One of the many times Coast Guard rescue swimmer James faced death was when rough weather caused him to swing full-speed from a helicopter straight at a crab boat’s steel superstructure.
“I was swinging at that thing so fast. I just knew I was gonna hit it, and I was gonna die,” he recalled. “But at the last minute, I just barely cleared it, and I could feel it going right underneath [me].”
On the job, rescue swimmers have so many close calls they tend to forget about them, James said. Pulling sailors from icy water into helicopters requires peak physical condition, extensive skills, and a fearless disposition….