Coast Guard's Elite: Facing the Fury of the Sea

Discover the intense training and unwavering dedication of the Coast Guard's surfmen, the only ones who dare to challenge the ocean's most treacherous waves.

The Columbia River's mouth, a place known as the "graveyard of the Pacific," is where the Coast Guard trains its most elite members: the surfmen. These individuals face 20-foot breaking waves and 50-knot winds, undergoing a grueling four-week course at the National Motor Lifeboat School. With only about 130 active-duty surfmen, their history dates back to 1872, built on a creed of risking themselves to save others. Witness their intense training, their daring rescues, and the incredible skill it takes to join this exclusive brotherhood. Not everyone makes the cut...