{"id":56319,"date":"2022-10-06T13:43:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T13:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/10\/06\/the-marine-corps-has-a-swimming-problem-is-there-a-plan-to-fix-it\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:51:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:51:10","slug":"the-marine-corps-has-a-swimming-problem-is-there-a-plan-to-fix-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2022\/10\/06\/the-marine-corps-has-a-swimming-problem-is-there-a-plan-to-fix-it\/","title":{"rendered":"The Marine Corps has a swimming problem. Is there a plan to fix it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When an amphibious assault vehicle sank off the California coast in July 2020, causing the drowning deaths of eight Marines and a Navy corpsman, lawmakers and public officials demanded accountability, calling for better vehicle and water safety training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But in terms of prevention, Sgt. Kenneth Wilson wants to raise public concern about a quieter string of tragedies: individual Marines drowning off-duty or in training, often simply because their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/01\/04\/bad-water-survival-skills-could-sink-marines-future-promotions\/\" target=\"_blank\">swim skills were not a match for the conditions they encountered.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2022 alone, two Marines have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/marine-corps-times\/2020\/06\/29\/corps-identifies-marine-who-drowned-aboard-camp-lejeune\/\" target=\"_blank\">drowned during recreational swimming,<\/a> and one during training at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/04\/27\/hawaii-marine-dies-in-drowning-incident\/\" target=\"_blank\">Pyramid Rock Beach in Hawaii\u2019s Kaneohe Bay,<\/a> according to the Naval Safety Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bases with abundant ocean access are particularly vulnerable: Stars and Stripes reported in May that 39 American troops have<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/08\/27\/marine-saves-fellow-devil-dog-from-drowning-during-okinawa-snorkeling-trip\/\" target=\"_blank\"> drowned off the coast of Okinawa, Japan,<\/a> alone since 2000, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/marine-corps-times\/2019\/10\/02\/california-marine-dies-attempting-to-save-children\/\" target=\"_blank\">with nine deaths<\/a> since 2020 and five in just 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/08\/27\/marine-saves-fellow-devil-dog-from-drowning-during-okinawa-snorkeling-trip\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/James-Cates.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Marine saves fellow Devil Dog from drowning during Okinawa snorkeling trip<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">An experienced free diver Marine corporal helped save his friend on a first-time snorkeling trip.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEspecially in Okinawa, Japan, you know, Marines have a little alcohol in their system, and they want to touch the water,\u201d Wilson, a Marine Corps water survival instructor with California\u2019s Camp Pendleton\u2019s 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, told Marine Corps Times. \u201cAnd then no one sees them again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson said he\u2019s been dismayed, over the course of his time as an instructor, to see how little mastery the average Marine has in swimming \u2015 and worse \u2015 how little the Marine Corps requires troops to improve their swim skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>A major weakness <\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Swim qualification is a prerequisite for service; to meet the lowest standard, recruits have to shed their gear, jump off a raised platform, keep their head above water for four minutes, and swim 25 meters with their packs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For intermediate and advanced qualifications, required for certain military occupational specialties, Marines swim for longer \u2015 up to 250 meters and 10 minutes of treading water \u2015 and execute water rescue skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For basic water survival, Wilson said Marines are coached on how to pass the test, but not given the skills actually needed to swim competently or survive a real water emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you do swim qual, that\u2019s a controlled environment,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cSo you learn enough to survive in a controlled environment. But what happens when you really hit the real thing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Marine Corps Training Command in Quantico, Virginia, some quiet efforts are now underway to address Marines\u2019 swimming proficiency and access to water training. But the Corps repeatedly has refused to provide details on efforts and how it supports the objective of training Marines who can swim confidently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe need more swimming pools,\u201d Maj. Gen. Dale Alford, then commander of Marine Corps Training Command, said in a May interview, \u201cWe\u2019ve talked to the commandant [Gen. David Berger], and we\u2019re trying to figure out how to build more tanks, to have Marines in the pools more often than we have in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alford retired following a 37-year career in late September. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marine Corps Training and Education Command repeatedly declined to provide responses to Marine Corps Times about its plans regarding improving swim proficiency, instead inviting the publication to submit a Freedom of Information Act request. A public information request submitted Aug. 17 \u2015 asking for the number of swim training facilities in the Marine Corps; the number of qualified swim instructors; percentage of Marines in each swim qualification category; and percentage of swim qual failures \u2015 has yet to receive any response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marine Corps leaders at various levels have expressed interest in the past about making Marines better swimmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, then-Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2018\/01\/03\/wake-water-deaths-corps-may-add-swim-skills-cutting-score.html\">troops in Spain that he was considering adding swim qualification to promotion cutting scores<\/a> to emphasize the importance of water proficiency. That ultimately never happened. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2021\/05\/01\/every-grunt-swimmer-behind-marine-corps-new-focus-water-skills.html\">And during an Infantry Marine Corps pilot program in April 2021<\/a>, Marines at Camp Pendleton, California, began their capstone test with a swimming scenario \u2015 an innovation leaders hailed as a fresh focus on water skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But water survival instructors who spoke with Marine Corps Times expressed frustration at how little of a priority swimming actually appears to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sgt. Jonathan Tilas, another Marine Corps water survival instructor at 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, said being able to do the elementary backstroke while under a trainer\u2019s supervision just doesn\u2019t equate to being able to swim effectively amid chaos and crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBasic swim qual is not sufficient enough; you can pass that swim qual without really knowing how to swim,\u201d he said. \u201cThe whole point of that is so you can survive not being on the boat you\u2019re supposed to be on, right? The current basic swim qual is not sufficient for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tilas likened swimming to shooting: The Marine Corps gets a lot of recruits in the door who have zero experience with either. But for shooting, inexperienced recruits have \u201cGrass Week,\u201d where they can work with instructors and get comfortable with weapons before they face an evaluation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the 13-week boot camp cycle also includes a \u201cSwim Week,\u201d Tilas and Wilson both said their experience indicates there\u2019s far less one-on-one instruction during this time, and much more emphasis on simply passing the elements of the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt would be good if Marines had time where they could go and be at the pool for a week working with the [Marine Corps Water Survival Instructors] in the lead-up to any of the swim quals,\u201d Tilas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once Marines get to the fleet, they\u2019re technically supposed to stay current on water survival qualifications: Water Survival-Basic requires requalification every two years, while Intermediate and Advanced levels require a retest every three. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tilas feels there\u2019s little accountability for many Marines to ensure those retests happen, and no system in place to cycle Marines through skills refresher training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was the only MCIWS in my unit at one point,\u201d Tilas said, using the acronym for water survival instructors. \u201cAnd some staff sergeant would tell me, \u2018Dude, I\u2019ve been in for like 15 years \u2026 I haven\u2019t ever gone to the pool.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for resources, Wilson feels that neither the swimming equipment nor the manpower the Marine Corps provides telegraphs a true commitment to skills development. While the service requires one Marine Corps Martial Arts Program instructor for every 50 Marines, he said, sometimes a battalion of 700 will only have one water survival instructor assigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson, who is Black, noted the longstanding racial disparity in swim proficiency rates, due to a lack of access to pools and swim education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But across the board, he said, swimming is a major weakness for the Corps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you were to take an audit, and go to 10 different units in 10 different places, and just pick 10 different random Marines with different demographics,\u201d he said, \u201cThe fail rate is going to be higher than anyone anticipates. No matter what you project.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some instructors say swimming is major weakness for the Corps \u2014 especially as the service focuses back to the sea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":63707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-featured-layout","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[29,116,15,35,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2659],"class_list":["post-56319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"JIJZG363PVG5DLK3T5Y62VWUZE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/10\/06\/the-marine-corps-has-a-swimming-problem-is-there-a-plan-to-fix-it\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"featured-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Marine Corps has a swimming problem. 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