Water Safety Training @ the Grafenwöhr Schwimmbad
First thing on Monday morning (we're talking about 0530, here) . . . everybody up, uniform swimming suit, camp t-shirt, ACU and tennis shoes. Breakfast is served a la MRE and at 0630 the battalion loads up on buses to travel to the local swimming hole . . . the Grafenwöhr Schwimmbad. The air is a crisp 60* F, but the water is about 10 degrees warmer. Not too bad.
The training NCO divides the battalion into two groups: swimmers and non-swimmers . . . the latter group dons flotation vests and head for the shallow end of the pool . . . while the former group heads for the not-so-shallow end. Cadets learn what it is like to swim in clothes and how to fill them with air and use them as flotation devices. Some succeed, some do not. Everybody gets wet. What an experience.
Finally, everyone gets a chance to step off the dive platform @ 1 meter, 3 meters or 5 meters. Curiously 5 meters looks a lot higher from the top of the platform than it does from the pool . . . still everyone makes it up the ladder and takes the leap into thin air. Some of them need more encouragement than others, but they do do it!!
Enjoy these photos of this morning's wet adventure!
The training NCO divides the battalion into two groups: swimmers and non-swimmers . . . the latter group dons flotation vests and head for the shallow end of the pool . . . while the former group heads for the not-so-shallow end. Cadets learn what it is like to swim in clothes and how to fill them with air and use them as flotation devices. Some succeed, some do not. Everybody gets wet. What an experience.
Finally, everyone gets a chance to step off the dive platform @ 1 meter, 3 meters or 5 meters. Curiously 5 meters looks a lot higher from the top of the platform than it does from the pool . . . still everyone makes it up the ladder and takes the leap into thin air. Some of them need more encouragement than others, but they do do it!!
Enjoy these photos of this morning's wet adventure!