiter for the current sheet.
How long is rescue swimmer training?
For the Coast Guard, a 22-week AST rating course after 8 weeks of boot camp, then about six months of qualification at an air station. For the Navy, about two years of training after 9 weeks of boot camp before you reach your first squadron.
How many people fail Navy rescue swimmer training?
The Navy said in 2023 that Aviation Rescue Swimmer training historically lost about 35 percent of candidates, rising to 55 percent after the pandemic, and that a new prep course had brought it down to about 50 percent. The Coast Guard has not published a rate but calls its course one of its most physically demanding.
