SERE trainees in a life raft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ariel Owings)
The Barnegat Bay served as a training ground for U.S. Air Force airmen last week.
The Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) program provides U.S. military personnel with training in evading capture, survival skills, and the military code of conduct, according to a release from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Six airmen received the training in the Barnegat Bay off Harvey Cedars, which included floating in a life raft, jet ski rescue maneuvers, and hoists from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.
The training also includes the use of aquatic survival gear, first aid techniques, communication protocols, ocean ecology, and equipment maintenance.
The trainees tested out a new wetsuit that insulates from cold weather and prevents water seeping inside.